Galen's art of physick ... translated into English, and largely commented on : together with convenient medicines for all particular distempers of the parts, a description of the complexions, their conditions, and what diet and exercise is fittest for them / by Nich. Culpeper, Gent. ...

Chap. 82. Signs of a Sickness to come.

INdications of a Sickness approaching steer their course in a middle path, between those which accom∣pany sound and sick men, for in sound men all things are according to Nature, but quite and clean against Nature in such as are sick, between both these lie the Indications of Neutral Bodies which is our scope at this time.

Some of the Indications of Neutral Bodies agree with those things according to Nature, but differ either in quantity, quality, or time; again other of them are contrary to Nature, but less than in such as are sick, therefore the dispositions of such people as are falling into a sickness are properly Neutral, these are different. for,

• 1. Some of them shew health a coming.
• 2. Some shew sickness is neer, all shew Neutrality in the present condition, for when Indications of health appear to the sick, they may be called healthful Signs, when Signs of sickness appear to the healthful, they may be called unhealthful Signs, we thought good to com∣prehend them both under this word N••utral, neither need any Body spend much time in admiration, that we devide all Indications into these three Heads, Health∣ful Unhealthful and Neutral, if they do but consider, that such Signs as we call healthful, relate only to Peo∣ple at present in perfect health, such as we call Un∣healthful, relate only to such as are sick without so much as casting an eye to health to come, both do it properly without calling help of much reason, but rather of sence; such as are Neutral Indications are much judged of by reason, knowledg and Judgment.

The difference of Neutral Indications is twofold.

• 1. Such as differ only in quantity, quality or time, but not at all in species from the things that Physiti∣ans call [according to Nature] as appetite to meat, ei∣ther too much encreased or deminishe••, or not taken at convenient times, or unusual meats, or superfluities of meats, which are either too few or too many, too dry or too hard, or either want of superaboundance of moist excrements, or excrements that differ in colour, consi∣stence or time of excreting from the Ancient Natural

• custom, more or less drink in respect of quantity, hot or cold drink in respect of quality, too frequent co∣ming to, or too long absenting from the School of Ve∣nus, sweating, motion, or the like, retention and im∣moderate flowing of the Menstruis, or the Hemor∣rhoids, all these are Neutral Indications of a sickness to come, judg the like by an unaccustomed dulness of mind, an usual forgetfulness, troublesom sleeps, deafness of the Ears, dulness of the sight, the bulk it self of the Body either greater or lesser than usual, or whiter, red∣der, paler or blacker, oftner sneezing, belching, or breaking wind than usual, the excrements of the Brain, purged out by the Ears, Mouth, or Nose, altered ei∣ther in Qantity, Quality, or Time; and to conclude, Whatsoever Natural thing else in the Body of man is al∣tered in respect of Quantity, Quality, or Time.
• 2. The Second kind of Indications consist in such things as are not natural to the Body, and yet they are not so violent neither to cause a Disease, such are, Gnawings at the Stomach or Guts, pain, Vomiting, Headach, Heaviness of the Head, overmuch sleeping, or watching, these shew the disposition to be either sick or Neutral, judg the like when the Sences are burdened with any thing against Nature, so long as they are not immoderately burdened, neither hinder a man from his usual Imployments, they are but Neutral signs of a Dis∣ease; for instance, when whatsoever is tasted, tasts salt or bitter, though it be nothing less, when things smell stinking to the Nose, though in themselves they have no such smel in them, noise in their Ears, black, blew, or red things appearing before the Eyes when there is no such thing present, numbness or soreness in feeling, stretching, compression, gnaving or heaviness of Body, all these shew a Neutral disposition at present, and a Sickness to come