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CHAP. IX. Of repelling, or repercussive medicines.
REpelling or repercussive medicines are cold, and of grosse and earthy parts; by which name also astringent medicines are understood, be∣cause * 1.1 they hinder the falling downe of the humours upon the part. Re∣percussives are such, either of their nature and of themselves, or else by accident, being not such of their own nature. These which of them∣selves are such, are of two kinds; for some are watrish & moist, without any astrictive * 1.2 faculty, which almost wholly proceeds from an earthy essence; wherefore that fa∣culty of repelling which they possesse, they have it wholly from coldnesse. Of this kinde are lettuce, purslaine, sow-thistle, duckes-meat, kidney wort, cowcumbers, melons, gourds, house-leeke, mandrake apples, night-shade, henbane, and the like, which coole powerfully, and unlesse they be taken away before the part waxe black∣ish, they extinguish the naturall heat. Other some are of an earthy essence, and there∣fore astrictive; but yet some of these are hot, other some cold. Such things as are cold of temper, and of an earthy consistence, are properly and truly termed repel∣lers. Of these, some are simple, other some compound: the simples are plantaine, vine leaves, leaves of roses, oakes, brambles, cypresse, berberies, sumach, all unripe fruits, verjuice, vinegar, red wine, the juice of sower pomegranats, acacia, the juice of barberries, and quinces, hypocistis, pomegranate pills; oake barke, the flowers of wilde pomegranates, the meale of barly, beanes, panicke, oats, millet, orobus mixed with juices in forme of a pultis, bole armenick, sanguis draconis, cerusse, litharge, terra sigillata, fullers earth, chalke, marle, the load-stone, lead, coralls, all marchisites, an∣timony, spodium, true pomphilix, all sorts of earth, and other things of the like na∣ture.
Now compound things are oleum rosaceum, omphacinum, mirtillorum, papaveris, cidoniorum, nenupharis, unguentum rosatum, album rhasis, camphoratum, emplastrum di∣acalcitheos, dissolved in vinegar and oile of roses, desiccativum rubrum, populeon, em∣plastrum nigrum soutetrapharmacum of Galens description, empl. contra rupturam, de cerusa, pro matrice. All such cold repercussives are more effectuall if they be associa∣ted with tenuity of substance, either of themselves, or by mixture with some other * 1.3 things: for to this purpose we often mixe vinegar, camphire, and the like things of subtle parts, with repercussives of grosse parts, that they may serve as vehicles to car∣ry in the repercussives faculty. Repercussives of grosse parts and hot, are worm wood, centory, gentian, agrimony, savin, coriander, mint, bay leaves, cardamomes, cala∣mus aromaticus, aloes, spikenard, saffron, nutmeg, cinamon, amber, salt, alome, co∣porose, sulphur, oleum absinthinum, mastichinum, nardinum, costinum, ceratum, Gal. stomachicum, santalinum, emplastrum diacalcitheos. But such things as repell by acci∣dent, are bandages, compresses, linnen cloaths, and rowlers of all sorts, cases, caute∣ries, * 1.4 blood-letting, cupping, painefull frictions in the opposite parts, and other such like things as are properly said to make revulsion. The use of repercussives is to force * 1.5 backe the humour which flowes from any other place into the part, and thus they mitigate the heat of such inflammation as that defluxion of humors hath caused, yea oft times to asswage and helpe paine, the feaver, abscesse, maligne ulcers, and morti∣fication. Such repercussives must alwaies bee so opposed to the disease, that respect may bee had to the temper, complection, and particular nature of the part whereto they are applied; for all parts cannot equally beare the like force of repercussives, as nervous & other spermatick and cold parts. Furthermore, there are some parts wher∣to wee may by no meanes apply repercussives, as the groines, arme-pits, and those glandules or kernells which are behind the eares and braine, lest the humour should retire backe into some of the principall parts: the like reason is also of bodies, for the bodies of women, children, eunuches, cannot endure so strong repercussives and the like excesse of cold as manly and vigorous bodies may. Besides, every disease requires not repercussives, for if the body bee repleat with ill humours, if it bee ple∣thoricke,