viz. V••mits, Purges, Diure••icks, Sudo∣rificks or Diaphoreticks, Cordials or Alexiphar∣maccks and Opiates; and then pass to Specificks, and briefly declare the Nature of them in gene∣ral, and the manner of their Operation.
IV. Vomits or Vomitory Medicins. VOMITS are Medicins that evacuate the Stomach, and drive out peccant humours upwards, and that by drinking luke-warm Water, but more readily if some Oil or melted Butter be mingled with it▪ which will make the Stomach the more to loath it, and therefore the more easily to dis∣charge it. Besides these common things, several Chymical Preparations are made use of to this purpose, as Salt of Vitriol, Glass of Antimony, Flowers of Antimony, Crocus Metallorum, Sul∣phur of Antimony, Mercurius Vitae, the particles of all which Preparations, when dissolved, do so violently twitch and affect the Fibres of the Sto∣mach, as to cause a Conlvulsive Motion both of that and the Neighbour Parts, viz. the Gut call∣ed Duodenum, the Porus Choledochus, or Passage that conveys the Gall, and the Ductus or Vessel of the Pancreas, by which Colvulsive motion whatsoever is contained in them is carried up to the Stomach, and from thence to the Mouth; and not only so, but by these Vomits the serous part of the Blood is often drawn out of the Extremities of the Arteries, carried up to the Stomach, and thence evacuated by the Mouth.
V. Purging Medicins. PURGING MEDICINS are such as move and loosen the Belly, and drive out the pec∣cant Humours in the Body of Man by Stool, such as are Roses, Violets, Cassia, Manna, Aloes, Rhu∣barb, besides manifold compound Purgatives. The reason of the operation of these Catharticks is, be∣cause they painfully affect the Spirits that are in the Fibres of the inward parts of the Body, and pro∣voke them to excretory contractions; and more∣over raise a Fermentation in the Humours, and thereby produce several fusions and separations of their parts. For tho' Manna and Cassia and other such like Gentle Purgers, which consist of very subtil parts, do not at all, or very little disturb the Stomach; yet as soon as they are past the Py∣lorus, or outlet of the Stomach into the Guts, they begin to irritate and twitch the most sensible Mem∣bran of the Gut Duodenum, and before they get any further, almost spend their whole force there. And because by the twitching and vellication of this Mmembran, the Porus Biliaris or passage of the Gall is considerably shaken, therefore they pro∣duce Bilious dejections.
VI. Purging Medicins do not act Electively. The opinion of old was, that Catharticks pur∣ged Humours Electively, that is, by choice, as evacuating one Humour rather than another: They were induced to be of this Opinion, because they often found that the Excrements evacuted by pur∣ging Medicins, were of a Yellowish, and sometimes of a Blackish Colour, whence they concluded, that some Catharticks, purged Choler, and others Me∣lancholy, as it were choosing and separating them from the rest of the Humours. But this is no bet∣ter than an error; for tho' there be purgative Medicins that evacuate Choler, Phlegm, Melan∣choly and Watry Humours, which gave occasion to Physicians to distinguish Catharticks into Chola∣gogues, Phlegmagogues, Melanogogues and Hydra∣g••gues; as for Example, Rhubarb and Scammony, purge Choler rather than Phlegm; whereas Mercu∣rius
Dulcis, and the Troches Alhandal, evacuate Phlegm rather than other Humours. Yet is not this so to be understood, as if Scammony, for in∣stance, purged Choler only, without touching any other Humours; or Mercurius Dulcis only expel∣led Phlegm; for it is certain that it purgeth other Humours also, tho' not so copiously as that of Phlegm; and therefore some Pungative Medicins may well be called purgers of Choler, and other Phlegm, &c. for tho' they do not purge that Hu∣mour only, whence they take their denomination, yet they do purge that Humour more copiously and signally than any other.
VII. Diureticks: DIURETICKS are Medicins that purge by Urin, such as are the Roots of Smallage, Parsly, Radish, Bitter Almonds, Spirit of Salt and of Nitre, Juice of Limons and of Sorrel, White-wine, Renish-wine and Cyder; which when taken into the Body, do precipitate the mass of Blood, and separate the Wheyish part from it, which soon after is evacuated. For the particles of these Diuretick Medicins by their pointedness and thin∣ness penetrate the Vessels, and by diluting, inci∣ding and dissolving the Blood, cause a great quan∣tity of Wheyish Matter to be separated from it in the Reins, and to be thence evacuated by the Ure∣ters.
VIII. Sudorificks or Diaph••∣reticks. SUDORIFICKS are Medicaments that provoke Sweat, such as are the Leaves, Roots or Seeds of Carduus Benedictus, Contrayerva, Angelica, or the like, being taken either in Pou∣der, Decoction, Conserve or Magistery. The rea∣son of their Operation is, because they consist of such particles as are very friendly to the Stomach and Guts, and therefore do not produce any Con∣vulsions or Excretory Motions in them; only the mass of Blood being by them Rarefied and Heated, and consequently more swiftly circulated, do put the Body into a Sweat. Moreover, the particles of these Diaphoreticks entring the Vessels which are implanted in the Stomach, mix themselves with the Blood, and raising a Fermentation in it, make it run more swiftly through the Veins to the Heart, and there entring with some impetuousness, encreaseth the Beating or Pulse of it, by which means the whole mass of Blood, being rarefied and enkindled, rusheth more swiftly through the Arteries to all the outward parts▪ which not be∣ing able to admit it, nor the Veins to send it all back to the Heart, a considerable part of the se∣rum of the Blood is evacuated through the Pores by Sweat.
IX. Cordials. CORDIAL MEDICINS are such as are proper to restore and kindle the interrupted or weakned Fermentations of the Blood in the Heart. Wherefore these Remedies are not called Cardiaca or Cordials, because they are appropriated to strengthen and comfort the Heart, as are all things that are Spirituous and Volatil, such as Saffron, Wine, especially to those who are not accustomed to the drinking of it, and Strong Waters. The reason of which operation is because their Volatil Particles entring the Blood, separate all Heteroge∣neous and Malignant Particles from it. Neither is the Passage from the Stomach to the Blood so long, that there should be need to fear that the virtue of these Medicaments would be lost by the way. For it is evident that the inward Nervous Coat of the Stomach is all interwoven with multi∣tudes