Galeno-pale, or, A chymical trial of the Galenists, that their dross in physick may be discovered with the grand abuses and disrepute they have brought upon the whole art of physick and chirurgery ... To which is added an appendix De litho-colo ... / by Geo. Thomson ...

CHAP. XIV. Of that fictitious Rule of Contraries, by which the Dogmatists are guided in the cure of Diseases.

THat Sentence, Contrariorum contraria sunt Remedia, is generally taken up by the Galenists as a certain Rule, by which they pre∣sume to abate or remove most Maladies; but with what little success, and what little verity there is in it, may easily be obvious to any intelligent Observer, that hath but seen a Feaver directly cured. What destruction hath been

made of mankinde by this one Position, to which they have adhered most superstitiously, (though altogether false, having, as Helmont hath proved, no absolute being in Nature) is unspeakable. How many Orphans and Wid∣dows have reason to brand with a Curse this one Sentence, whose Parents and Husbands might have survived many years, had not their Physicians taken a contrary course to cure them, and thereby sent them packing to the Grave? Some of us could relate notable stor∣ries not long ago acted by them in this kinde, which for brevity sake we shall now omit. For the first thing they usually declaim against in a Feaver (when they have got a Patient in a hopeful way of recovery out of our hands, by their insinuating close wayes) is, that our Me∣dicines (if they finde that they be spirituous, active, and strike upon the Nostrils any whit strongly, or affect the Tongue by their Lepto∣merie and subtil penetrative Atomes) are too hot (forsooth) for the Disease, and endanger the inflammation of the Blood, causing thirst, &c. whereupon, having by their smooth elo∣quence possessed the Patient with a dislike of such Remedies, they presently fall upon (ac∣cording to the foresaid Maxime) the prescri∣bing of cooling Juleps, P••isans, Emulsions,

Decoctions saturated with crude Herbs, un∣corrected juyce of Poppy, and the like, hardly allowing them a draught of small Beer, but by no means any Wine; whereby it comes to pass that the Tone and Ferment of the Sto∣mack is subverted, Transpiration hindered, the Malignity detained, the Blood made re∣stagnant, the Vital Spirits depauperated, lo∣sing their activity and force, becomming tor∣pid and careless to preserve themselves, and the Morbifick matter more tenaceous; and at length perhaps the sick Man rid of his Disease, and laid cooling in the Church-yard.

Were it not far better to trust in a Feaver to a Pepper or Mustard Posset, a Decoction of Carduus Benedictus, Aron, and Horse-raddish-roots, that quicken the Archeus, strengthen the Stomack, rarifying and cleansing away the febrile, gross, viscous matter by Urine and Sweat, then to such dull, destructive, and mortifying Iuleps of the Galenists, given ac∣cording to the pernicious Rule of Contraries? How do these men neglect the saying of Hip∣pocrates, Naturae (that is the vital Spirits prin∣cipally) sunt morborum medicatrices, when they will not support and invigorate them with a little Spirit of Wine, (with which they symbolize above any thing) because it con∣spires

with the Feaver, and so too hot; not considering those qualities of Heat and Cold are but Products and Consequents of the Disease, which being removed, there present∣ly follows a cessation of them in an instant: so that it matters not whether the Medicine be Hot or Cold, so it eradicate the Malady, which irritates and exasperates the Archeus, that it is impatient till it have shut out such an unwel∣come guest; and according as it makes several Assaults and Onsets upon the occasional Mat∣ter, so it varies in those momentary and tran∣sient qualities of Heat and Cold in the extream parts; which are but insignificant in compari∣sion of that which is primarily to be looked after, the enabling and advancing the enor∣montick power of the vital Spirits, to pro∣fligate the Disease; which can be done no better way then by spirituous Liquors, which whosoever denieth moderately and season∣ably, for fear of some small inconvenience, which the violation of the Maxime of Con∣trariety may induce, may very well be repu∣ted a pittiful ignorant Physician. For we are able to make it appear optically, that Wine (as it may be ordered in the hands of an Artist) is able to conquer many very acute Feavers, even that they call a Causus.

The same reason they observe for the curing of Diarrhaea's, Lienteria's, Gonorrhaea's, Vomitings and Haemorrhagies, making use of Astringents and Corroboratives, that may diametrically answer the Laxity and weakness of the parts, whereby they many times constipate in the Body, and as it were wedge in that which Na∣ture went about to extricate; whereas any but a daubing and palliating Physician, would aim at the extirpation of the original Cause of these Effects; which being once expedited, all the Products, Symptoms, Phoenomena, and Epigenomena cease immediately. But to be short, for I must but touch upon these things, 'tis no wonder and these men take a contrary way to heal Infirmities, sith they have alwayes been and still continue so contrary and oppo∣site to the most sound Pyrotechnical Philoso∣phy, stiffly holding fast their opinions (we fear) with one of their great ones, who swore in another case, se nolle persuaderi etiamsi ali∣quis persuaserit: That he was resolved not to be convinced that he was in an Errour.