Opiologia: or, A treatise concerning the nature, properties, true preparation and safe vse and administration of opium For the comfort and ease of all such persons as are inwardly afflicted with any extreame griefe, or languishing paine, especially such as depriue the body of all naturall rest, and can be cured by no other meanes or medicine whatsoeuer. Dedicated to the illustrious, high and mighty lords, the estates generall of the vnited prouinces in the Netherlands. By Angelus Sala Vincentinus Venitus. And done into English, and something inlarged by Tho. Bretnor. M. M.

The Authour his Preface to the Reader.

I Make no question (Curteous Reader) but as soone as this little Pamphlet shall come abroade, there wilbe some which will pre∣sently beginne to taxe mee; saying, what fellow is this Sala? will hee (like a Master) teach vs what Opium is, and how wee should pre∣pare an excellent Medicine thereof called Lauda∣num, which will presently appease all griefes of the bodie, extinguish all extreame heates in Feuers, stay all Fluxes of the belly, pro••oke quiet rest to the diseased, &c. are not these onely two things, the one whereof hath beene disclosed to the world ma∣ny ages agoe, the other reuealed to vs of late by sundry moderne Physitions, so that wee stand not in need of his instructions, hee might well inough haue spared his breath, to haue cooled his pot∣tage.

To whom I answere first (concerning the na∣turall propertie of Opium) by demanding of them

what ancient Physition was there euer, who hath written of, or declared the nature and vse of this Medicine so well, or so amply giuen such in∣fallible and true reasons of its vertue and energie, but there may remaine some gap open, or some sub∣iect or other to worke vpon, wherein they may bee controuled, and whereto or from whence a man may adde or diminish something more or lesse: beleeue me (I thinke) they would haue much adoe to finde me such an Author; for if it were so, to what ende should they dispute so often in their publike Aca∣demies and priuate consultations of the naturall qualities of Opium? were it not a notable argu∣ment of vaine curiositie rather then of solid iudge∣ment or discretion to dispute against a doctrine al∣ready reduced into necessary and irreproueable Maximes as they imagine? But the naked truth is, that the vse of Opium is yet doubtfull among the greatest part of Physitions: which being gran∣ted, I know no reason but that if it bee lawfull for an other to argue and dispute of many things be∣side the common conceipt and apprehension of the Ancient: it cannot be accompted idlenesse or va∣ni••ie in me to vtter my opinion also being grounded vpon rationall termes, and agreeable to the au∣thoritie as well of ancient and moderne Sages as mine owne peculiar experience and obseruations, collected and gathered for the instruction and be∣nefit of such onely as shall haue occasion to make

good vse of them, not taking vpon me in this tract or any other to teach any man; much lesse those which thinke they know already much more then my selfe.

Secondly (concerning that obiection that diuers Physitions haue written and made mention alrea∣dy of the Chymicall preparation of Opium as a principall ingredience into that excellent Medicine called Laudanum) I deny not their assertion, but rather rely vpon their authoritie, and am partly satisfied with such things as they haue already di∣vulged, as may appeare hereafter, yet notwithstan∣ding the whole world can beare mee witnesse that neither Laudanum nor the vse thereof haue beene things commonly knowne; for it is a thing most certaine, that among a hundred Physitions and Practitioners in Europe, a man can hardly finde fiftie that will take paines to read ouer the workes of Paracelfus, or any other Spagitique which hath written of this subiect; much lesse can the thing it selfe bee common or familiar vnto them: among those fiftie a manshall hardly finde twentie which make vse of it: among those twentie it were strange to finde ten which are able to pre∣pare it with their owne hands, and among those ten it were rare to finde three which durst freely pub∣lish or manifest its vertues to the world, or propound the vse thereof in their priuate and particular consultations for the benefit of the diseased; or

maintaine the same for such a soueraigne thing as it is indeed.

I am very well assured that although the most part of our Physitions here at the Hage doe sometimes make vse of this Medicine, yet a man may trauaile into a hundred Cities in Christendon•• where the Physitions neither vse it nor make any more accompt of it then of a thing altogether strange vnknowne and of no vse in the world.

