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Of the evill habit of the Body, and of the Dropsie.

AS touching the driness and Consumption of the flesh, without any apparent cause why, called * 1.1 of the Physitians as I said before Atrophia; I know not what to say more then I have already before in the Chapter of Consumption of the flesh, and therefore resort thither. And as for the evill habit of the body, which is to be evill coloured, heavy, dull, and of no force, strength, nor live∣liness, cometh not for lack of nutriment, but for lack of good nutriment, for that the bloud is cor∣rupted with flegm, choler, or melancholy, proceeding either from the Spleen, or else through weak∣ness of the stomach or liver, causing evill digestion, or it may come by foul feeding: yea, and also for lack of moderate exercise. The Evill habit of the body, is next cousen to the Dropsie, whereof though our Farriers have had no experience, yet because mine old Authors writing of Horse-leech∣craft do speak much thereof: I think it good here briefly to shew you their experience therein, that is to say, how to know it, and also how to cure it. But sith none of them do shew the cause whereof it proceeds; I think it meet first therefore to declare unto you the causes thereof, according to the do∣ctrine of the learned Physitians, which in mans body do make three kindes of Dropsies, calling the first Anasarca, the second Ascites, and the third Timpanias. Anasarca, is an universal swelling of the body through the abundance of the water, sying betwixt the skin and the flesh, and differeth not from the disease last mentioned, called Cachexia, that is to say, Evill habit of the bloud, saving that the body is more swoln in this then in Cachexia, albeit they proceed both of like causes as of coldness and weakness of the liver, or by means that the heart, spleen, stomach, and other members serving to digestion, be grieved or diseased. Ascites is a swelling in the covering of the belly, called of the Phy∣sitians. Abdomen, comprehending both the skin, the fat, eight muscles, and the film, or panicle called Peritoneum, through the abundance of some whayish humor entred into the same, which besides the causes before alleadged, proceedeth most chiefly by means that some of the vessels, within be broken or rather cracked, out of the which, though the bloud being somewhat gross cannot issue forth, yet the whayish humor being subtil, may run out into the belly, like water distilling through a crack∣ed pot.

Timpanias, called of us commonly the Timpany, is a swelling of the aforesaid covering of the belly, through the abundance of winde entred into the same, which winde is inge〈…〉〈…〉ered of crudity and evill digestion, and whilest it aboundeth in the stomach, or other intrails finding no issue out, it breaketh in violently through the small conduits among the panicles of the aforesaid covering

not without great pain to the patient, and so by tossing to and fro, windeth at length into the space of the covering it self. But surely such winde cannot be altogether void of moisture.

Notwithstanding, the body swelleth not so much with this kinde of Dropsie as with the other kinde called Ascites. The signes of the Dropsie is shortness of breath, swelling of the body, evill colour, lothing of meat, and great desire to drink, especially in the Dropsie called Ascites, in which also the belly will sound like a bottle half full of water: but in the Timpany it will sound like a Ta∣ber. But now though mine Authors make not so many kindes of Dropsies, yet they say all gene∣rally, that a Horse is much subject to the Dropsie. The signes according to Absyrtus and Hierocles, be these: His belly, legs, and stones, will be swoln; but his back, buttocks, and flancks, will be dryed and shrunk up to the very bones.

Moreover the veins of his face and temples, and also the veins under his tongue will be so hidden, as you cannot see them; and if you thrust your finger hard against his body, you shall leave the print thereof behinde, for the flesh lacking natural heat will not return again to his place, and when the Horse lyeth down he spreadeth himself abroad, not being able to lie round toge∣ther on his belly; and the hair of his back by rubbing will fall away. Pelagonius in shewing the signes of the Dropsie, not much differing from the Physitians first recited, seemeth to make two kindes thereof, calling the one the Timpany, which for difference sake may be called in English the Winde Dropsie, and the other the Water Dropsie. Notwithstanding both have one cure, so far as I can perceive, which is in this sort: Let him be warm covered, and walked a good while together in the Sun to provoke sweat, and let all his body be well and often rubbed alongst the hair, and let him feed upon Coleworts, Smallage, and Elming boughs, and on all other things that may loosen the belly, or provoke urine; and let his common meat be grass if it may be gotten, if not, then Hay sprinkled with Water and Nitrum. It is good also to give him a kinde of Pulse called Cich, steeped a day and a night in water, and then taken out, and laid so as the water may drop away from it. Pelagonius would have him to drink Parsly stampt with Wine, or the root of the herb called in Latine, Panax, with Wine. But if the swelling of the belly will not decrease for all this, then slit a little hole under his belly a handful behinde the navil, and put into that hole a hollow reed or some other pipe, that the water or winde may go out, not all at once, but by little and little at divers times, and beware that you make not the hole over wide, lest the kall of the belly fall down thereunto; and when all the water is clean run out, then heal up the wound as you do all other wounds, and let the Horse drink as little as is possible.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Blundevik.