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. I. Of the severall kinds of Prognostick Signes.

YEt there remains the Prognostick Signs by which we may know those things which are to come, * 1.1 which may happen to thesick: For the Physitian ought especially to know before hand three things concerning the Patient.

First, what the event or the end of the disease will be.

Secondly, at, or about what time the disease will have an end.

Thirdly, how, or by what means. * 1.2 Of each of these before we speak in particular, we must speak in generall of the Prog∣nostick Signs: and we will premise some things of knowing the times of diseases; Namely, some signs are of crudity and concoction, others of life and death, others criticall, or judi∣catory.

The signs of concoction and crudity, are Urines, * 1.3 Excre∣ments of the Paunch, spirtings, and spaulings, and cathar∣rous matter; The signs of life and death are those which are sent forth with Urine and Excrements of the Paunch; also swears, easie and difficult respiration, easie or difficult induring of the disease, the pulse, the face, and comly lying down, like unto what they were wont, and the contrary to these: Moreover, criticall signs are such as shew sudden mu∣tation and perturbation, and some of these are both signs

and causes as Vomit, Excrements of the Paunch, much Urinc, blood flowing from the Nose, the Parotides, or swel∣ling of the Gumms, or about the Chops, setling of hu∣mours in one place, and then in another, which are called dissolving by Hippocrates, because they put away the dis∣ease; some are only signes of a Delirium, watching, stupidity, paine of the head, difficulty of perception, out of quiet, dif∣ficulty of breathing, and darkness arising, and appearing before the eyes, a noise of the eares, shinings before the eyes, unvoluntary teares, a troublesome night, without any reason, agitation of the lower lip, great stifness, the face and eyes looking red, a retraction of the Hypocondries, a loa∣thing, but there is not the same force and reason of all these signes; the signes of concoction are never ill at what time soever they appeare, nay the sooner they appear the betterr: but judicatory Signes are not accounted good, unless in the height or state of a Disease; so neither are those good which are wont to indicate those in the beginning of a Dis∣ease.

Signes of concoction, some are proper to one sort of disea∣ses, as spittle to the diseases of the breast, others are common to many kind of diseases, such as Hyppocrates, 1. Aphor. 12. reckons, the Urine, excrements of the Paunch, sweats. The excrements of the belly are signes of that concoction which is perfected in the belly, but the Urine of the concoction which is made in the Liver and arterious vein.

For when the Urines afford proper signes of the parts through which they pass, as of the Reines, Arteries, Blad∣der, Yard, we must have a care least we are deceived in u∣niverfall and acute diseases, by those particular and proper signes of those parts; and what is spoken of Urines may al∣so be said of excrements of the Paunch.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of what things are to be fore∣known in the sick.
• * 1.2

  Of Prog∣nostick signs.
• * 1.3

  Of conce∣ction of crudity, of life and death. Criticall.