Mikrokosmographia a description of the body of man. Together vvith the controuersies thereto belonging. Collected and translated out of all the best authors of anatomy, especially out of Gasper Bauhinus and Andreas Laurentius. By Helkiah Crooke Doctor of Physicke, physitian to His Maiestie, and his Highnesse professor in anatomy and chyrurgerie. Published by the Kings Maiesties especiall direction and warrant according to the first integrity, as it was originally written by the author.

QVEST. X. Of the causes of the periodicall euacuation of the Menstrua.

ALl men know that the Menstruall blood is purged through the wombe by certaine standing and limited circuites and Courses, but the causes of this returne is a very hard thing to finde out. Many do wonder why seeing all other excrements are euacuated euery day, this blood which is the excre∣ment of the last Aliment should be auoided but once in a month.

The thicke excrements of the first concoction as they are daily genera∣ted, so they are dayly auoided. The Choller is euery day thrust out of the Liuer into the bladder of the gall, and thence into the Duodenum; the vrine is daily transcolated from the Kidneyes vnto the bladder of vrine. So likewise the excrements of the third concoction, i, those of the habit of the body are spent by sweating, breathing & insensible transpiration, by the haire and the soile of the skin. Those of the braine by the palate, by the nosethrils, the eares and the eyes; those of the chest by coughing; why therefore is not the Menstruall blood euery day euacuated, seeing it hath a continuall generation?

This I thinke is to be attributed onely to the singular prouidence of Nature, and to the Final cause the most excellent of all the rest. For if the blood were euery day purged away by the wombe, then could women neuer conceiue with childe, neyther yet any man haue due and comfortable vse of a woman. First conception would be hindred, because the seed powred out into the cauity of the wombe, would either fall backe or be extinguished; the coates of the wombe being irrigated, moistned and as it were inebriated or made drunke by the daily affluence of the blood. So saith Hippocrates in the 62 Aphorisme of the first se∣ction, Those women that haue moyst wombes do not conceiue, because their geniture is extingui∣shed. Beside, what pleasure or contentment could any man finde in a wife so lothsomly de∣filed, and that perpetually. It was not therefore fit for the accomplishment of the intenti∣on of Nature, that a womans blood should issue euery day, but onely at certaine and defi∣nite times and circuites, to wit, once euery moneth.

But why this excretion should be made euery moneth not oftner nor more seldome, is a great question and I assure you very full of difficulty. Aristotle in the 2. and 4. de generati∣one Animalium, referreth the reason of this periodicall or certaine euacuation to the moti∣on of the Moone, and saith; that when the Moone is in the wane womens courses do espe∣ciall flow, because at that time the aer is colder and moister, from whence comes the en∣crease and aboundance of that colde and crude humour; but Aristotle is by some heerein reprehended, because in the full of the Moone all things are most moiste, as appeareth by Shel-fishes, Oysters, and such like. The Peripatetikes answere, that there is a double hu∣miditie, one viuisicall or liuely, the other excrementitious. The first is encreased in the full of the Moone, because then there is more light, the second is encreased in the wane, be∣cause then the aer is colder; now Menstruall blood is generated by a weake heate.

The Arabians thinke there are diuers times of this purgation, according to the diuersitie of womens ages- Young women (say they) are purged in the new Moone, and olde wo∣men in the old moone, whence commeth that common verse.

Luna vetus vetulas, invenes noua Luna repurgat.

Young women in the New Moone purge, Old women in the wane.

Some there are, who referre the cause of this circuite and monthly euacuation to the pro∣priety

of the moneth, as if the month had a peculiar power to purge the courses, as the day hath to purge the ordinary excrements. And for this we may alleadge a notable testimo∣ny of Hippocrates in his Booke de septimestri partu, where he sayeth, In the moneths the same things are done by certaine and right reason which are done in dayes: for euery moneth hayle wo∣men haue their courses as if the moneth had a peculiar power and efficacy in their bodies. Wee must needs acknowledge that the Moone hath great power ouer inferior bodies, but that the sole cause of the Criticall daies and of this menstruall euacuation should be referred to the motion of the Moone I could neuer yet perswade my selfe.

That many things are dispensed by numbers and by moneths I doe not deny; but to at∣tribute any operatiue power to quantity and to number as it is number, I thinke is vnwor∣thy of a Philosopher. It is more wisedome to referre the cause of this periodicall euacua∣tion to the determinate motions and established lawes of Nature to vs vnknowne, which yet she neuer breaketh or abrogateth, but keepes immutable and inuiolable vnlesse she be either prouoked or hindred: for when she is prouoked she antiuerteth or hastneth the ex∣cretion auoyding the bloud before her owne time. So whereas the seuenth dayes are on∣ly truely criticall, yet Nature indeuoureth vacuations sometimes in the dayes betweene, yea & accomplisheth them, because of some prouocation comming from without, that is, beside her owne lawfull contention. Againe, being hindered either by the narrownesse of the passages, or by the thicknes of the humours, she oftentimes procrastinateth and delay∣eth their accustomed euacuation.

Hence it is that in some women the courses flow twice in a moneth, in some scarce be∣fore euery fortieth day. But why the blood should flow from the wombe rather once eue∣ry moneth then twice, or why the seauenth dayes should rather bee criticall then the sixth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, is aboue the capacity of humane wit.

Hippocrates verily promiseth in the end of his Booke de principiis, to make manifest the ne∣cessity of Nature why she dispenseth all things in the seauenth dayes: but I thinke he was diswa∣ded by the difficulty of the buisinesse, and therefore no where perfourmeth that promise. Wherefore seeing he that best could durst not aduenture vpon it, we will also ingenuously confesse our ignorance and ranke these secrets among those mysteries of Nature which she reserueth onely to her selfe, to teach vs not onely in this but in other things, to obserue her administrations the better and to suspect our owne weaknes. For wee see that in the most abiect and base things of the world there are some secrets of Nature whereof either we are not at all capable or not yet sufficiently instructed.

And thus much concerning that other principle of Generation, the mothers blood. now it followeth that we come vnto the Conception, wherein also we shal finde some dif∣ficulties worthy the discussing.

Notes

• Why it is not purged euerie day.
• The true rea∣son.
• Why it is pur∣ged euery mo¦neth.
• Aristo opinion
• The Arabians opinion.
• A strāge place in Hippocrates.
• What wee re∣solue vpon.
• How Nature is prouoked.
• How hindred.
• Hippocrates promise.
• Not kept.
• All secrets of nature not to be knowne.