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. XVII. How those that are splenitick are purged by Vrine, and by what wayes those purgations passe.

THat all splenitick and melancholy persons do abound with Vrine, as well * 1.1 the authority of Hippocrates, as also reason and experience doe per∣swade. Hippocrates calleth the Melancholy iuyce Aquam, that is, Water; in his fourth Booke de Morbis, where he saith; both the man and the woman haue foure kinde of moistures, Flegme, Blood, Choler, and Water. And in his Booke degenitura, there are foure kindes of moistures, Blood, Choler, VVater, & Flegme. By water all Interpreters vnderstand the melancholy humour, because that of all humours * 1.2 hath most whay or vrine in it, for it is cold: wherefore when that aboundeth, the naturall heare of the Spleene, the Stomacke, the Liuer, and neighbour parts is wasted and dissol∣ued, from whence proceedeth a great encrease of crudities and waters. Adde hereto that * 1.3 it behoued this crasse humour to haue much whay mingled with it, to be a westage or ve∣hicle thereunto. Common and dayly experience addeth strength to this opinion, for in quartane Agues there is much sweate and much water made, and melancholy men are all * 1.4 of them sputatores maximi great Spitters: therefore Galen out of Diocles in his 3. Pooke de locis affectis, reckoneth aboundance of spittle to be the principall amongst Hypochoudriacall signes.

This therefore is to be resolued of, that spleniticke persons doe abound with serous hu∣mour. Furthermore that it is purged by vrine, Hippocrates, Galen, Auicen, Paulus, and Rhasis * 1.5 doe teach, and we finde it true in our dayly practise. Hippocrates in his Booke de internis af∣fectibus, writeth that the medicines which are prescribed to the spleniticke persons, ought to purge by the bladder; and in his Booke de externis affectibus, he willeth that those cho∣lericke Patients who haue great and turgid spleenes, and thereuppon are ill coloured or troubled with malignant vlcers, should haue their vrine prouoked. The moderne Practi∣tioners doe cure the vulcers called sceletyrbica, which are contracted or gotten by the fault * 1.6 of the spleene, by diuretical and diophoretical medicines, that is, by such as prouoke vrine and sweare.

Hippocrates relateth an elegant History of Bion, in the second Booke of his Epidemia, and the second Section. Bion (saith he) did make much water without any residence, and the bloode * 1.7 yssued out of his left nosethril; for his Spleene was puffed vp and hard. Galen in his second Booke ad Glauconem cures quartane Agues with Diureticall Medicines, such as prouoke Vrine. The guts (saith he) are to be purged by the seige but the Spleene and the Kidnies by the V∣rine.

The same Galen in his Commentaries in sextum Epidem: writeth, that Blacke Vrines are signes of a colliquated or resolued spleene. Auicen Fen. 15. tertij. When splenitick persons * 1.8 (saith he) do vse much exercise, the Melancholy humor is deriued to the passage of the vrine, and the vrines become blacke. And we our selues haue obserued many splenitick persons to haue recouered their health by a liberall and free profusion or euacuation of blacke Vrines. But * 1.9 we must obserue that such Vrines are not blacke in their proper liquor, nor in their Gene∣ration (because those according to Hippocrates in his Prognosticks, Pronheticks & Apho∣rismes * 1.10 are all mortall, for that they bewray eyther an extraordinary heate, torrifying all things as it were into a blacke Cinder, or else an extinction of naturall heate, and a Morti∣cinium, that is, an vtter deadnesse) but they are blacke through a permixtion of a blacke hu∣mor, which the Spleene hath purged and put downe into the Kidneyes. * 1.11

Now by what passages or wayes this serous and melancholy iuice is purged from the Spleene vnto the Kidneyes it is nor so easily knowne. There are two kindes of vessels dis∣persed through the substance of the Spleene: Veines arising from the spleniticke braunch, * 1.12 and many Arteries.

Betweene the spleniticke branch and the emulgent veines, there is no communion vn∣lesse it be a farre off; for the splenicke branch ariseth out of the trunke of the port or gate∣veine, but the emulgent from the descending trunke of the caua or hollow veine: now be∣tweene the hollow and the gate-veines wee know there is no communion vnlesse it bee by

the mingling of their mouthes in the substance of the Liuer; for some of the new writers haue obserued many such inoculations betwixt them in that place. Wherefore if the ex∣purgation or auoydance of this melancholy humor be made by the veines, it must be retur∣ned from the spleene to the gate, from the gate to the hollow, and from the hollow to the emulgent veines, and so vnto the Kidneyes, which were a long and tedious course.

Our opinion therefore is, that this expurgation is rather made by the arteries then by the * 1.13 veines, because the humour contained in the spleene, may by a nearer and more open pas∣sage be deriued from it vnto the emulgēt arterie. So the Empyici, pleuritici et peripneumonici, that is, such as haue suppurations in their chest, are afflicted with the pluresie or inflamati∣on of the Lungs, haue the matter or quitture euacuated not through the veins but through the arteries: and beside, our eyes teach vs that there is more serous and whaey humor con∣teined in the arteries then in the veines.

And for this reason I thinke the emulgent arteries were made so large and ample, not * 1.14 so much to leade and bring down the vitall spirit (for if they had been but small, they would haue serued that turne) as to purge the whay contayned in the arteries away by the kidnies: for so Galen teacheth vs in his 5. Booke de vsu partium, and in his Booke against Erasistratus. And so much concerning the vse of the spleen, & the way of the melancholy vnto the Sto∣macke and the Kidneyes. Nowe followeth that wee should treate of the Kidneyes them∣selues.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hippocrates calleth the Melancholie humor water.
• * 1.2

  And why.
• * 1.3

  Much sweate and vrine in Quartanes.
• * 1.4

  Melancholie men great spitters.
• * 1.5

  How to purge it.
• * 1.6

  Vlcera s••eletyr∣bica, how cu∣red.
• * 1.7

  Hippocrates sto¦ry or Bion.
• * 1.8

  Auicen.
• * 1.9

  Experience.
• * 1.10

  Black waters. Hippocrates.
• * 1.11

  How Criticall waters becom black.
• * 1.12

  The passages.
• * 1.13

  The most lik∣ly way.
• * 1.14

  Why the e∣mulgent arte∣ries were made so large Galen.