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. How to presage of life and death from the error and faults of actions.

AFter that we have spoken those things in generall of knowing the event, we will speak something in particu∣lar of what may be foretold by Symptomes, whereof this is the summe: Those things which are most like or agreeable to nature are healthy, those which are most unlike, or diffe∣rent, * 1.1 are deadly,

And first for actions hurt, and what belongs to the ani∣mall faculty, in what disease whatsoever, to have the right use of ones reason, and to be well in respect of those things which are taken in, is a good signe, but the contrary is an ill signe, Hypocrates 2. Apho. 33. and to do any thing contrary to custome, and to will something formerly not accustomed, or the contrary, that is, either to speak little or much, or mad∣ly, or absurdly, or obsceencly, to move the hands untoward∣ly, to read wanton things, to uncover the body, and denu∣date the privy parts, not to be sensible of pain, untoward, and next to being frantick, * 1.2 2. Coac. Sect. 1. Apho. 10. But prin∣cipally to continue well in understanding, is good in those diseases wherein the brain is affected, or is drawn into con∣sent: But although to be well in mind, in diseases of other parts, be a good signe, yet it is not sufficient to signifie health, for many dye that are perfect in their understand∣ings.

Although no ravening be safe, yet that which is with laughter, and good signes, and is light, and not continuall, is more safe, but that which is with violence, continuall and vehement, is more dangerous, but that which is with bold∣ness and rashness, is the worst of all; yet other things which are joyned therewith are to be considered; first, the Pulse, respiration, and appetite, which if they remain safe, it is a good signe, as also if sleep follow; but on the contrary, if ill signes are joyned with ravening or madness, they threaten death, for deadly signes denote certaine destru∣ction.

Ignorance with shaking fit is evill, * 1.3 tis hurtfull also with oblivion, 1. Prorrh. Com. 2. Apho. 30. yet that oblivion which comes with a Delirium is less dangerous, so that the Delirium wherwith it appears be not dangerous.

Sleeping and waking if they are customary, * 1.4 and from a na∣turall course, tis good, but sleep and watchings if they are eccessive evill, 2, Apho. 3. but yet if watching happen before a Crisis, the matter being concocted, it denotes no hurt; a Coma or Disease that causes long sleep, in the beginning of a Disease, signifies the Disease to be dangerous, as also that which happens in the height of a Disease, and by so much the more dangerous is the Coma, by how much the more grievous Symptomes are joyned with it.

As for the mischiefs of the externall Senses, if the sight, * 1.5 the time of judicature being instant, be hurt with the signes of concoction, it indicates no evill, but that sight which is hurt without the signes of concoction, and after an ill Crisis, wants no danger, Cal. 4. Aphorisme 49.

The hinderance of hearing also, if it happen during a good Crisis, is not evill, but if without a Crisis, it is evill; and in acute Diseases for the most part it denotes the braine to be affected: And in the first place, that is mortall which is made by reason of decaying of the strength and extingui∣shing the faculty; those evils also which proceed from evill evacuations, 3 Prorrh. 37. The sound also and continuall humming of the eares, if it happen with signes of crudity, and in a day that is not judicatory, and the strength langui∣shed, it signifies a mortall or deadly Phrensie; when it happens otherwise in the vigour of a disease, and decretory daies, it indicates the Hemerodes of the Nose.

The mell and tast being offended, * 1.6 is a certain signe rather of the peccant humour, then of the event of a disease, but yet if the sick, the faculty being extinct, should be deprived of tast, it is a deadly signe.

The sudden want of the sence of feeling, * 1.7 which happers in diseases, is an ill signe, since it is a token, either of the dilating of the vitious humors so sar as to the brain, or of the extinguishing of the native heat.

