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. V. Of the causes of the Symptomes of the mooving faculty.

IN the first place the cause of a Palsie, * 1.1 or deprivation of motion in one part, or more, is the defect of ani∣mal spirits in the Organs appointed for motion; the spirits are deficient when they are not sent out by the Nerves from the braine, as happens in an Apoplexy, sometimes also this disease is called a Palsie; for although they are emitted yet through the ill disposition of the part they cannot exercise motion, and sense therein; they are not admitted through default of the Nerves, and spi∣nal Marrow; namely, when they endure some cold di∣stemper and moist, especially; yet sometimes hot and dry, or are dull, or are cut, or knockt, or beaten, or are made narrower, or by obstruction, or compression, by reason of some humor, or tumor, or tubercle, whether they are in the Nerves themselves, as after wounds of the Nerves, and contusions of the same, scars do arise, or in the parts neer thereunto by some contusion, by a stroak or a fall, by a sudden relaxation made of the Vertabres, or being bound.

Besides a Palsie there are other impotencies of motion, * 1.2 the cause whereof, besides that of the Nerves, even now explained in a Palsie is the fault of the part instituted for motion, a vitious disposition and disease, namely, if the bones in the joynts which are framed for them cannot move, o•• cannot rightly be removed out of their place, through ill conformation, fracture, relaxation, if the li∣gaments which come about the joints, and continue in motion in a natural state are broken, cut asunder, eroded, attenuated, or become softer, or on the contrary are dryed, hardned, and filled witk a hard and knoty substance, if the Muscles and their Tendones are cooled too much, and their native heat be, as it were, dulled, or moistned by some humour contrary to nature; or on the other side if they are dryed and hardned, if any tumor, knot, bunch, hard flesh ariseth in them, if they are wounded, if the Tendones are so stretched out by violent motion, that they become longer then they were, or wont to be, or as

it were broken with bonds, or if a painful tumor be in a Muscle.

The cause of Lazinesse is the reception of trouble in the Muscles, and parts appointed for animal motion, * 1.3 but since this slownesse is two-fold, voluntary, and against our wills, the one comes without much exercise, and la∣bour from vitious humours, burning the parts appoin∣ted for motion; the other which is also called Excicra∣tive, comes after too much labour and motion, the parts serving for motion, being dried and the spirits con∣sumed.

The cause of trembling is the imbecility of the motive faculty, * 1.4 which cannot keep the member in that part wherein it is placed. The faculty is become weak through the faintnesse of the strength, and some defect of animal spirits, whether they are not generated, by reason of some distemper of the brain, or defect of the vital spirits, either scattered, or consumed, both which may be occasioned by too large evacuations, long fasting, watchings, long and tedious sicknesse, too much Venery, or through di∣seases of the Nerves, as distemper, especially cold contra∣cted by what meanes soever, or want, or losse of sense is occasioned by stupifactives, or by straitnesse, but lesse then in a Palsie.

The cause of Convulsion is the irritation of the ex∣pulsive faculty, * 1.5 of the Fibres and nervous parts in the Muscles, by reason of something troublesome, which draws the part joined to it into consent, and stirs it up to this motion, whereby the Fibres being contracted, the Muscle is drawn back to its original. Emprosthotonos, * 1.6 is made in the Muscles, which bends the body of such as are affected, forwards. Opisthotonos by the Muscles affected, bends the body backward. Tetanos is from an equal contraction of the Muscles. * 1.7 The Spasmus Cyni∣chus, or troublesome Cramp ariseth from a convulsion of the Muscles of the Mouth; Trismos from contraction of the Muscles of the Jaws.

Also the cause of convulsive motions is a humor, * 1.8 or a vapor, an enemy to the whole generation of Nerves, ir∣ritating the expulsive faculty in them, and stimulating them to expulsion, yet is not fixed, but hath various mo∣tions through all nervous parts, and so the member is a∣gitated in various motions, and for the most part it hap∣pens

that the braine is affected, and matter is se•••• from thence into all the Nerves.

When the Cramp and Palsie are complicate, * 1.9 the ••••∣mour is of a mixt nature, which hath force partly o•• loosening Nerves, partly of vellicating and twitchi•••• them.

Privation of speech happens through default either 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Spirits and Nerves which carry them, or of the par•• which are necessary for the bringing forth of a word. The spirits are deficient in an Apoplexy, Epilepsie, an•••• Dumnesse, properly so called. Men are become du•••• through the fault of the Nerves when either the Nerve•••• of third pair are affected, from whence the tongue also re∣ceives its Nerve; which defect if it be native, for the most part the hearing is abolished, by reason of the com∣munion of the Nerves of the tongue and the ear, that fe∣lowship is hurt, or when the Nerves of the sixth and se∣venth conjugations, and those going back, and voc•• Nerves are either cut, or stretched, or cooled, or inter∣cepted, or hurt by what means soever. The voice is hurt through organick diseases thereof, if either the Mem∣branes of the Larinx, or top of the Wind-pipe are filled with some humour, and grow soft, or some chink there∣of be shut, by what means soever, or if the tongue be cut about, or maimed, or the Muscles which move the La∣rinx, Tongue, or Throat are hurt, or relaxed, or knock••, or wounded, or any other way affected contrary to nature or lastly through desault of the wind-pipe, if that be cut, exulcerated, or closed.

