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 causes of the Symptomes of the external senses.

SInce order requires that we speak of the causes of the Symptomes of the Animal faculty; first of all the the sight is hurt divers ways by reason of diseases of parts constituting the eyes, and the default of the optique and spirits.

The Tunicle called Cornea, which comes in the fi••st place, since it is transparent, and void of colour, that it may permit the passing through of visible species, if it lose its transparency, * 1.1 or be affectd with a stange colour it hinders the sight: it loseth its diaphanity if it be thick∣er, and become more dense, or be moistned, or pustu∣les, or little skins cover it. It grows thicker, and more dense by drying, and that either the whole, which disease is called Caligo, or else some part, is be∣come white, which is called an Albugo, * 1.2 which spot if it be perfectly white, and darkning, so that it permit no passage for visible species, and cover the whole Pupil; it causeth blindness; but if it be not perfectly white, nor hinders all the passage for visible species; it cavseth onely debility of sight, or brings forth some depravation, and deception: If it doth not cover the whole Pupil, so that things seem as if they were divided; the same comes to pass by reason of cicatrizing left after wounds, and ul∣cers. By its moisture it loseth its transparency in an inflammation of the eye: Moreover by pustules bred therein; and the naile of the eye which the Greeks call Pterugion, or a Tunicle. But if the Cornea be affected with any strange colour which very seldome happens, the sight is depraved, and represents visible species in other colours, not their own.

Secondly the Aqueous humour offendeth either in quantity, or manner of substance, or colour. * 1.3

It offends in quantity if it be wanting, or lessoned by a wound or ulcer, when the Cornea being cut, or eroded by a sharp humour it flies out, or by quotidian diseases, or extream old age, and as it is waming more, or less: it causeth blindness, or diminution, or depravation of ••ght. Sometimes it offends in substance, when it is

become thick or impure, or any thing is mingled with it of a different substance; if it onely become thick, the sight is made duller, and those things which are obvi∣ous to the sight are seen, as it were, through a cloud; and if they are remote, they could not be discerned; but if they are neer, they are not exactly seen.

But if the mucous and thick matter be mingled there∣with, * 1.4 and be so thickened, that it loseth all transparency, and fills up the hollowness of the Pupil, it causeth blind∣ness, and that disease is called vulgarly a Suffusion, or a Cataract; but if the whole aqueous humor be not ob∣scure and dark, but onely some part thereof obscure and dark, if through that part which is dark, visi∣ble species are not received, but onely through that which is perspicuous at once not more, but fewer things are discerned; but if in the center and middle of the Pu∣pil onely a particle of such a thick and dark humour be present, and all the parts round about of the aqueous humour be transparent, whatsoever is beheld seems not to be whole, but perforated and hollow in the middle; but if the little dark bodies are not continuous, but divided and many of them stick in the aqueous humor, Gnats, Flies, Cobwebs, and such like, seem to appear in the air; but i•• the extremities are obscured with such a humour, the object is not discerned whole: when you look fore∣right. The same also may happen in a disease which is called Hypopuon, * 1.5 when there is purulent matter collected under the Cornea

There is also another Suffufion, * 1.6 which is called No∣tha, or a bastard Cataract, which is when vapours are carried to the eyes from the rest of the body, through the A teries and Veins, the aqueous humor being safe, which happens to those which are drunk, and in burning Fevers. Lastly, if the aqueous humour be affected with some strange colour, there ariseth the same depravation of sight, as when the Cornea is discoloured, and all those things which are brought before the eyes, represent that colour, wherewith that humour is died.

The Pupil which is as it were the window of the eye, * 1.7 four ways recedes from its natural state. 1. Whilest ei∣ther it is dilated, or contracted, or closed, or is removed into another part, or broken, or obstructed. The Pu∣pil is dilated by the extending of the Unca, when it is

stretched, or through dry distempers, or by a Tumor, or by wind included, or some spirit or humor, for those which have a broad Pupil; in the night time, * 1.8 and in an obscure place see best; but in the day time, and a light place see worst; but it is become narrower, when by its moisture it is loosned, and falls as it were into its selfe: moreover when the aqueous humor is wanting. 3. When some thick matter sticks in the aqueous humor, for those who have a narrow Pupil discern more clearly in the day, not so well in the night: * 1.9 the Pupil is dislocated and bro∣ken, which when it happens, and changes its place, those things are seen better, which are set on the sides of the eye; then those that are set opposite to it, and those which are opposite seem not to be so, until the sight shall be moved thither where it may be opposed to the visible things, * 1.10 which affect is called a Strabismos, in English squint∣eyed.