Furthermore, if we come to a popular examina∣tion thereof, I am perswaded that in this very Ci∣tie (notwithstanding the aforesayd) among a thou∣sand men and women which know the name and vse of Treakle, Mithridate and other ordinary Medicinall compositions, and can apply them to their best vse and behoofe when they are diseased or sicke, yet a man can hardly find twentie of them which haue once in their liues heard one speake of Laudanum, the knowledge whereof no question had beene as requisite and necessarie as of either of the aforenamed. What great matter is it then if Iames, Martin, Francis, &c. knew what Laudanum is, and the vse thereof, when so many thousand men know nothing at all, many of them in the meane time languishing and complayning of extreame paines and want of sleepe euen to death, and can finde no ease at all, vnlesse by meanes of this ex∣cellent and pretious secret, or such like: Well then, Let vs put the case that this my Treatise were

good for nothing else but to inlarge and make knowne the name of Laudanum among the rude multitude to giue them occasion (when time and oportunitie shall serue) to inquire and de∣maund for it of their Physitions, or of others which shall haue the same by them, whereby they may be assisted and fortified against sundry daunge∣rous accidents which by no other meanes can be so qu••ckely, safely or easily auoyded; so that if it were for no other reason then this, my labours (me thinkes) were not vnworthie regard; but the pro∣fit which may redound to many persons by this dis∣couery is not small, as the discreet Reader may easily perceiue hereafter. To conclude with the common prouerbe, As hee cannot spit sweete whose throat is full of gall, no more can such as are stuffed with their owne passions (thinking themselues onely wise) euer speake well, or com∣mend others labour or knowledge then their owne, yet notwithstanding, neither these nor any other obstacles whatsoeuer, either ought or can hinder the good will and entire affection of him which de∣si••eth the aduancement of Art to Gods glorie, the benefit of his neighbour and his owne priuate ioy and contentment.

Whether Chymicall Medicines in gene∣rall are more violent and dangerous then other ordinarie Medicines are; and whether in respect thereof a man may lawfully administer them except in de∣sperate diseases onely as some imagne?

A man shall finde some Physitions in the world which (hauing no skill in Chymicall art) being de∣manded of their patients and other people, what they imagine and thinke of Chymicall Medicines and their vse ingenerall, will not altogether blame and reprooue them (as not long since many d••d) but in answering perhaps will say, the Medicines are ind••f∣ferent good, but are alwaies more violent and dan∣gerous in their operations then other ordinarie Medicines are, in regard whereof they ought not to be vsed but in desperate d••seases onely.

Therfore before we speake any more of Opium, or the Chymicall preparation thereof (for the bet∣ter purging of chymicall Medicines and such as vse them from suspition and blame) I thinke it fit∣test to resolue this question on this fashion.

First, it may bee easily perceiued, that these Learned M. M. by this maner of answering fall into a double error, and are therefore worthily taxed in two principall points which makes their consequence vnsauery and idle. First, that they

iudge and censure of things whereof they haue no skill, nor exact experience at all, so that what they answere in this point, is either by some vaine con∣iecture, blind tradition, or idle report; secondly, by making no distinction betweene generall and par∣ticular, they condemne all Chymicall Medicines without exception to be such as a foresaid.

But leauing to reproue the former of these two points, as a thing exploded by each discreet mans conceipt, let vs insist a little to confute the later: in pro••ing that they wrongfully impose violence and churl••shnesse to chymicall Medicines, seeing that vnder this generalitie they doe not only con∣demne those excellent Vomiteries and Cathar∣tickes of Antimonie and Mercurie, but also all other kinde of Vomitiues, both meane and gen∣tle, all kind of Vegetable, Deiectories or Purga∣tiues from the strongest to the weakest, euen from Scammonie to Aloes and so the very Rose, as also all other formes and degrees of Medicines, whether they be Diaphoreticke, Diureticke, Vulnerarie, Be••oardicke, Cordiall, Anodyne, Somniferous, Roborating or Specifically ap∣prop••i••tted to diuers parts of the bodie, or resisting diseases of diuers natures, and finally all other kind of wholesome and necessary Medicines, vsed gene∣rally as wel among the Spag••riques as other ordina∣ry Physitions, differing only in maner of their com∣position and preparation.

Hereby you may at first dash perceiue that if they would speake any thing against the vehemence which may subsist in any Chymicall Medicine whatsoeuer, they should change this generall enun∣tiation into a more particular, and say, among Chymicall Medicines there be some which be vehement and not to say absolutely and generally that all Chymicall Medicines are so in perfor∣mance whereof we will do them right, and presently draw them to confesse that wee onely haue not some vehement and churlish medicines, but that they themselues also haue the like, no man can deny.

