Nine books of physick and chirurgery written by that great and learned physitian, Dr Sennertus. The first five being his Institutions of the whole body of physick: the other four of fevers and agues: with their differences, signs, and cures.

CHAP. III. Of the internal causes of Diseases, and first of fulnesse of Blood.

INternal things which are the causes of diseases, * 1.1 either are gene∣rated in the body according to nature, or are found in the be∣dy contrary to nature; those which are generated according to nature, are those three of Hypocrates, conteining, conteined, and doing violence; or as others would have it solid, humid, and spirituous; those are called preternatural humours, which are found in the body contrary to nature; as stones, gravel, wormes, and all things that are generated in the body differing from natural; whereunto belongeth those things that are sent into the body, and there stick and remain, as darts, bullets of lead, and such like.

But these things are made to be the causes of diseases, * 1.2 either as they are in their whole kind, contrary to nature; or as they of∣fend in qùantity, quality, motion, or place.

The fault of humours in Specie is divided into Plethorick and Cacochimick; * 1.3 for humours are either apt to nourish the be∣dy, or not fit: plenty of the one ••s called Plethorick, of the o∣ther Cacochimick; for Plethory is when blood and humours profitable for the nourishment of the body abound, * 1.4 and are be∣yond mediocrity. This plenitude is twofold, either as to the vessels when blood so abounds, as that the vessels wherein it is contained are stretched beyond their ordinary bigness; the other as to the strength, when there is more blood then the strength can bear; to which Horatius Augenius adds this mixt of them both, to wit, when there is so great plenty of blood as stretcheth and extendeth the veins, and so great pains, that the strength cannot bear it,

Chacochimy is an excesse of other humours besides blood, * 1.5 namely, when natural excrementious humours offend in plenty, or preternatural excrementious humours abound, and whilest either these or those putrifie, and bring in a strange nature. * 1.6

The seat of Plethory is only in the veins; but Chacochimy is not onely in the veins, but also out of them, and in the whole body, or some parts, especially the bowels.

But sometimes Plethory and Chacochimy are mixed, whence both are divided into spurious and legitimate; pure Plethory is, when there is too great plenty of pure blood and humours, with∣out any vitious ones. Pure Chacochimy is, when there is too great plenty of ill humours, and no good blood with them; but when good juyce aboundeth, and ill humours are mixed there∣with, it is called a spurious Plethory, or Chacochimy, accor∣ding as blood and ill humours do more or lesse abound.

There are many causes of Plethory, as plenty of Dyet sup∣plies matter to cause it; nourishment of good juyce, and great plenty of such nourishment: the Efficient causes are Constitu∣tion of the Body, and principally of the Heart and Liver, hot and moist, and youthful age, which may be occasioned in the Spring time, and a temperate constitution of the Air, idlenesse, moderate sleep, a life without care and paines, suppression of ac∣customary evacuations of blood,

Chacochimy according to the variety of excrementitious hu∣mours is manifold; * 1.7 for sometimes phlegm, sometimes choller, sometimes melancholly, and adust melancholly, and sometimes serous humours abound; of which humorsthere are again various differences.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Internal things, the causes of diseases.
• * 1.2

  How many wayes.
• * 1.3

  The fault of humors twofold. Plethorie.
• * 1.4

  Plethorie towfold. To the vessels. To the strength.
• * 1.5

  Chachochi∣my.
• * 1.6

  The seat of Plethory and Chaco∣chimy. Both pure and spuri∣ous. Pure Ple∣thory. Pure Cha∣cochimy. Spurious. The causes of Pletho∣ry.
• * 1.7

  The kinds of Chaco∣chimy.