Medicina practica, or, Practical physick shewing the method of curing the most usual diseases happening to humane bodies ... : to which is added, the philosophick works of Hermes Trismegistus, Kalid Persicus, Geber Arabs, Artesius Longævus, Nicholas Flammel, Roger Bachon and George Ripley : all translated out of the best Latin editions into English ... : together with a singular comment upon the first book of Hermes, the most ancient of philosophers : the whole compleated in three books / by William Salmon ...

CHAP. XVIII. Of the Cachexia

I. THE Cachexia is the very same Disease which Physicians call a Leu∣cophlegmatia, and is the fore∣runner, or rather the begin∣ning of a Dropsie, and called by some a white Dropsie: It is a Lazy Disposition and Habit of Body, with Pursi∣ness, uneasiness of motion, and sometimes shortness of Breath, with difficulty of Breathing, coldness, soft∣ness, and smoothness of the Skin, with other concurrent Symptomes arising from Obstructions of the Liver, or Spleen, with the Mesera∣icks and other Viscera.

II. It can never be said to be incurable, because it is properly but the beginning of another Disease, and seems to be only a cold wa∣tery Juice, shed abroad un∣der the whole Skin and sub∣stance of the Flesh, arising in part from Obstructions, as aforesaid, in part from a Discrasie, or weakness of the substance of the Blood, so declining in its Strength, as not to have ability to carry its Serum along with it to the Emulgent Arteries, to be evacuated in its ordinary course by Urine.

III. It is caused either by too frequent and long giving of Hydragogues, which by vehement drawing away of the watry Humour, so mightily weaken the sub∣stance of the Blood, that it is left so thick, and its gru∣mous parts so compact or congelated, that the follow∣ing generated Serum cannot easily mix with it, to make it of one Substance or Con∣sistency, whereby in its pas∣sage through the Veins and Arteries, lying in a separate state from the other parts of

the Blood, it soaks (as it were) through the Vessels, and makes the habit of the Body cold and watry: Or, from Obstructions, as afore∣said, whereby the Blood be∣comes not only vitiated, but also has time to let its se rous parts pass through the Pores and Plicatures of the Vessels, to the Flesh and ex∣ternal habit of the Body.

IV. That there is no Ple∣thory in a Cachexia is certain; and nothing is more certain than that there is a Cacochy∣mie, and therefore care must be taken not only to open the present Obstructions, but also to depurate the Blood, and alter the habit of its Substance: If it pro∣ceeds from taking too great a quantity of Hydragogues, you must give Strengthners, which are partly Sudorifick, that as well as to make the Blood stronger, they may so open the Pores of the Body, as to cause a trans∣fusion of the superfluous Humidities which infest the Flesh and Skin through them; for which purpose this following mixture is of good use: Take of our An∣tidote, Bezoar Minerale, ana fifteen Grains; mix and make a Bolus, to be given at Night going to Bed, and let the Sick sweat gently upon it. This ought to be given every day, or every other day, for four or five times, in which space I have never known it fail to cure.

V. In the other case, the chief business is to open the appendent Obstructions, and remove the Discrasie of the Blood. Many prescribe Blood-letting in this, but in my Opinion, that must be very pernicious, because it still diminishes the Strength of the Sick, which is alrea∣dy too much weakned, and exhausts the Spirits now wasted and flagging. In this case bitter Herbs by many are prescribed, and the bit∣ter Decoction has been found of good use. Half a Pint of the Juice of Centory given Morning and Evening for a Week together, has cured to a wonder.

VI. But because the squea∣mish Stomachs of several,

cannot be prevailed with to take such bitter and nause∣ous Doses; and because in others the Obstructions are so obdurate, that none of those ordinary, Remedies, nor yet any thing prepared from Vegetables will do any good, we must have re∣course to Things that are more powerful, and of ano∣ther Nature, which shall have power to pierce to the most inward recesses of Na∣ture. Of this kind are mi∣neral Waters; but such espe∣cially as proceed from an Iron Mine, of which the Sick ought to drink liberal∣ly, and for some Weeks, be∣cause those Waters being repleat with a ferrous Vitriol, both powerfully open, and also sweeten, which is one of the chief Intentions of Cure.