The Christal humor recedes from its natural state, * 1.11 ei∣ther according to the manner of its substance, and quali∣ty, or according to its situation. As for the manner and quality of the substance; If it be somewhat more solid, thicker, more obscure, so that it wants greater il∣lumination night-blindness ariseth; but if in some part, * 1.12 or altogether, it loseth its clearness, there follows debili∣ty of sight, or blindness. If it contracts a grey colour, it is called Glaucoma, * 1.13 with which disease those that are affected seem to see through a cloud, as it were, and through smoak, but if the same humour change its place and decline downward, or ascend upward, all things seem double, if towards the sides, things seem more to the right hand, or the left, then they are; It is recedes to∣wards the middle, or center, things nigh are ••ightly, sar off are not distinctly seen: if it should go back beyond the middle and center towards the Nerve Optique, things remote would seem lesser, and those which would discern them truely, must needs put them close to their eyes, which disease is called Mouse-sight and Pu••-blind; * 1.14 but if the contrary happen towards the fore part of the Pupil those who have the Christaline so placed, things nigh seem less, and things a far off bigger, which happens to old men, and especially to those who were employed all their life times in reading, and other businesses where their eyes were continually busied.

If the vitreous humour either change its place by some contusion, * 1.15 and some part of it is carried before the Chri∣stal humour, and puts the Christal besides its place, o∣changes its clearness and perspicuity, or is become thick∣er, divers diseases of the eye do happen.

But if the whole eye, * 1.16 or most of its parts are not right∣ly placed, the sight is diversly hurt, and is either plainly abolished, and blindness follows, or it is weakned, or depraved; namely, when the whole eye wants nourish∣ment, or changes its situation in coming out too forward, by what means soever occasioned, as also in a Strabis∣mos, or Convulsion of the Muscles of the Eye, or it is not moved as in a Palsie, or more humors are fallen out of the eye, by reason of its wide wounds, inflammations, and ulcers.

The sight is hurt by default of the Optique Spirits (where we also conclude the errors of the Optique Ne••ves) if they are deficient in the brain, * 1.17 being hurt through cold distemper, compression, obstruction, and then for the most part, the other senses both internal and external are affected, or at least that part of the braine is affected from whence the Optique Nerves have their o••iginal, and then the sight onely is taken away, or by default of the Nerve Optique it self, which is its narrow∣ness, or by rupture which proceeds from obstruction of the Optique Nerves, compression, percussion, a stroak by chance, contorsion, or by any violent motion what∣soever.

Lastly the cause of Splendor and Glittering of the Eyes is reflection of the Rayes of the internal light, * 1.18 by reason of the Object, a more thick body or vapours, or thick humours, if they are mingled with the Christaline, or vi∣trious, humours, or cover them.

The hearing is hindered through default of the Or∣gan of hearing, * 1.19 or of the spirits; and first of all if the external eares are wanting, sounds, and articulate voi∣ces seem like the warbling, or purling of Waters, or sing∣ing of Grashoppers. Secondly, if the auditory passage either wholly, or in part br hindered, either from an ex∣ternal cause, as a little Stone, a Kernel, Water; or an internal cause, as a Tubercle, an Ulcer, and such like; and so either deafnesse is occasioned, or hearing diminish∣ed, or depraved. Thirdly, if the Membrane which they

call the Drum is too thick, or moistened too much, or is loosened, whether it be from the first birth, or after∣wards from internal, or external causes the hearing is hurt. Also if it be too much dryed by any grievous diseases, or old age, deafness doth arise; But if it be broken either by internal force, as by the violent putting in of an ear∣picker, or by an extream shrill sound, or is eroded by an Ulcer, deafness is occasioned. Fourthly, if the other parts of the ear be not rightly constituted, and the air implanted be impure, or deficient, or the Nerve being di∣lated is cooled, or is made thicker, or affected with a Tumor, or those three little bones either are not well framed by nature, or are moved by some violence out of their places, or the internal passages are filled with vapors and humors flowing contrary to Nature, or the Arteries passing under the ears are filled with too much spirit, and heat, and too much agitated; or lastly, the auditory Nerue either is not rightly framed from our first begin∣ning, or is obstructed and compressed by a humor, ac∣cording to the diversity of the disease, the hearing is sometimes abolished, sometimes diminished, or depraved. Lastly, the hearing is hurt through default of the Spirits either through the straitness of the passages of the braine, as in an Apoplexy, or through its perturbation, as in an Epilepsie. or through cold distemper, by reason whereof difficulty of hearing is occasioned.

