Pharmacopœia Londinensis, or, The London dispensatory further adorned by the studies and collections of the Fellows, now living of the said colledg ... / by Nich. Culpeper, Gent.

CHAP. 6. Of Medicines apropriated to the Spleen.

IN the breeding of Blood are three Excrements most conspicuous, viz. Urine. Choller, and Melan∣cholly.

The proper seat of Choller is in the Gall.

The Urine passeth down to the Reins or Kidneys, which is all one.

The Spleen takes the thickest or melancholly blood to it self.

I hope shortly to give you the exactest piece of A∣natomy now extant, in your own mother tongue, wherein you may as perfectly see these and all other internal operations of your Body, as you can your Faces in a Looking Glass. But to return.

This Excrement of Blood is twofold: for either by excessive heat, it is addust, and this is that the Latins call Atra bilis: or else it is thick and earthly of it self, and this properly is called Melancholly hu∣mor.

Hence then is the nature of Splenical Medicines to be found out, and by these two is the Spleen usual∣ly afflicted, for Atra bilis (I know not what distinct English name to give it) many times causeth Mad∣ness, and pure Melancholly causeth obstructions of the Bowels, and tumors, whereby the concoction of the Blood is viciated, and Dropsies many times fol∣low.

Medicines then peculiar to the Spleen must needs be twofold also, some apropriated to Atra bilis, others to pure Melancholly; but of purging either of them, I shall omit till I come to treat of Purging in a Chap∣ter by it self.

• 1. Such Medicines are Splenical, which by cool∣ing and moistning temper Atra bilis: let not these Medicines be to cold neither, for there is no such heat in Atra bilis as there is in Choller, and there∣fore it needs no such excessive cooling; amongst the number of these are such as we mentioned amongst the Cordials, to repel Melancholly vapors from the Heart, such temper and asswage the malice of Atra bilis.
• 2. Those Medicines are also Splenical, by which Melancholly humors are corrected and so prepared, that they may the more easily be evacuated; such Me∣dicines are cutting and opening, and they differ from

• Hepaticals, in this, that they are no waies binding, for the Spleen being no waies addicted to concocti∣on, binding Medicines do it harm, and not good.
• 3. Sometimes the Spleen is not only obstructed, but also hardned by Melancholly humors, and in such cases Emolient Medicines may be well called Sple∣nicals; not such as are taken inwardly, for they ope∣rate upon the Stomach and Bowels, but such as are outwardly applied to the Region of the Spleen.
• ...

  Aud although sometimes Medicines are outwardly applied to hardness of the Liver, yet they differ from Splenicals, because they are binding, so are not Sple∣nicals.