Enchiridion medicum: containing the causes, signs, and cures of all those diseases, that do chiefly affect the body of man: divided into three books. With alphabetical tables of such matters as are therein contained. Whereunto is added a treatise, De facultatibus medicamentorum compositorum, & dosibus. / By Robert Bayfield.

CHAP. XIII.

LƲES VENEREA, is a contagious evill, gotten for the most part by the use of vene∣ry, and of unclean bodies: The part affected is the liver.

The cause is an impure touch in copulation, * 1.1 the man or woman having their privities troub∣led with virulent ulcers, or molested with a viru∣lent strangury; the contagion whereof is eom∣municated from one infected body to another.

The woman takes it by receiving the virulent seed of an unclean person; The signes thereof remaining in the wrinkles of the womb, may be drawn in by the pores of the open and stan∣ding yard, and so infect the man; whence suc∣ceed ulcers, and a virulent strangury in the pri∣vities of both persons.

It may be taken by breathing onely, or by eating, drinking, and lying with the infected, or after them in their sheets: I read of a nurse that infected a Gentlewomans child, the childe, the mother, the mother, her husband, and the husband infected two of his other children.

There appear Bubos in the groine, * 1.2 pustuls in the yard, the urinary passages are ulcerated: The prepuce is sometimes so scorched with heat, that it will not slip over the Glans: the urine burnes with pain, and a virulent Gonor∣rhea: Sometimes red, sometimes yellow, and filthy spots like warts, are over the body, which in time prove ulcers and pustuls: There is pain of the nerves, shoulders, head, and neck: In many there is pustuls in the pallat of their mouth, jawes, nose, and tongue, which in time ulcerate: oftentimes the haire of the head, and Beard fall away: They cannot sleep, for they have exceeding pain in the night, more then in the day.

Because the venereous virulency lying asleep, is enraged by the warme bed: also the Patients thoughts are fixed upon the object of pain most in the night.

On their joynts and shin-bones, they have certain tophies and tumours very hard to be dissolved: and especially in their foreheads, and shoulders; * 1.3 The effects of Lu. ve. are sad. For some lose one, or both their eyes, or eye-lids; looking very gastly; some lose their hearing, and their noses do sometimes fall flat, with the losse of the bone called Ethmoides; so that they faulter and fumble in their speech: some have

their yards cut off, by reason of a Gangreen, and women a great part of their privities are tainted with corruption: men sometimes have their urethra obstructed by budding caruncles, or inflamed pustules, and often stand at need of the Cathaetur: some their mouthes are drawne awry, others grow lame of armes, or legges: some are troubled with Asthma, others have the leprosie: some with Hectica febris, others their throats eaten with putrefied and cancrous ulcers: some are troubled with a filthy flux of blood, and the falling sicknesse.

Sometimes there followeth a disease called Plica: being most loathsome, and horrible: * 1.4 and bred by modern luxury and excesse, sei∣zing specially on women.

It is a viscous venemous humour, that glues together (as it were) the haire of the head, with a prodigious entanglement: sometimes taking the form of a great snake, or else of little ser∣pents, full of nastinesse, vermine, and noysome smell: so that being pricked with a needle, they yeeld bloody drops. It began in Germany, I mean, at the first, in Poland: Those that cut off their hair, either lost their eyes, or the humour falling down, tortured them very much in their lower parts: The cure of this most grievous disease, you may pick out of this Chapter; yet if you would see farther concerning it, * 1.5 look in∣to Hercul. Saxonia his tenth book De Plica: and in it you shall find 67 Chapters of this disease; which with the rest aforementioned, are often∣times the offspring of the Lues venerea: whose proper Antidote is Argentum vivum. Also

many become impotent to Venery: venereous ulcers on the yard are hard to cure.

But if being healed they remain hard, and callous: they are signes of the disease lying hid in the body. * 1.6 A disease called Mentagra, that vexed the Romans in the time of Claudius, was very like this, which oftentimes is transferred from the parents to the children: Lastly, ma∣ny perish with a fever (that have Lues venerea) having continual sorrow and grief.