VII. Now because many can neither spare time to go to the Wells, or by living remote, cannot well compass to get thither, we shall here prescribe other Remedies, which no Place can fail of affording: Take Filings of Iron, white Tartar in Pouder ana; make them into a Mass with Water, which put into an earthen glased Vessel, or wooden Bowl; put it in a warm place till it is dry: Powder it again, and moisten with Water, and and dry again, repeating this five or six times. This pre∣pared Iron, may be made up in∣to Pills with a little Diacassia: Or, if the Sick cannot take Pills, you may make a Tin∣cture of it with White-Wine, by digesting the White-Wine upon it for five or six Weeks. And although pos∣sibly a Tincture may be made in much lesser time, yet the longer the White-Wine stands upon the Mat∣ter, (were it a year, or more,) the better it is: Take of the Rust aforesaid, eight Ounces; White-Wine two Quarts; digest five or six Weeks, as aforesaid; then decant the Tincture, and upon the Faeces put more Wine, repeating this Work so long, till no more Tincture will arise: Dose from a spoonful, to three or four. This Tin∣cture you may if you please boil into a Syrup with Su∣gar.

VIII. If you be in the Country where Tartar can∣not

be gotten: it may do, if you only take Scales of Iron from the Smith's An∣vil, and put into White-Wine: The Wine alone will in time, being in a warm digestion, extract a most admirable Tincture for the purpose aforesaid; and tru∣ly neither in appearance nor effects will it be much infe∣riour to the former: Take Scales of Iron four Pound; White-Wine a Gallon; mix, digest warm, for two or three Months, or more, shaking the Glass once a day; and keep it for use upon the faeces: Dose from one spoonful to three or four, in the Morning fa∣sting. Now here is to be noted, that the Sick ought to lie in their warm Bed, two or three hours after ta∣king of it; or if up, to walk up and down, or use some stirring Exercise, for two or three hours following.

IX. If the Cachexy be at∣tended with vehement pain, in any particular Part or Limb, bleeding with Lee ches is of admirable use; I remember (once more espe∣cially) I had a cachectick Person in cure, who had so vehement Pain in his Shoul∣der, that he could not lift his Hand to his Head: I set a dozen Leeches to his Shoulder, and he was cured of his Pain at once: This method I have pursued se∣veral times with good suc∣cess. And sometimes where Leeches could not be gotten, I have profitably applied Vesicatories, which have a∣bundantly answered expe∣ctation: Yet this is to be ob∣served, That though they often are, and may freely enough be applied to the Legs, yet it is something dangerous to do it in a Dro∣psie, lest they should bring an afflux of Humors upon the Part, so great, as to cause a Gangrene; which yet a prudent Physician, ha∣ving this Caution, may easily avoid.

X. In a Cachexia in Wo∣men, where there is a great Obstruction of the Terms, you ought not to provoke them, 'till you have opened Obstructions of other Parts cleared the passages, and prepared the Blood and Hu∣mors:

For Nature dischar∣ges not the Blood by the Veins of the Womb, 'till the Crudities be in a great measure consumed, and the Blood has recovered its in∣ward Heat, Life, and Vi∣gor: And Crudities being 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and the Oeco∣nomy of the Body restored, what natural Evacuations were suppressed, will return of their own accord.

XI. I once had a cache∣ctical Patient, who former∣ly had the Pox, but had been well of that Disease some years; but fearing there should be yet some Relicks of it, desired I should pro∣ceed in the Cure, as if it had been the Pox; nor could I prevail with the Man to ad∣mit of any other Cure: At length I fumed him with the following Troches: Take artificial Cinnabar six Drams; Myrrh, Amber, Mastick, Oli∣banum, Cloves, Nutmegs, ana half an Ounce, Mercurius Dulcis two Drams, with Spirit of Wine; make thirty two Troches, for eight Fumi∣gations. I fumed him three or four times, and took a∣way all his swelling, without any sensible fluxing; and he became perfectly well. But one thing which was very remarkable in this Cure, was, That an old Pain of the Spleen, which he had been troubled withal for twenty two or twenty three years, was totally and per∣fectly removed, and much of the Disease went away by Urine.

XII. A confirm'd Cachexy is without danger, and may be cured in short time by Sudorificks only; the Cause principally proceeding from a Debility of the Blood and noble Parts, charged either with too great Acidities, or an aqueous Matter, which is sent into the Habit of the Body: For this purpose, a Tincture of the opening Crocus Martis, or the Crocus Martis it self is profitably given; and Grulingius saith, for this purpose it excels all other Remedies, because it strengthens so powerfully: For internal Sudorificks, (which may also absorb the Acid) we commend Bezoar

Mineral, from six to sixteen Gr. our Angelus Mineralis from six to twelve Grains; Pilulae Angelicae from one to two Scruples; or a Decoction of Guaiacum, after the usual manner, the Patient being in a Stove or Bed.