The same causes are if they are lesse, * 1.10 diminution of voice and speech is occasioned, yet more frequently the cause remains in the tongue, namely, if the ligament be too long from one birth, so that it extends to the ex∣tremity of the tongue, or if after a childs birth it be wounded, exulcerated, swoolen, or be affected with a Pal∣sie on the other side.

The cause of depravation of voice and speech, * 1.11 and first of stuttering, and stammering is principally a moist di∣stemper of the instruments of voice and speaking, and sometimes a dry; also an ill framing of the Tongue and its Muscles, a Tumor borne under it, as also the fault of a swelling at the entrance into the Throat, and want of the fore teeth.

Hoarsenesse ariseth from over much humidity of the outsides or the instruments for speech, * 1.12 whether that mat∣ter flow from the head, or be cast out of the brest, from loosenesse and inflammation of the Columella, or a fleshy substance in the entrance into the throat, as also from external and evident causes, first from air violently straining the voice daily, which causeth inequality of the Wind-pipe.

All the causes of the Cough are those which hinder the instruments of breathing, whether they be internal, * 1.13 or external causes, either by Idiopathy, or by Symptothy stir up the Cough by Idiopathy, an unequal distemper, principally cold causeth the Cough, which is the greatest enemy to the brest, sometimes also distempers hot and dry; moreover the roughnesse of the Wind-pipe which happens either through distemper, or through biting hu∣mors flowing from the head, or by Medicines, or sharp drinks, or obstruction by a humour, thick, or thin, a pimple, gravel, worms, a little hard swelling, clod of blood. By Sympathy the Cough is raised, if the other parts which can draw the Organs of respiration into con∣sent be affected, namely the Midriff, Liver, Spleen, Sto∣mach, which by reason of the common Tunicle, they have vellicate the instruments of breathing, or send va∣pors to them, or presse the Midriffe, by reason of some Tumor, ot obstruction. But the external causes are cold air, dry, cold water, too much desire of drink, cold medicines applied to the brest, dust, smoak, sharp vapors, soure aliment, sharp things, and whatsoever contrary to the order of nature slide into the wind-pipe, straying, or wandring in the gullet, if it intercept the way, or stop it, or exasperate the Artery, or any way molest the Wind∣pipe.

Those things cause sneezing whatsoever doth stimu∣late the Nost••ils, * 1.14 and the fore part of the Brain to excre∣tion, whether generated in the body, as humours flow∣ing from the Brain, or those things which affect the No∣strils by communion with the interior skins by Sympa∣thy, which comes to passe when worms stick in the Guts, or whether they happen from without, as whatsoever sharp things are d••awn by the nose, smells also and sharp vapours, the splendor of the Sun, and over much light.

Gaping, * 1.15 or Yawning is when ••alitious vapours stick in the Muscles appointed for chewing, and moving the lower chop, which nature endeavours by this motion to cast off, but some times imagination is the cause there∣of.

Stretching ariseth from such vapors as may be emitted through the Pores, * 1.16 which neverthelesse are not sharp, but being store of them they cause trouble, in the spaces of the Muscles of the whole body stirring up the expultive fa∣culty to expel, which the nature may discusse, it useth such a motion of the Muscles by constriction of them.

Lastly, * 1.17 Horror and Trembling, which are Symptomes neer alike, as also are vehemency, and greatnesse of mo∣tion; and so is the difference of the cause, they are stirred up by something that offend in the circumference of the body suddenly vellicates the sensitive parts, and stimu∣lates them to expulsion, which it strives to perform by a natural concussion. But the causes which bring forth that twitching, are either external and evident, as what∣soever befalls the body, or vellicates the sensitive parts, or cause the sharp humours contained in the circumfe∣rence of the body to be stirred and moved as a spark of sire cast on, scalding water thrown upon, a biting medi∣cine applyed to an Ulcer; piercing cold, and such like for internal, as humors, or sharp vapors, either generated in the parts themselves, or drawn, or sent from else∣where.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cause of the Palsie.
• * 1.2

  Cause of taking a∣way moti∣on.
• * 1.3

  Of Lazi∣ness.
• * 1.4

  Of Trem∣bling.
• * 1.5

  Of Con∣vulsion.
• * 1.6

  Empro∣sthoton••s. Opisthoto∣nos.
• * 1.7

  T••tanos Spasmus Cynious.
• * 1.8

  Of grind∣ing Teeth. Of convul∣sive moti∣ons.
• * 1.9

  Of the complica∣tion of the Crump and Palsie. Privation of speech.
• * 1.10

  Of the voice and speech di∣minished.
• * 1.11

  Of stam∣mering.
• * 1.12

  Of hoarse∣nesse.
• * 1.13

  Of a cough.
• * 1.14

  Of sneez∣ing.
• * 1.15

  Of yawn∣ing.
• * 1.16

  Of stretch∣ing.
• * 1.17

  Shaking fits and trembling.