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Of the Disease in the Liver.
ALl the old Authors speak much of the pain in the liver, but none of them do declare whereof it cometh, or by what means, saving that Hippocrates saith, that some Horses get it by violent running upon some stony or hard ground. I for my part think that the liver of a Horse is subject to as many diseases as the liver of a man, and therefore may be pained diversly. As sometime by the intemperateness of the same, as for that it is perhaps too hot, or too cold, too moist, or too dry: sometimes by means of evill humors, as choler, or flegm abounding in the same, according as the liver is either hot or cold: for heat breedeth choser, and cold, flegm, by means of which intempe∣rature proceedeth all the weakness of the liver. It may be pained also sometime by obstruction and stopping, and sometime by hard knobs, inflamation, A postume, or Ulcer bred therein, sometime by Consumption of the substance thereof. The signes of heat and hot humors, be these; loathing of meat, great thirst, and looseness of belly, voiding dung of strong sent, and leanness of body. The signes of cold, and cold humors be these: appetite to meat without thirst, a belly neither continu∣ally loose nor stiptike, but between times, no strong sent of dung, nor leanness of body, by which kinde of signes, both first and last mentioned, and such like, the weakness and grief of the liver is also to be learned and sought out. Obstruction or stopping most commonly chanceth by travelling or labouring upon a full stomach, whereby the meat not being perfectly digested, breedeth gross and tough humors, which humors by vehemency of the labour, are also driven violently into the small veins, whereby the liver should receive good nutriment, and so breedeth obstruction and stop∣ping. The signes whereof in mans body is heaviness and distension, or swelling, with some grief in the right side under the short ribs, and especially when he laboureth immediately after meat, which things I believe if it were diligently observed, were easie enough to finde in a Horse, by his heavy going at his setting forth, and often turning his head to the side grieved: Of an old obstruction, and especially if the humors be cholerick, breedeth many times a hard knob on the liver, called of the Physitians Schirrus, which in mans body may be felt, if the body be not over fat: and it is more easie for him to ly on the right side than on the left, because that lying on the left side, the weight of the knob would oppress the stomach and vital parts very sore, by which signes methinks a di∣ligent Farrier may learn, whether a Horse hath any such disease or not. The inflamation of the liver cometh by means that the bloud either through the abundance, thinness, boyling heat, or sharpness thereof; or else through the violence of some outward cause, breaketh out of the veins, and flow∣eth into the body of the liver, and there being out of his proper vessels doth immediately putrifie and is inflamed, and therewith corrupteth so much fleshy substance of the liver as is imbrewed with∣all; and therefore for the most part, the hollow side of the liver is confumed▪ yea, and sometime the full side.
This hot bloudy matter then is properly called an Inflamation, which by natural heat is after∣ward turned into a plain corruption, and then it is called an Impostume, which if it break out and run, then it is called an Ulcer, or filthy sore: Thus you see, of one evill Fountain may spring di∣vers griefs, requiring divers cures. And though none of mine Authors, nor any other Farrier that I know have waded thus far, yet I thought good by writing thus much, to give such Farriers as he * 1.1 wise, discreet and diligent, occasion to seek for more knowledge and understanding then is ••aught them; and me thinks that it is a great shame, that the Farriers of this age should not know much more than the Farriers of old time, sith that besides that the old mens knowledge is not hidden from them, they have also their own experience; and time also bringeth every day new things to light. But now to proceed in discoursing of the liver according to the Physitians doctrine as I have begun; I say then of an inflamation in the hollow side of the liver, the signes be these: loathing of meat, great thirst, looseness of belly, easie lying on the right side, and painful lying on the left. But if the inflamation be on the full side or swelling side of the liver, then the patient is troubled with difficulty of breathing, with a dry cough and grievous pain, pulling and twitching the winde-pipe, and to ly upon the right side is more painful than the left, and the swelling may be felt with a mans hand. But you must understand by the way▪ that all these things last mentioned be the signes of some great in∣flamation, for small inflamations have no such signes, but are to be judged only by grief under the short ribs and fetching of the breath.
The signes of Apostumation is painful and great heat. The signes of Ulcerations is decrease of the heat with feebleness and fainting. For the filthy matter flowing abroad with evill vapours cor∣rupteth the heart, and many times causeth death. The signes of the Consumption of the liver, shall be declared in the next Chapter; and as for the curing of all other diseases before mentioned, experience must first teach it ere I can write it. Notwithstanding, I cannot think but that such things as are good to heal the like diseases in Mans body, are also good for a Horse▪ for his liver is like in substance and shape to a mans liver, differing in nothing but only in greatness. And therefore I would wish you to learn at the Physitians hands, who I am s〈…〉〈…〉 first, as touching, the weakness of the liver, proceeding of the untemperateness thereof, will bid you to heal every 〈◊〉〈◊〉 untemperate∣ness by his contrary; that is to say, heat by cold, and driness by moisture: and so contrary: And therefore it shall be very necessary for you to learn the qualities, natures, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of hear••••, drugs, and all other simples, and how to apply them in time. And for to heal the obstruction of the liver, they will counsel you perhaps to make the Horse drinks of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈…〉〈…〉ples as these