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AMongst exerements, urines principaly use to be observed, * 1.1 but although it is spoken of already, what they shew, above, part the first See. 2. cap. 21. yet here we may breifly comprehend those things which portend to death or life, namely, that urine is best which is most like that of a sound
person from this the rest differ in substance, colour, quantity, and contents. As to the substance, the goodnesse of the sub∣stance with a good colour, promiseth health; thin urines with a good colour promise health, yet they shew a disease which re∣quires longer time for concoction. Thin and red urins signi∣fy a crude disease 2. prog. 30. but thick, which are made so after the beginning of a disease are also good, if they were thin before, much urine if it be made on a criticall day is good, which somtimes is profitably made with sharpnesse, and paine.
Troubled urine, not setling in the bottome, because the strength of the diseased persists, argues for the most part the disease to continue long; if imbecility of the fick be present, it denotes their death, but those which grow cleare are bet∣ter. As for the colours of waters, a pale red, a light safron co∣lour, and a kind of cleer clay colour are good, neither is a red∣dish colour with a reddish and light sediment to be found fault with, but on the other side bright shinning urines, and white are evill; and especially if they appeare such, in Phrensies, 4. Agho. 72. principally, if they are so in the be∣ginning of a disease, and continue so long; thin, and red, signify the disease is crude, and moreover tis dangerous if they continue so long; black urine in acute diseases, unlesse they are emitted on a criticall day, allwayes denote great danger; after black, the oyly are the worst, yellow, and green also are nought, and green urines if they appeare so suddenly in men that are in other respects sound, with biting of the heart, tis a signe they have drank poison, and they are in dan∣ger of death, but in feavers they are mortall signes; es∣pecially if they appeare in the beginning of the dis∣case.
As for the quanity Hippo. 3. Epid. com. 3. tom 4. condemnes thin urins made in great quantity; as also much urine, thick, not residing and no way helping; and all urines are made in great quantity in the beginning, are disliked; small quantities of urines in acute feavers are also nought.
As to the contents, those urins are evill which have no se∣diment, and nothing that swimmeth in the urinall in the mid∣dest of the urine, nor a little cloud; unlesse the sick hath fasted long, or watched, or laboured: or because the body is exceeding full of choler; thick waters also without a sediment are dan∣gerous, and a sediment representing, the forme of thick brain, is evill, but worst of all, if it reside in a manner like scales of
Fish, but if it be thin and white tis vitious; but that which is furfuraceous or like Bran is worst of all, Hippo. 2. prog. 28. a nubecula, or little cloud, which is carried in the Urine, if it be white tis good, if black tis nonght; tis evill also for the sick to make water and not know of it.
Secondly, * 1.2 the dejections of the belly afford us signes two manner of waies; first, as they shew the concoction of the stomack and guts, also as they manifest the humours flowing from other parts to the guts; As for the first kind, that ejection is best if it be gentle and constant; and sent forth at that time when it is wont to be in the best health, if quantity be according to what hath been eaten, 2. Apho. 13. The latter is good if it be criticall, and with signes of concoction in the state of a disease, and happen on a cri∣ticall day, and ease the sick, 1. Apho. 2. On the other side ill dejections, and those which portend destruction, derogate from the good in substance, colour, smell, time wherein they appear, nor are they voided with ease.
As to their substance and quantity, dry excrement and rolled up in clods are signes of fiery heat, and if be∣sides they shall be black, they declare a burning disease to be in the middle of the body, and for that reason are evill: On the contrary liquid excretion is not evill, if it have other good notes; but the watry ordure is worse, and proceeds from greater crudity; and moreover in chole∣rick diseases, with ill Urines tis deadly, but in more milde it signifies the disease will continue long. A glutinous, white, light, fat, and foetid ordure, and little, are condemned, 2. Prog. 21, 22. Cleare dejections also in acute diseases are condemned, 2. Prorrh. 15. and froathy, and cholerick ejections in acute cholerick diseases are accounted evill, ibid. Apho. 18.
