CHAP. 3. Of Loosning Medicines.
BY Loosning here, I do not mean Purging; not that which is opposit to Astringency, but that which is opposit to stretching: I knew not suddenly what fitter English Name to give it, than Loosning or Laxation, which latter is scarce English.
The Members are distended or stretched divers waies, and ought to be loosned as many, for they are stretched sometimes by driness, sometimes by cold, sometimes by repletion or fulness, sometimes by swel∣lings, and sometimes by some of these joyned to∣gether. I avoid terms of Art as much as I can, be∣cause it would profit my Country but little, to give them the Rules of Physick in such English as they understand not.
I confess the Opinion of Ancient Physitians hath been various about these Loosning Medicines. Ga∣len's Opinion was, That they might be referred ei∣ther to moistning, or heating, or mollifying, or evacuating Medicines, and therefore ought not to be referr'd to a Chapter by themselves.
Tis like they may, and so may all other Medicines be referred to heat, or coldness, or dryness, or moi∣sture: But we speak not here of the Particular pro∣perties of Medicines, but of their Joyned proper∣ties, as they heat and moisten.
Others, they question how they can be distinguish∣ed from such as mollifie, seeing such as are loosning, and such as are emollient, are both of them hot and moist.
To that, thus: Stetching and Loosning are ascri∣bed to the movable parts of the Body, as to the Mus∣cles and their Tendons, to the Ligaments, and Mem∣branae; But softness and hardness to such parts of the Body as may be felt with the hand: I shall make it cleer by a Similitude: Wax is softned being hard, but Fiddle-strings are loosned being stretched. And if you say that the difference lying only in the parts of the Body, is no true difference; then take notice, that such Medicines which loosen, are less hot and more moistning than such as soften, for they operate most by heat, these by moisture.
The truth is, I am of Opinion, the difference is not much, nay, scarce sensible, between Emollient and Loosning Medicines, Only I quoted this in a Chapter by itself, not so much because some Au∣thors do, as because it conduceth to the encrease of knowledge in Physick, for want of which this poor Nation is almost spoiled.
The chief Use of Loosning Medicines is in Con∣vulsions and Cramps, and such like infirmities which cause distention or stretching.
They are known by the very same marks and to∣kens that Emollient Medicines are.