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. IX. Of the Symptomes wherein all, or most part of the animal actions are hurt.

BUt sometimes it happens that either all, or most of the ani∣mal functions are offended together: amongst these Symp∣tomes, a Vertigo is the first, the Greek Dinos and Iliggos, * 1.1 'tis such a mischief, and depravation of the imagination, some∣times of the common sense, that all things seem to run round in a circle, and for the most part, the motion is so hurt, that a man falls down. Sometimes the external senses are affected likewise, which if it happen at the same time, the eyes are ob∣scured by a fuliginous mist; the Greeks call it Scotoma, and Scotodinos, i. e. a shady disease. Sometimes the hearing is somewhat depraved, or some certain swimming ariseth, or some other senses are affected.

Moreover an Incubus, or a riding of the Mare, [unspec 2] * 1.2 or an hindrance of breathing, and interruption of speech, and hindrance of mo∣tion, as it were, an oppression of the body, with a false dream of a weight lying upon the brest.

A Lethargy, which is a perpetual desire of sleeping, [unspec 3] * 1.3 with a giddinesse of the head, with forgetfulnesse of all things, or it is a continual Delirium, with a weak Fever, heavinesse to sleep, and destruction of memory.

A Carus, which is a profound, or dead sleep, [unspec 4] * 1.4 wherein the sick hear not, and being pricked, scarce perceive it, or a deep sleep

with diminution, or taking away of sense, motion, and imagi∣nation, the breathing being gone.

A Catoch, [unspec 5] * 1.5 or Catolepsis is a Diminution of the principal functions, or external senses, especially of feeling, and volun∣tary motion by abolition; or 'tis a sudden apprehending, where∣by those which are affected being stiff, remain in the same place and gesture of body as they were in when they were taken, and opening, and not moving their eyes, they neither see nor hear, nor perceive; the breath and pulse onely remaining safe.

An Epelepsie is an ablation of the principal actions, [unspec 6] * 1.6 and of sense and voluntary motion, with a preternatural Convulsion, or Convulsive motion of the whole body.

To the Epelepsie also are referred certain Diseases, as it were, smal Epelepsies, wherein the sick are not velified in the whol body, neither do they fall down, but some parts onely are twitched, as either the head is shaken, or the eyes are drawn, or the hands and feet are snatched this way and that way, or the hands are held shut, or the diseased is turned round, or runs up and down, and in the mean time speaks nothing, hears nothing, perceives nothing.

Lastly, * 1.7 an Apoplexy, which is an abolition of all animal actions, to wit, of motion and sense, in which the whole body, with the hurt of the principal faculty of the mind, respiration after a sort being safe.

Notes

• * 1.1

  A Vertigo.
• * 1.2

  An Incu∣bus.
• * 1.3

  A Lethar∣gy.
• * 1.4

  A Carus.
• * 1.5

  A Catoch.
• * 1.6

  An Epe∣lepsie. An imper∣fect Epe∣lepsie.
• * 1.7

  An Apo∣plexie.