The art of preserving and restoring health explaining the nature and causes of the distempers that afflict mankind : also shewing that every man is, or may be his own best physician : to which is added a treatise of the most simple and effectual remedies for the diseases of men and women / written in French by M. Flamand ; and faithfully translated into English.

OBJECT. III.

ONE that is troubl'd with a Looseness will perhaps be extremely surpriz'd when he is order'd to take a Clyster, or a purging Medicine, and will be ready to look upon that advice as a sure way to encrease his Distemper, which in his opinion has purg'd him but too thoroughly already, without the assistance of Physick.

This Objection will appear as groundless as either of the former, if it be consider'd that a Looseness is usually either the ef∣fect of Indigestion, in which case it ceases af∣ter some time, and hardly requires the use of Remedies; or 'tis a sign that the Excre∣ments are stopt in the great Guts, and then if there be a copious Evacuation, we must re∣cruit Nature, and repair her decay'd Vigour, by good Nourishment taken in small Quan∣tities: On the other hand, if the flux be incon∣siderable,

or if the Patient be frequently troubl'd with a desire to go to Stool, with∣out voiding any thing, since 'tis evident from thence, that the Motion of the Intestines is not sufficient to expel those Impurities that cause such frequent Irritations, we must in the first place by the use of Clysters endea∣vour to dissolve that corrupt and biting Mat∣ter; and afterwards when the Irritation cea∣ses, we must take some Purgative Medicine to expel the remainder of that excrementiti∣ous Matter that may be lodg'd in some pla∣ces, which the Clysters cou'd not reach.