The castell of health, corrected, and in some places augmented by the first author thereof, Sir Thomas Elyot Knight

About this Item

Title
The castell of health, corrected, and in some places augmented by the first author thereof, Sir Thomas Elyot Knight
Author
Elyot, Thomas, Sir, 1490?-1546.
Publication
At London :: Printed by the Widdow Orwin, and are to be sold by Matthew Lownes,
[1595]
Rights/Permissions

To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.

Subject terms
Health -- Early works to 1800.
Hygiene -- Early works to 1800.
Cite this Item
"The castell of health, corrected, and in some places augmented by the first author thereof, Sir Thomas Elyot Knight." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A21308.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 23, 2024.

Pages

Of Repletion. CAP. 1.

REpletion is a superfluous aboundance of hu∣mours in the body: and that is in two manner of wise, that is to say, in quantitie and in qua∣litie: in quantitie, as where all the foure hu∣mours are more in aboundance, then be equal in propor∣tion to the body that containeth them, or where one hu∣mour much exceedeth the remnant in quantitie. In qua∣litie, as where the bloud or other humor, is hotter or col∣der, thicker or thinner, then is conuenient vnto the body.

First, where all the humours being superfluously in∣creased, filleth and extendeth the receptories of the bo∣dy, as the stomacke, the veynes, and the bowels, and is most properly called fulnes, in Greeke Plethora, in La∣tine Plenitudo.

The other is, where the body is infarsed either with choler, yellow or blacke, or with fleume, or with watrie humours, and is properly called in Greeke Cacothimia, in Latine Vitiosus succus, in English it may be called cor∣rupt iuyce. I will not here write, the subtil & aboundant definitions and descriptions of Galen in his books de ple∣nitudine, and in his commentaries vpon the aqhorismes of Hippocrates. For it shall here suffice, to shewe the ope∣rations of repletion, good or ill, remitting them which bee curious, and desire a more ample declaration to the most excellent works of Galen, where he may bee satisfi∣ed, if hee bee not determined to repugne against reason. Hippocrates sayth, where meate is receiued much aboue nature, that maketh sicknes, Galen declaring that place sayth: more meat then accordeth with natures measure, is named repletion. And afterward he expounded that word aboue nature, to signifie too much and superfluos∣ly, as who sayth, where the meat is superfluously taken,

Page 81

it maketh sicknes. For meate but a little excéeding tem∣perance, may not forth with make sicknes, but may yet kéepe the body within the latitude or bounds of health, for the meate that shal make sicknes, must not a little ex∣céede the exquisite measure. The incommoditie which happeneth therby is, that moistnes is too much extended, and naturall heate is debilitate. Also naturall heate re∣solueth some what of the superfluous meate and drinke. And of that which is resolued of meate vndigested, pro∣céedeth fumosity grosse and vndigested, which ascending vp into the head, and touching the rym wherin the brain is wrapped, causeth headach, trumbling of the members, duskishnesse of the sight, and many other sicknesses, also by the sharpnes thereof, it pricheth and annoyeth the si∣newes, which make sensibilitie, the rootes of whom are in the brayne, and from thence passeth through al the bo∣dy. Finally the said ••••••mosity ingendred of repletion, pier∣cing the innermost part of the saide sinewes called sensi∣ble, grieuously annoyeth the power animall, there consi∣sting, by the occasion whereof, vnderstanding and rea∣son, as to the vse of them are let and troubled.

And also the tongue which is reasons expositour, is de∣priued of his office, as it appeareth in them which are dronke, and them which haue grieuous paines in their head, proceeding of repletions. Signes of repletion bee these, losse of appetite, delite in nothing, slothfulnes, dul∣nes of the wit and senses, more sléepe then was accusto∣med to be, cramps in the body, sterting or salcion of the members; fulnes of the veines, and thicknes of the pul∣ses, horrour or shroueling of the bodie mixte with heate. The remedies are abstinence and all euacuation, where∣of I will make mention in the next Chapter.

Notes

Do you have questions about this content? Need to report a problem? Please contact us.