Organon salutis an instrument to cleanse the stomach : as also divers new experiments of the virtue of tobacco and coffee, how much they conduce to preserve humane health / by W.R. ...

CHAP. III (Book 3)

We cannot live without daily food,* 1.1 and from that food there ariseth not only our nourishment, but al∣so several superfluous matters, following, which are the princi∣pall causes of all diseases; which cannot be absolutely helped, al∣though much mitigated by any temperate diet.

1. HOW necessary our food is, every man knoweth; How it is our Portion, and Gods goodness in this life, see Eccle∣siastes cap. 2. and cap. 5. And how mi∣serable a mans life is without a good stomach to his meat, see Ecclesiasti∣cus cap. 30.

2. That from the superfluities of that meat, after the concoction of it in our stomachs, there remains certain su∣perfluous matters, which are like barm upon drink, and froth upon the best boyled meat, is the generall opinion of Physitians: And that the same are the principall causes of all diseases, which is plainly set forth ••y Gratorolus in his Chapter of Exercises.

3. That the increase of these Super∣fluities may be much mitigated by temperate Dyet and Exercises, as the opinion of all honest and godly men, whereof a man may see good directions in Ecclesiasticus, cap. 31. But how im∣possible it, is for a man by a strickt diet, although he observes the Rules of Le∣sius, to help this evill, a man may read at large in Doctor Primrose his book of vulgar errors in Physick▪ lib. 3. cap. 3. &c. And many learned Physitians doe maintain, that there is lesse danger in a little over liberall, than in an over spa∣ring diet; whereof see Hippocrates A∣phorisms, lib. 1. Aphor. 5. &c, and Rant∣zovius, and many others maintain the same, and Lemnius de occultis in many

places maintaineth the same; in so much that he spendeth a whole Chapter to maintain, that after a light Breakfast, a man shall be more able to eat a more liberall Dinner; and there is good reason for it; for that when nature hath no food to feed upon, then it feedeth upon the corrupt humors, which breeds unrecoverable diseases and a generall decay of nature, for want of suste∣nance.

I leave this to every mans age and experience; but I finde it expedient for all men, rather to eat often sparingly, than to eat much at usuall meals, and especially at supper.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1. Point.