If inflaming paines which presently appeare in the be∣ginning, * 1.8 and are not too vehement, nor continuall, and are taken away in a short time, or are abated, especially, after a plentifull evacuation, occasioned by nature, or art, and no dangerous signe be joyned, tis good; but those which continue long, presage an impostumation, but those which happen, the disease increaseing, are not evill, because they denounce a Crisis. It is good also if when a concoct∣ion appears, the paines invade the remote parts from the bowels, and that principally on the criticall day, but all those diseases are evill which afflict the principall parts, es∣pecially if they are joyned with a continued feaver, and other ill Symptomes; but diseases of the noble parts are good, if they happen after concoction, and doe not vanish in a short time, and the sick are other wayes the better by that means; but if they happen in the beginning, the mat∣ter being hither to crude, and the disease not abated thereby, or if shortly they vanish without any manifest cause, or be∣ginning from a more ignoble part, and ascend to a more noble tis an ill token: also it is evill not to be sensible of paine in any part.

The same reason for the most part is from wearisomnesse, * 1.9 for that lassitude which is promoted by the humours, flowing from the noble parts to the externall, with signes of concoction, is a good signe, and especially if it vanish after some evacuation, but if it happen without the signes of concoction, and with other perverse Symptomes, and is not abated by evacuation, it pretends evill.

As to the Symptomes of motion; * 1.10 if bodies are moved aright and easily, tis good, but not afight, or with difficulty, tis ill 2. prog. text. 6.7.

Hitherto we may refert the decubiture, * 1.11 for it is good for the sick to lye on either side with his hands neck, and legs, a little bent, his body streight, not bending towards his feet 1. prog. text. 13. for it is evill to lye supine, with the hands, and feet stretched and dejected, but it is worst of all to slide downe the body to the feet, to observe no order of lying in one's bed, nor to be quiet in one place, raving and striving to fly out of the bed, to uncover his hands, fecte, and nakednesse, ib. textu. 14. and seq. but if a

criticall anxiety or trouble, tis not so hurtfull, all the rest are evill 2. prog. 27.

That convulsion is most dangerous wherein it appeares that the motion is most depraved, * 1.12 and the contraction more vehement, and lasting, and which occupyeth more parts, and neerer to the braine, which renders respiration diffi∣cult, interrupted, and sighing, or from a flux of blood, or which happens from much purging, which happens in acute feavers, which succeeds a Phrenfie, as also in the iliack, passion and watchings, but the convulsion which happens to Children is lesse dangerous, Galen 1. Epid. comm. 4.24. and that which is caused by too much motion of matter to the head or stock of nerves, or that which is occasioned through the mordication of the ventrilcle by the sharpnesse of the humour, or a medi∣cine, or by straining in vomiting, and doth not last long.

A Hiccock is like to a convulsion which if it come with∣our a feaver or any disease; * 1.13 and be occasioned by meate or drinke it portends nothing of eminent danger, but after too much purging, and with inflamations and feavers, hiccocks are allwayes dangerous, especially if they happen to old men; unlesse a Crisis of vomiting afterwards be present, especially if other dangers and deadly signes joyn∣ed therewith.

Trembling is evill if it happen in the beginning of diseases without an evident cause, * 1.14 and indicates the diseases to be dangerous, especially if it shall be longer and more grevious, and other weighty Symptomes are joyned therewith, as those which happen in an Apoplexy and Lethargie, but that trembling which happens after∣wards, and is occasioned by the critick expulsion of hu∣mours, from the interior to the externall parts, is a token of no evill, nor is that trembling evill which succeeds a palsie, since it is a token that nature overcomes the disease.

A shaking fit which incontinued feavers happens in that houre wherein the paine useth to gripe, * 1.15 when the signes of concoction go before, tis a token of a future Crsis, and ther∣fore accounted good, if some good evacuation follow; otherwise if it happen in the beginning of a disease, or with an ill and difficult crisis tis adjudged evill.

Cold fits which happen at certain times in intermitting feavers, * 1.16 signifies no evill; nor are they ill signes in con∣tinued feavers, which happen after signes of concoction, and are tokens of criticall evacuations; and after which the body growes hot again, and some criticall evacuation follow∣eth. But those which are occasioned whilst the matter is crude, by reason whereof the body cannot grow hot with e∣vill evacuations, or when no evacuation followeth, and which happens with ill signes, are all evill.

Sloath of apprehension, * 1.17 specially of the body caused by cold, is perpetually evill, and without a feaver or Apoplexy, it pretends manifest danger in feavers, by reason of the ex∣tinguishing of the native heat.