As to the colour, excrements which differ from the naturall colour, are white; red, bloody, watry, green, yellow, black, full of mixt colours, unlesse they are emitted cri∣tically they portend danger: Yet in all these ejections in judging of them, regard is to be had of the meat, and to take heed you observe whether that quality hath its rise from dyet that hath been taken; for they become white either by the obstructing of the passages through which choler descends to the guts, or through the motion of the choler to some superiour and more noble part,
Red are also of themselves dangerous, yet if they are extru∣ded after the victory of nature, they rather shew hope of pre∣sent health, then portend any thing of evill.
Black Excrements since they proceed either from blood or melancholy humours, or from black choler, that blacknesse which comes from concrete blood, or a melancholy humour, is not alwaies evill: but pure black choler can never be sent out of the body without destruction of the sick.
Green and aeruginous ordure which proceeds from aerugi∣nous choler tending to black, is an argument of a pernicious disease, if it be cast out from any principall part, and the bowels be affected with an Erysipelous; if the Excrements are yellow, they signifie vehement cold in the internall parts, and as it were a certain mortification: Ejections also of di∣vers colours are evill, 2. Prog. 23.
Faetid Excrements are evill also, and the worst of all, and few are preserved whose excrements in acute feavers are foetid, yellow, fat, black, and blew, or lead colour.
Those vomitings are good which truly purge the causes of diseases, * 1.3 or which are made critically, and when concocted matter appears on the criticall daies, and are suitable to the nature of the disease, and take away or abate the same; but on the contrary, all those are evill which happen in the be∣ginning, when the matter is not yet concocted, and which take not away the morbifique matter, and the disease; and they are so much the worse if other pernitious signes be pre∣sent, such as are sincere Vomits, leek coloured, lead coloured, black, stinking, and foetid, from the guts, Ileon, and very lit∣tle.
Sweats are good which happen after decoction is made, * 1.4 and on a criticall day, and coldnesse, and stifnesse, proceeding & flowes out hot and plentifully from the whole body, and lessen and abate the disease: on the other side, those are evill which happen whilest the matter is crude, which are too much, or too little, and those which are cold, or flow not from the whole body, and neither diminish nor take away the disease.
The Hemorodes of the nose are good which happen in the state of a disease, * 1.5 with signes of concoction, nor is that al∣waies to be condemned which happens in the augmentation, and also in the beginning, seeing the blood wants no other preparation, neither do the other humours. Good Hemerodes ought to be large, but yet not over much, but to be made with
ease, and the symptomes of the Feaver to be abated, and to happen in a criticall day, and in those diseases, wherin blee∣ding is proper to their nature and condition; and moreover the blood ought to flow from a part opposite to the part affe∣cted: on the contrary, those are ill Hemerodes which hap∣pen in the beginning, unlesse other good signes are present, and if they appear with dangerous signes, and those which are too large, or too little.
Dropping of blood from the Nose is evill, if it be caused by pervernesse of matter, multitude, imbecility of force, or all these, especially in the beginning, or on the fourth day, if the blood be black, sincere, and without mixture: But it be a token of a future Crisis, tis no ill signe, which happens when the signes of concoction have been before, and the disease is not dangerous.
Spittle is of great use in shewing of diseases of the breast, * 1.6 and that is good which is concocted, white and equall, and is spit out conveniently, and easily in a short space of time, without great pain, and a great cough: on the contrary, tis evill if it be crude, yellow; worse, if it be green, worst of all if black, especially if it be without mixture, if it appears more dull, and is spit out with great difficulty, tis also evill; when the spittle is bloody, for it proceedeth from erosion, or from breaking of Vessels.
Lastly, decretory Imposthumations are good, * 1.7 if they happen with signes of concoction, and other good signes, and break on a judicatory day; they are good by nature which are re∣moved from the bowels and more noble parts, which perse∣vere, are suppurated, and help the sick: On the contrary, those are evill which break forth without signes of conco∣ction, the matter as yet being crude, and on a day that is not criticall, if they are too great, or too little, or happen to be in the fingers, or toes, if they are lead colour, or too red, inclining to black, and those which decrease and vanish, without any reason, and without any precedent evacuation, those which are not well suppurated, which are corrupted, and they bring either that part where they are, or the whole body into danger.
Prognost∣ick from vrine.
Of dejecti∣on of the helly.
Of vomi∣tings.
Os sweats.
From the Hemerodes of the nose.
From spit∣tle.
Ʋlcers.