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. X. Of the causes, differences, manner, and time of Judg∣ment.

SInce that in Judgments many things happen, * 1.1 contur∣bation, evacuation, and sudden mutation, tending to safety or death, that conturbation which is a heap of those judicatory symptomes, which proceed from agitation and molestation of humours which the body affords, and this comes to passe either from an externall cause, as influence of Stars, or an internall, irritating and provoking as well nature as the matter.

The cause of evacuation is the expulsive faculty, * 1.2 which ei∣ther is stird up by the plenty or the quality of matter, yet critically expels that which doth molest.

There are four differences of Crises, * 1.3 according as nature is sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker, and sometimes op∣pressed more by v••tious matter, sometimes lesse, for either the sick forthwith recover their former health, or sud∣denly dye, or undergo some change, tending to safety or death, * 1.4 yet immediatly they neither recover, nor dye: From whence afterwards other differences will arise, for some Cri∣ses are good, some evill; those are good which tend to the recovery of the sick, those are evill which discover the death of the sick.

Again some are perfect and very good, * 1.5 which free the sick perfectly and wholly from the disease, and leave none of the morbifique matter, but the imperfect leave some of the morbifique matter behind.

Again, some are faithfull and secure, * 1.6 which so take away the disease, that there is no feare of a relapse; unfaithfull is that which leaves a doubt of falling into it again.

Moreover tis called a safe Crisis which happens without danger of Symptomes; * 1.7 but a dangerous which is joyned with perilous Symptomes.

Some Crises are with good signes, * 1.8 and have their indi∣cations from the daies going before them, and are called good signes; but that which happens without signes, and is, * 1.9 as it were, unseperated, is said to be an ill signe.

But all these differences depend on three things, * 1.10 the strength of nature, the nature of a disease, and the conditi∣on of the matter which ought to be expelled; and that a good and perfect Crisis be made, tis requisite that nature be strong, and Heaven favourable, the disease not dangerous, and the matter benigne and facill; in all other Crises one, or more of these are wanting.

All Crises are made two waies, either by excretion, * 1.11 or e∣mitting, or else by removing the matter: By excretion a Crisis is made when peccant humours are expelled by vo∣mit, Seidgs, sweat, plenty of Urine, Hemerodes of the Nose, flowing of the months, and Hemerodes: A Crisis is made by translation, when the matter is not expelled out of the body, but is removed into another place, and that either into internall parts, or externall, the for∣mer Crisis is the better, because the matter for the most part is throughly cast out from the center of the body; by so much also a Crisis is the better, that is made by translation, by how much the matter is transferred to a more ignoble and remote place; so much the worse, by how much the place is more noble and nigher to the seat of the former disease: An Im∣posthumation also, or Ulcer ought to be out of the region of the part affected, and to have the other notes of a good Impo∣sthumation; an abscesse also ought not to vanish suddenly, but to remain untill either it be turned into quitture, or till it be dissipated by degrees.

But the best Crisis never happens unlesse it be towards the end of the height, when the concoction is perfected, * 1.12 for that which happens in the augmentation before the state, is im∣perfect, and is so much the worse, by how much tis longer di∣stant from the end of the state; sometimes also evacuation which is made in the beginning of diseases, and is sympto∣maticall, is not to be accounted evill, especially if those hu∣mours

are evacuated, from whence the disease had its origi∣nall, and the strength of nature can endure it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The cause of a crisis. Conturbat••∣on.
• * 1.2

  Evacuati∣on.
• * 1.3

  Differences of Crisis.
• * 1.4

  Good Evill.
• * 1.5

  Persect. Impersect.
• * 1.6

  Secure. Not secure.
• * 1.7

  A safe. Dangerous.
• * 1.8

  Eusemes.
• * 1.9

  Asemos.
• * 1.10

  The diffe∣rences of Crisis whereon they depend
• * 1.11

  Crisis, how many waies made. By excreti∣on, by tran∣slation.
• * 1.12

  A good cri∣sis, when it happens.