Two treatises. The first, of the venereal pocks: Wherein is shewed, I. The name and original of this disease. II. Histories thereof. III. The nature thereof. IV. Its causes. V. Its differences. VI. Several sorts of signs thereof. VII. Several waies of the cure thereof. VIII. How to cure such diseases, as are wont to accompany the whores pocks. The second treatise of the gout, 1. Of the nature of the gout. 2. Of the causes thereof. 3. Of the signs thereof. 4. Of the cure thereof. 5. Of the hip gout or sciatica. 6. The way to prevent the gout written in Latin and English. By Daniel Sennert, Doctor of Physick. Nicholas Culpeper, physitian and astrologer. Abdiah Cole, Doctor of Physick, and the liberal arts.

Chap. XI Of the preparation, and purging of vitious humors.

NExt of al if the body be cacochymical, * 1.1 the vitious humors must be emptied and prepared with convenient medicaments; whenas in an impure body a∣lexipharmacal meanes, and proper remedies of this disease, do profit little, nay they may bring hurt, and though that disease be overcome, may tender the body obnoxious to other diseases. For vitious humors collected about the bowels can∣not al be discussed and dissipated by sweat, but the thinner part being discussed the thicker is left, and grows dry, and is fastened in the bowels, and oftentimes con∣tracting an acrimony, doth weaken the substance of the vessels: from whence that disease grows somtimes more stubborn to cure, and there arise obstructions of the Liver and Spleen, and schirrous tumors, hypochondriacal diseases, and creeping ulcers.

Nor yet is purging only to be used in the beginning, and before the proper cure of the disease, but also the whol time of the cure, if vitious matter be collected again,

'tis to be emptied by intervals: yet if the evil be now inveterate, and stick princi∣pally in the external parts, the vitious matter is not rashly to be recalled to the in∣ward parts by strong purgers, least the Liver, Stomach, and other bowels be hurt and weakned, but 'tis to be emptied by convenient places, where nature tends.

But concerning the preparation and purging of humors, though many Authors are large enough, yet whenas those things which are spoke by them, concerning an universal preparation and purging of humors, are not proper to this disease, but are common to al depending on a cacochymy: it seems not worth our labor, to dwel upon those generals, which are already known by the cure of many other diseases. We shal only admonish you of these things; first of al when the disease is new, we must observe, what vitious humors abound in the body, and especially in the second region, and those must be prepared and emptied. But if the evil be now inveterate, because in that for the most part, thick and adust humors are collected, the medi∣cins are first of al to be directed against them. Next of al this is to be observed, that we have respect also to the distemper of the bowels, and if they have contracted any distemper, that must be corrected, and they must be strengthened with proper me∣dicaments. Thirdly, it is necessary, that we alwaies ad somwhat to our prepara∣tives and purgers, which doth resist the Veneral virulency by a specifick faculty; and therefore concerning common purging medicines we wilad nothing, whenas they are every where obvious and known, but this that many physitians do testify, That Mechcacan, to which belongs Jallop, is given not only for its purging faculty with benefit in this disease, but also because 'tis an enemy to this evil by a peculiar power, so that it is numbered by some amongst the antidotes of this disease. Then by the Chymists mercury prepared is cheifly commended for the curing and purg∣ing of this disease, of which shal be spoken hereafter in particular.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Prepara∣tion and purging of humors.