The smelling is hurt through default of the Organs, * 1.20 or Spirits, or some external error; the faults of the Or∣gans are the narrowness of the Adaequate senses, and ex∣ternal Nostrils, whether from compression, or constipa∣tion, or obstruction of the Scive-like bone, and its Mem∣brane, as happens in such as are great, or by the distem∣per of the chief Organ of smelling, the mammillary pre∣cess; but especially moist distemper, or obstruction of the same, from matter flowing, which happens in Ca∣tarrhs, and according to the variety of these diseases, the smelling is sometimes abolished, sometimes diminished; the smelling is offended by reason of the animal spirits, if either they are deficient, which are in those which are ready to dye, or are hindered from flowing, as in an A∣poplexy, an Epilepsie, and such like diseases of the brain. Lastly, the smelling is depraved through some external errors, whilest a vapour, or some filthy and stinking

matter sticks in the wayes through which the smell pas∣ses, for here it is infected by the foul smell thereof, to that things having no ill smell, seem to the sense of smelling to stink.

The taste also is hurt through default of spirits, * 1.21 or by some disease of the Organs, or some external error: The taste is hurt by reason of spirits when they are defi∣cient, which useth to happen to such as are dying; or the taste cannot flow to the Organ, either through strait∣ness of that part of the brain, from whence the Nerves appointed for the taste arise, or from obstruction, com∣pression, or wounds of the said Nerves. The taste is hurt through default of the tongue, as of an instrument, whilest it is troubled with cold and moist distemper, or cold and moist matter is poured on it, or whilest it is dryed, or is troubled with Pustuls, or an Ulcer, and ac∣cording to the magnitude of diseases, the taste is either wholly abolished, or diminished. Lastly, the taste is depraved by external error, or from external causes; as from something taken into the mouth, whose savour is not easily taken away, or from an internal cause, as a humour, or a vapour wherewith the tongue is imbued, being communicated from the stomach, the Lungs, the Brain, and other parts to the tongue.

Lastly, * 1.22 for what belongs to the causes of hindering the touch, insensibility and dulness happens through de∣fect and diminition of the animal spirits of the O••gan touching; this come to pass either because the animal spirits are not generated through imbecility of the native heat, which happen to them in years, or defect of mat∣ter, by reason of great evacuation, or whilest they are re∣solved, or scattered, or cooled, or stupified by a Narcot∣tique Medicine, or when they cannot flow to it, through the narrowness of the Nerves, obstruction, constipulation, compression, solution of continuity of the same.

The proximate cause of pain is solution of Unity in a membranous part, * 1.23 whether it be occasioned by some primary quality, or secondary, whereof this stirreth up solution of continuity not so manifest, but rather con∣templable, by reason; but that is manifest, which there∣fore is properly called solution of Unity.

Lastly, * 1.24 itching is stirred up from thi••, salt, and sharp Exerements, collected in the skin, moving man to scratch.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Faults of the Cor∣nea.
• * 1.2

  Caligo. Albugo.
• * 1.3

  Defects of the Aque∣ous hu∣mour.
• * 1.4

  A perfect Cataract.
• * 1.5

  Hypopuon.
• * 1.6

  A spurious Cataract.
• * 1.7

  Diseases of the Pu∣pil.
• * 1.8

  Contracted
• * 1.9

  Dislocated and broken
• * 1.10

  A strabis∣mos.
• * 1.11

  Diseases of the Christal humor.
• * 1.12

  Nyctalo∣nia.
• * 1.13

  Glaucoma.
• * 1.14

  Myopia. Lusciositas
• * 1.15

  Diseases of the vitre∣ous humor.
• * 1.16

  Diseases of the whole eye.
• * 1.17

  Diseases of the vi∣sive spirits and of the Optique Nerve.
• * 1.18

  Causes of glittering eyes.
• * 1.19

  Causes of deafness.
• * 1.20

  Causes of smelling hurt.
• * 1.21

  Cause of taste hurt.
• * 1.22

  Cause of fieling hurt.
• * 1.23

  Cause of pain.
• * 1.24

  Itching.