Moreover the signes of defaults of speech are to be obser∣ved; * 1.18 a shrill voice threatens danger, since it denotes excee∣ding drinesse of the instruments of the voice; dumbnesse, al∣though it be never good, nor without danger, yet it is not al∣wayes deadly, namely when the judicatory evacuation fol∣lows, and when it doth not continue long; the rest that are dumbe, are all for the most part mortall; and so much the worse, how many the more perilous signes are ioyned.

Secondly, * 1.19 the strength and weaknesse of the vitall faculty, which are of greatest force in foreshewing safty, or death, we observed principally from the pulse and respiration. Of the pulse tis spoken already, onely we repeate this, that the most languishing, most dull, and most thin, are the worst of all; after these the least and softest, and hardest; next the most frequent, but not swift, nor great; only amongst extreames the most vehement is the best, yet we must diligently observe alwayes, whither the change of the pulse arise from the dis∣ease, or come from externall causes.

Hereunto belongs the Palpitation of the heart, swounding and falling downe, as it were dead, which indicate dejection of the vitall faculty, and great danger, if they happen through some disease of the heart it selfe.

Respiration, * 1.20 of it be naturall, signifies neither the brest, nor heart, not midriffe to be any way affected with paine, nor any adjacent parts Galen 1. prog. Apho. 25. and moreover it hath great force in signifying tokens of health, when one is sick in a feaver, especially if other good signes are present Hip. ib. on the contrary preternaturally respiration, although it be not allwayes mortall, yet tis alwayes evill, but worst of all if it be joyned with other ill signes; great and swift brea∣things

signifie great store of fuliginous vapours, yet the organs apt, and the faculty hitherto strong, a great and slow pulse happens only to those that are disturbed in mind; a great and frequent pulse snew pain or inflamation of the part serving for breathing; little and swift respiration shews plenty of fuligi∣nous excrements, but with paine, or inflamation of some of the organs appointed for breathing; a little, and slow pulse shews not many vapours, with paine or inflamation of some instrument of respiration, and with other ill signes portends not a little danger; little and obscure respiration is perpetu∣ally evill, and signifies dissolution of strength; but little and thin is the worst of all, because it indicates the greatest debility of the faculty, and if a cold breath proceed from the mouth and nostrills, it is very destructive; but the worst of all, and the nearest to death, is when it extends & is obscure, and sublime, wherein the brest is much dilated, and some∣times the Shoulders, and grisly part of the nostrills, but that which is inspired is very thick, and most frequent; but the worst respiration of all, is that which is made with ordure.

Moreover for what belongs to the Symptomes of the natu∣rall faculty, * 1.21 their perfection is known by their operations, of which it shall be spoken hereafter, but that we may speak here something of the desire of meate and drink; to have a good appetite to meat, and that proceding from a naturall cause, and as Hippo. 2. Apho. 33. writes, in every disease to take easily whatsoever is offered, is a good signe; on the con∣trary an ill appetite of meate is bad 7. Apho 6. not to thirst also in hot and burning feavers, wherein the tongue is filthy and black, perpetually signifies mischeif, and a delirium, or dissolution of the desiring faculty, or of them both; but as it is an ill signe not to thirst, so tis a good signe to thirst in hot diseases, also to thirst immoderatly and over much, is notgood,

Notes

• * 1.1

  The third Book, and part of the fourth. Animall a∣ctions hurt what they presage.
• * 1.2

  Delirium.
• * 1.3

  The me••••∣ry hurt.
• * 1.4

  Sleeping and wa∣king.
• * 1.5

  Hurt in of the exter∣nall senses. Of sight.
• * 1.6

  Of Hearing
• * 1.7

  Of Touch∣ing.
• * 1.8

  Paine.
• * 1.9

  Lasinesse.
• * 1.10

  Motion.
• * 1.11

  Lying downe.
• * 1.12

  Convulsion.
• * 1.13

  Hiccock
• * 1.14

  Trembling.
• * 1.15

  A partx∣isme.
• * 1.16

  Cold fit.
• * 1.17

  Torpor.
• * 1.18

  Hurt in the voice.
• * 1.19

  The strength of the vitall faculty.
• * 1.20

  Respira∣tion.
• * 1.21

  Symptomes of the na∣turall fa∣culty what they pre∣sage.