Tes iatrikes kartos, or, A treatise de morborum capitis essentiis & pronosticis adorned with above three hundred choice and rare observations ... / by Robert Bayfield ...

CAP. XVI. De Vertigine.

VErtigo, is a false imagination, in which all objects, and the head it self, seem to turn round, ab inordinato & circulari motu spiritus ani∣malis in parte anteriore cerebri exorta. Or, it is a sudden darkning of the eyes and sight, by a va∣porous and hot spirit, which ascendeth to the head by the sleepy arteries, and fills the brain, disturbing the humors and spirits which are there contained, and tossing them unequally, as if one ran round, or had drunk too much wine.

A new Vertigo, that comes but seldome, and proceeds only à causis externis, levior est, ac curatu facilior. If in it the head and whole body seem to wheel & to turn round, the cure is very doubtful; and if the sick man falls to the ground, it foretels an Epilepsie, or Apoplexy; especially if the Vertigo hath continued long, and comes very often. In an old man its most dangerous, because his brain is colder and weaker, and flegm doth more abound: A vertigo proceeding from hot humors is sooner dissolved, than that which comes of cold, quia humores calidi faciliùs discutiuntur.

A certain maid, 24 yeers of age, troubled with the Vertigo or giddiness, I thus helped; ℞ Calo∣melanos, gr. xv Scammonii praeparati, gr. viii. Con∣servae rosarum rubrarum, ʒ i. Misce. Towards night it gave her ten or twelve stools; after which she became perfectly well.

Another I helped with this, ℞ Mercurii dulcis, gr. xvi. resinae jalapae, gr. viii. cons••rosarum rubr. ʒ i. misce. It gave nine stools, and so she was cured.

A certain young man was a long time troubled with the dark Vertigo, called in Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in which the eyes are both darkned, as it were, with smoke, or a cloud, and desiring my advice, I thus set upon the cure: ℞ Extracti Rudii, ʒ ss. Calomelanos, gr. vii. Resinae bene∣dictae, gr. iii. misce. & f. pil. numero quin{que} they wrought very well, and did him much good.

Next, I commanded him to sneez every third morning, with a little of this pouder: ℞ pulve∣ris sternutatorii (descripti in meo Enchiridio medico, p. 6.) ℈ ss. pulveris castorei, gr. iii. Misce. Every night, for 7 nights together, he drank a draught of Posset-Ale, wherein Holy Thistle, and sweet Fennel seeds were boiled; after which, the Vertigo was quite taken away, and returned no more.

Memini me eisdem remediis Dominum Sugget ex periculosa vertigine curasse; only he was twice purged with Pills.

Ancilla Dominae Laurence vertigine & tumore su∣pra faciem laborabat; for the removing of which I

prescribed this following Apophlegmatism. Take a quantity of white Wine Vinegar, a quantity of Mustard-seed, and as much Pellitory of Spain; bruise them, and tie them up into little Bags a∣bout the bigness of a Walnut, then put them in∣to the Wine Vinegar, and let them boil a little; then take out one of the Bags, and hold it be∣tween your teeth; when that is cold, take ano∣ther, so continue half an hour: Thus do every day for four or five days together: This drew an incredible quantity of Rheume, and filth from her head; after which, I gave her a dose of Ce∣phalick Pills, which wrought very well; and so she was perfectly cured.

Dominus Robertus Hamond gravissimae verti∣gini obnoxius erat; from which he could never be free, until he used this following Electuary.

℞ Absynthii ℥ i. artemisiae, ʒ vi. sacchari al∣bi, ℥ iv. ss. Fiat conserva, deinde adde pulveris stoechados, ʒ ii. conservae florum rorismarini, ℥ ss. cum syrupo de stoechade, fiat Electuarium, Dosis, ʒ ii. singulis noctibus.

Vertiginem per consensum ventriculi per vo∣mitum ordinariè sublevo, & eam quae calida in∣temperie accidit, cum infusione senae & foeniculi dulcis, in decoctione communi, removeo.

Domina Brogdel, annos circiter 40. nata verti∣gine simplice correpta est, quae à Graecis 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 no∣minatur, in which the sight remains unhurt: At last, desiring my help, I prescribed these follow∣ing

Pills: ℞ Extracti Rudii, ℈ i. pillularum co∣chiarum ʒ ss. misce & f. pil. num. vi. they gave seven stools, and so she was perfectly cured.

Some have been holpen with the dung of a Peacock (one drachm thereof by weight) mace∣rated in wine, strained, and so given: Many I have cured of a dark vertigo, only by opening a vein, especially the Cephalick; which usually appears very full, when the cause ariseth from blood.

Quidam Nobilis periculosâ vertigine laborans hoc Clystere (in mea Schola Physica, Rec. 209. de∣scripto) curatus est. Next follows the Symptoms of the Imagination, and the Ratiocination or ra∣tional faculty.