Seeing therefore we accord in this (as wee can∣not choose) if they will further aggrauate the for∣mer accusation, they must of necessitie prooue that chymicall medicines of a vehement nature are more churlish and daungerous then their ordi∣nary Medicines of the same nature are, as al∣so that their milde and gentle Physicke Chymical∣ly prepared, becommeth more dangerous then be∣fore, but (alas good men) they can proue no such matter.

For primarily touching those Chymicall Medi∣cines, which they pretend to be vehement (as those of Antimonie and Mercurie vomitiue) there is no question made among vnderstanding Physitions (besides daily experience) that being compared with those vehement vomits which the auncien•• Physitions haue prescribed, as those of white Hel∣lebore,

Tythimalls, Spurges, &c. they would bee found as gentle and familiar in their operations, a•• Sena and Rheubarbe are in comparison of Scam∣monie, Colocynthis, and other vehement and alt••∣ratiue purgatiues.

And furthermore, if they should say that they neither vse white Hellebore, nor Tithymalls in re∣gard of their venemous proprieties, or because they are found daungerous in working, this is the thing wee looke for at their hands, for they can ne∣uer make it appeare, that either Antimony or Mercurie well prepared cause any such Sympto∣mes in the bodie as these doe: or if they esteeme it a thing fit and requisite to desist from the instituti∣ons of ancient Physitions, exploding the vse of such Medicines which they finde to be daungerous; we thinke it far••e more rationall on the other part, (obseruing the main end of the foresaid intentions, and so cutting off quite the vsage of euill things,) to appoint and ordaine in their roome such as are more gentle and familiar.

Here they may finde fault (but nothing to the purpose) and say that they custome to make sicke people to vomit is very daungerus, and therefore to that intent they ought to vse no Med••cine at all▪ &c. But hauing sufficiently answered this obiection, and proued the contrarie in my Trea∣tise intituled Emetologia, concerning the nature and vse of vomitiue Medicines, I thinke it

needlesse to repeate the same in this place.

If notwithstanding what is said these M. M. persist in their opinio••, saying that Antimonie and Mercurie, are Medicines not so free from Maligne qualitie as I pretend, but that that they in-here and cleaue to the guts, and leaue some se∣cret infection in the blood or Radicall humours, the which in continuance of times comes to mani∣fest it selfe. And these are those common nui∣sances which many obiect, thinking thereby to drawe mens, affections after their owne fan∣tasies.

But this vaine opinion is quickely confuted by plaine and euident demonstration when they please, for most men which take either Antimonie or Mercurie well prepared, evacuate or cast the same out into the vessell, whereinto they vomit euen at the very first operation of the Medicine either vpward, or downeward, so that it hath beene often found in the excrements, when nature did worke that way first, as sometimes it falleth out.

Secondly, these (being mettallicke and fixed bo∣dies) cannot bee concocted, or brought into chyle or naturall nutriment by any meanes, whence it con∣sequently followeth that they cannot intermixe themselues with the blood, or any other substance of the bodie, as all other vegetable and animall Medicines may easily doe, in regard of that Sym∣bolization

they haue with the foresaid substances, so that the stomacke may reduce them into chyle at pleasure, which is the cause also that the poysons of euill plants, serpents and other venemous crea∣tures are more actiue, sodaine and piercing then Arsink it selfe or Realgar minerall.

I could produce a number of other reasons to demonstrate that Chymicall Medicines of a vehe∣ment nature, as principally the two before named (against which all this controuersie doth particu∣larly arise) are more gentle then any violent vo∣mitiue Medicine which our Ancients prescribed, yea farre more safe then any vomitorie vnder Hel∣lebore or any aboue named: but to auoide long discourse let these suffice at this time.

Now let vs come to resolue our selues whether those ordinarie Medicines which be naturally gen∣tle and without any offensiue qualitie, after chymi∣call preparation change their naturall mildenesse, into that which is euill, and so become vehement and dangerous.

Concerning which point wee haue in this dis∣course alreadie spoken some thing in defence of purgatiue Medicines, as those of more frequent vse then others among diseased persons, and therefore wilbe contented to determine the whole matter in the generall defence of Diaphoretickes, Diu∣reticks, Alexiteries, &c. chymically prepared.