XIII. Barbet saith, that the watery Matter is first gathered in the Face and Limbs; and if the tumid Parts be prest with your Finger, that they are not so full as in a true Dropsie; and that the cause of it is from the lymphatick Ves∣sels being compressed, bro∣ken, or some other way obstructed, whereby the na∣tural Motion of the Lym∣pha is himdred, and so thrust into the fleshy and skinny Parts. But all this we can∣not concede unto; nor do we believe that ever the Ru∣pture of the lymphatick Vessels were, or can be the Cause thereof, but this pos∣sibly may be sometimes a Cause, the two great thin∣ness of the Lympha, and the weakness or laxness of the Vessels containing it, whereby it has an emission through their Pores, and Plicatures into the fleshy Substance of the Body.

XIV. If the Sick be of a cholerick habit of Body, if they sweat, (in a Stove, Chair, or Bagnio,) it ought to be with a gentle heat: If they be melancholly, the heat must be greater; but if phlegma∣tick, the heat must be most intense, that the Humors may be melted, and the preternatural Gelly dissol∣ved; without which, it can never pass away by sweat: And this is of use chiefly in Virgins, where the Disease proceeds from Grief, drin∣king cold Water, eating un∣ripe Fruit, or other hetro∣gene Things: But in hot Constitutions, and such as have been used to eat and drink hot Things, (whereby the Liver is made exceeding hot and dry, and much Choler abounds in the first and second Region, viz. in the Veins of the Liver, Spleen, and Mesentery, and in the greater Veins and Arteries,) Baths are much more proper than Stoves, and such-like, because they

moisten; whereas a dry sweat irritates the Atribi∣lious Humor.

XV. Being come out of the Bath, you may anoint the Belly, Feet, Legs, and other swoln Parts, with the following Unguent: Take tops of Elder, Dwarf-Elder, Doves-foot, musked Cranes∣bill, Mustard, Rocket, Camo∣mil, ana two Ounces; Palm∣oil one Pound; boil well, strain out by pressing; then add di∣stilled Oils of Amber, Anni∣seeds, and Juniper, ana three Drams; mix them, to anoint withal, and inwardly give a Dram or two, or more, of our Aqua Bezoartica, or good Cinamon-Water.

XVI. Catharticks are ad∣judged by most to be of evil consequence, being gi∣ven to cachectick Persons, be∣cause they hurt the Liver, and weaken the Ferment of the Viscera: This is true, it they be often or long given, as we noted at Sect. 3. above, for they destroy the Pati∣ent, the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and weakned Parts being extreamly hurt, and more weakened there∣by; but Lenitives may be given and repeated with Strengthners between; and sometimes stronger Purges, provided there be pretty long intervals between, and many times Corroboraters of the Bowels be given in the interim, to support and restore their tone.

XVII. Quercetanus com∣mends this Pouder: Take fine Filings of Iron one Dram; Feculi Ari one Dram; Es∣sence of Coral, Pearl, Pouder of Amebrgrise, ana half a Ounce; Amber prepared, Cinamon, ana four Scruples; Sugar q. s. mix, and make a Pouder. It is a good Thing for pale and depraved Colours, Ca∣chexies in Men, Women, and Maids, whether young or old, the Body being pre∣pared and purged for some time before hand. Schroder commends his Chalybeated Salt for the same purpose. See it in my Seplasium, Lib. 1. Cap. 16. Sect. 13, 14, 15. & Lib. 2. Cap. 14. Sect. 4, 5.

XVIII. Or this: Take Filings of Iron, sprinkle them with Waters of Wormwood,

Ash, or Scurvy-Grass, where∣in their Salts have been dissol∣ved, leave them so long till all is converted to Rust or Cro∣cus; of which take six Ounces; burnt Harts-horn prepared, Ma∣gisteries of Coral and Pearl, ana one Dram and half; Ci∣namon, Crystals of Tartar, ana one Dram; Sugar a sufficient quantity; mix, and make a Pouder: Dose one Dram.

XIX. Sennertus commends this Wine: Take Filings of Iron three Ounces and half; White Wine two Quarts; in∣fuse them together in a Bolt∣bead a Month in a warm place; shaking it three or four times a day: Dose five or six Ounces at a time, in the Mor∣ning fasting, and lying two or three hours in Bed after it; or otherwise walking and stirring two hours after it. As often as you pour out one Glass, you must put in another, till half the Rust or Crocus seems spent; then you are to cease, and put in no more. Our Tinctura ad Chlorosin is also of experien∣ced Use.

XX. If the Patient finds any pain in the Abdomen or Belly, you ought to bathe the Part with Powers of Am∣ber twice a day: Or with this: Take Palm-Oil four Ounces; Oil of Anniseeds half an Ounce; mix, and anoint with it. Or this: Take Palm-Oil four Ounces; Oil of sweet Fennel∣seed, of Oranges, ana two Drams; mix, and anoint with, as before.