Praxis catholica, or, The countryman's universal remedy wherein is plainly and briefly laid down the nature, matter, manner, place and cure of most diseases, incident to the body of man, not hitherto discovered, whereby any one of an ordinary capacity may apprehend the true cause of his distempers, wherein his cure consists, and the means to effect it : together with rules how to order children in that most violent disease of vomiting and looseness, &c. : useful likewise for seamen and travellers : also an account of an imcomparable powder for wounds or hurts which cure any ordinary ones at once dressing / written by Robert Couch ... ; now published with divers useful additions (for publick benefit) by Chr. Pack ...

Cure.

You may clearly see what first is to be done, and wherein the Cure doth consist, which is, in removing the cause or mat∣ter offending; the neglect whereof hath suffered such an infinite Slaughter, which gives me reason to think, that either the cause is not known, or a fit Remedy not yet found; for unless there be a propor∣tion between the Remedy and the Disease, It will do but little good.

Diseases which come suddenly, if they are rightly understood, they are soon gone, though they may be extreme sharp whilst they continue.

I know it is the practice here to look more unto the Effect than the Cause, in

correcting the Symptoms than the matter whereof they are produ∣ced; which is a very per∣nicious course, and con∣trary unto reason, and all principles in Healing.

And that you may the bet∣ter understand your error, I shall recite your practice.

When first any one is taken with this, or the like Distemper, either Child, or those of full Growth, first you run and fetch Mint Water, and a little Syrup to stay the Vomiting.

Secondly, then Cinnamon Water and Syrup of Quinces, or Myrtle Berries to stay the scouring.

Then, it may be, you give a Carmi••∣tive, or Clyster to expel Wind, and cor∣rect the Griping.

That done, you give some cooling Ju∣lep to allay its Heat, and to quench in Thirst.

And when it is cold, you give a little Mithridate, or Theriack of Andronica, o•• London Treacle, and lay a Plaister of it to his Stomach.

And then lay a Spell against the Fever to the Wrists, &c.

And so you keep doing, till you can do no more; just as a man who hath lost himself in a Wood, he keeps going, but whither he knows not.

You see all those things do but respect the effect, here is nothing hath any regard at all unto the Cause.

And should things answer the intention for which they were given the party, ei∣ther Child or Man would presently die.

To hinder the evacuating of this mor∣bifick matter, is directly a∣gainst the intention of na∣ture; for the evacuation of this matter is to be looked at as the Crisis of Nature, and whosoever shall reco∣ver, all this matter is to be brought out, and whoever goes about to stop it in the beginning, works against nature. What a vain thing therefore is it to think to take away the Gripings, before the matter be gone that causes it; and to corroborate the stomach, or to refresh its Spirits, so long as the Enemy beareth sway.

To give the Child Mithridate, or lay a plaister of it to the stomach, which is worse, becomes another Disease; or any thing else that is nauseous, whilst Nature &

the Disease are struggling: and to give cooling things to correct the hear, is to weaken nature and strengthen the Di∣sease.

Obj. But you will tell me many have re∣covered by the use of those means.

Answ. And many more had been, had they never been used (with submission to providence) but (quoad homines) af∣ter the manner of men, I admire that any should recover that ever was affected with this Disease, for they are ever giving, and all to hurt it; seeing the best Friends be∣come the worst Enemies, which makes good that old Saying,

When God cuts off man's thread of life, His dearest Friends do bring the knife.

But many things are wrought by acci∣dent, as we have known many have been recovered from a Fever by drinking cold water.

Obj. From whence some have asserted, that this Heat is of the Essence of the Di∣sease.

Answ. But this Cure is not wrought by the Water, as it is cold and moist, for Sack or strong Beer would have performed

it, and a great deal better; but it is from the great quantity of it, which doth so replete the stomach, that some of the peccant mat∣ter which doth adhere unto the Fibres thereof, the Water hath loosened, and so its brought away with it.

I suppose whosoever hath been cured by Water, it hath been when the Disease hath been on him some considerable time, and not in the beginning. I have pre∣scribed Water several times in the end of a Fever, to this intent, and I ever found it very successful; but I suppose the par∣ties that have taken it upon their own sen∣sual inclination, it was hap-hazard with them, for to take Water in the beginning of a Fever, either kills them, or strikes them into an Ague, or some other long Sickness.

To drink it in a contagious, pestilen∣tial Fever, or any Fever that tends much to putrefaction, hastens death.

I do not speak this as not approving of the use of Water; but I declare the con∣trary, for I have found as strange events by drinking Water, as ever I saw by any Physick. I have known a man cured very soon of an Atrophia, or Consumption, only by the drinking of pure Rock Wa∣tar:

and in many other cases have I used it: but great consideration is to be had in the giving of it.

But to return, by applying a nauseous or foetid Medicine to the Stomach, whilst the morbifick matter resides there; nature thinking she is assaulted by another Di∣stemper, unites all her strength and force, and desperately attempts both her Enemies with this resolution, to extirpate them, or sink her self, whereby she may, by exaspe∣rating of her new Enemy, cast forth the old, and then this amongst the ignorant is cryed up for a laudable Medicine, when as such things are done by chance, for where one hath recovered by this means, twenty have died.

Thus you see what a blind course hath been taken for the curing this, or any o∣ther Disease. The meer pity that I bear to poor Infants, hath extorted this from me, to whom I have often been sent for, to see them die, when their spirits have been so far spent, that I have not dared to give them any thing to take off the Di∣sease, to the great grief of my spirit, for without the Disease be taken away, to small purpose do we use Cordial Means to refresh their Spirits.

Notes

• Extrema non permanent.
• Si ta tollantur quae conveniunt aeger melius se habet & facile sert: Sublata causa tolletur effectus.
• Quo natura ver∣get ad locum conferentem ••eo ducere oportet. Hippoc.