First, therefore it must of necessity be granted of

all opponents that euery Medicine ingenerall be∣reaued of its earthinesse and seculencie▪ and made pure cleane and well digested by fire must of conse∣quence be lesse hurtfull, lesse dangerous, and lesse offensiue, and is also farre more apt to worke, ci••ò∣tutò & miundè (as the Physitions wish) then any crude, earthie, impure or ill prepared Medicine may or can doe by any meanes' possible; the reason is, that when such ill-prepared stuffe is once gotten into the stomacke of any diseased person, nature (al∣readie strugling against the disease) becommeth thereby more wearied, ouer-cloyed and oppressed in concocting and seperating the pu••enesse from the impurenesse of such drugges then it was before, and therefore can receiue very little or no comfort at all by such Medicines, whereas on the contrary part other medicines (made subtill, actiue, pure and well prepared by art) doe begin to disperce and dilate themselues gently into all parts of the bodie as soone as they are receiued thereinto, and being neuer so little exagitated or moued by naturall heate assist nature her selfe without any alteration or distur∣bance at all, and like a good friend aide and pro∣mone her; whereas the other wearieth and tor∣menteth the body like a Tyrant. Moreouer wee may consider that Chymicall Medicines being pure and neate, as aforesaid, leaue no feculent resi∣dence or corruption in the bodie at all, as others commonly doe.

But if it commeth to passe (as it is not vnlikely) that some should deny these reasons, obiecting that Chymicall Medicines being subtill and pure, can more easily disturbe nature, and moue the body more sodainely then other Medicines do; to whom we answere, that although among our Chymicall Medicines, there bee some of a subtill Nature, as our distilled oyles, the quintessence of wine, and other vegetables: and as there be diuers liquors (we acknowledge) very sharpe and piercing; so in like manner be there some diseases, wherein such Medicines be very requisite and necessary, where∣as others of a crosse, seculent, and clammy substance can yeeld no ease or comfort at all; in regard whereof wee ought not to accompt them daunge∣rous or hurtfull, but rather very beneficiall and wholesome, especially being well applyed and vsed a•• all Medicines of what nature soeuer ought to bee.

But vnder colour of these no man ought to comprehend other Chymicall Medicines, or pro∣claime them to bee of such a piercing nature, for comming to purgatiue Medicines extracted (be∣ing of a sappie, thicke, and condense forme) wee know well that they are not nor cannot bee so sub∣till or piercing as oyles, nor are called subtill in regarde of their penetratiue vertue, but rather because they are farre more easily conuer∣ted into Liquors, then the substances from whence

they are extracted, and therefore ought in no ease to be called irritatiues.

Experience her selfe teacheth vs that the ex∣tract of Mechoacan, Rheubarbe, or Sena (being gentle Med••cines) duely administred, shew them∣selues farre more milde, gentle and effectuall then when they are exhibited after an entire and grosse preparation.

But what need many words? doe we not plainely see that our Chymicall Art bringeth Colocyn∣this and Scammonie (acrimonious and vene∣mous purgatiues) ••o bee so gentle and milde in ope∣ration, that a man may as safely and freely admi∣nister them as Rheubarbe, hauing onely regard to the qualitie of the disease, and the humour they naturally purge? as namely that of Scammonie whereof a man may boldly giue to one of a strong constitution twentie graines at a time, in sugar ro∣sat, or any other conserue; And this will worke ea∣sily and well, without any touch of paine, pertur∣bance or inflammation in the bowells, as otherwise it would surely do.

And this is a Maxime that not only Scammo∣nie, but euerie other purgatiue Medicine of such venemous and vehemēt nature as Hellebore, Ti∣thymalls, &c. loose their acrimonie and maligne qualitie, and by meanes of this Art become gentle and effectuall in the extirpation of all such diseases as they naturally concerne or respect, without any

inconuenience or danger at all: and this is no vaine coniecture of mine owne braine, for I can produce a hundred sage and learned Physitions which can & will testifie and make this good as well as my selfe.

And this is all which I purposed to speake at this time in defence of Chymicall Medicines, a∣gainst the suggestions of scandalous tongues, not meaning or intendeng hereby to disgrace or vi∣lipend those ordinarie Medicines, wherewith the world is and hath beene furnished and serued for so many ages together; for both the one and the other may be found good or euill according to the diuer∣sitie of their vsage, notwithstanding I haue at all times indeuored my selfe to the vttermost of my power, to amplifie and illustrate the Art of Phy∣sicke for the comfort of the diseased (as euery one ought) without any passion or malice in condem∣ning things newly inuented for Paradoxes and Heresies before due exami∣nation and tri∣all.