This disease being newly taken, * 1.7 admits of an easie cure:

1. The first intention must be to open a vein.

2. The second is, the grosse humours must be attenuated: for which purpose, The de∣coction of Radicum foeniculi, eringii, enulae campanae, * 1.8 lentium, uvarum passarum, ficum, &c. also oximel scillitici, is good for the same purpose.

3. * 1.9 Next purge him with confectio hamech in the decoction of Guiacum: which you may make after this manner.

℞. * 1.10 Ligni guaiac. ℥.viij. cortic. ejusd. ℥.iv. Sar∣saeparill. rad. chinae, lign. sassafras ana ℥. ij. coq. in aq. li. 12. sub finem add. vini alb. li. 4. fiat decoctio.

But first let the 12 pound of water boyle to 4 pound, before you adde the wine

Some adde Carduus benedictus, sweet fennel-seed, Staecadas, germander, anniseed, parsley, rew, diptane, flowres of marygold, broom, balme, and rosemary: also zedoary, sage, be∣tony, juniper-berries, the three sanders, Agri∣mony, and Centory.

4. He must drink a quarter of a pinte of the decoction (above said) at a time, evening and morning, and between meales: make another drink of the same ingredients, that he may drink of it at meales. Also

℞. Decoct. guaiacicum card. benedict. ℥. v. * 1.11 Theriac. mithridat. ana ℈ij. vel. ℈.i.ss. olei guaiac. Gut. 8. vel 10. olei vitrioli gr. iij. misce & fiat Haustus.

5. Let the Patient sweat often with this draught, an hour at a time: his sweat must be wiped off with fine dry cloaths, taking heed of cold: you may adde centory, and liqueris to the aforesaid decoction, and it will be the stron∣ger to procure sweat.

If the Patient be much feverous, leave out the Guaiacum, and its bark: And put in Borrage, Bugloss, Cichory, Violets, Polypody, Cur∣rants, &c.

6. Also let Sarsaeparilla, China, and Eringo roots, be boyled in his broath: made with the knuckles of veale.

7. Let his body be often purged: and a vein often opened: Also this electuary following is good.

℞. Conserv. cichor. rosarum, ana ℥.iij. * 1.12 ligni guai∣ac. subtiliss. pulverisati, sarsaeparill. ana ℥.ss. spec. diarrhod. Abdiatrion santal. ʒ. j. cum syr. de cichor. fiat Electuarium;

Let him eat thereof often; it will comfort and corroborate:

9. If the disease be stubborn, you must come to unction.

℞. Axung. porci li. j. olei cammomeli, anethi, * 1.13

terebinth, laurini, ana ℥. j. argenti vivi ℥. vj. theriac, ven. mithridat. ana ℥.ss. fiat linimen∣tum secund. artem.

First boyle your hogges-grease with sage, rose∣mary, thyme, marjoram, and lavender: then kill your Quick-silver, and mixe them altoge∣ther: and beat them for the space of a whole day: with this anoynt his joynts, wrists, the spine of his back, his elbowes, knees, ankles, and shoulders: in a close room; and beware of cold, which is most hurtfull in Lues ve∣nerea.

Let your frictions be gentle, and you must so long use them with unctions, untill the virulent humours be evacuated, by spitting and saliva∣tion, by stoole, urine, sweat, or insensible tran∣spiration; which you shall know by the falling away; and drying up of the pustules; And the ceasing of the paines and other symptomes pro∣per to this disease: unction must be used twice aday on strong bodies; upon rare and delicate bodies but once; upon weak bodies, every two or three dayes; and then binde up their limbes with gray paper.

Observe if nature be stirred up, and bent to any kind of evacuation, either by the mouth, pores, stool, or the like, then use frictions every 2, 3, 4, or 5, dayes.

Dysenteries caused by unction, may be helped by clysters; wherein much hogs-grease is dissolved.

If you should anoynt some to death, you can∣not bring them to fluxe at the mouth; yet through some other evacuation they recover:

this Emplaster following is much commended for hard tophies.

℞. Massae emplast. de melil, * 1.14 & oxycrocei ana li. ss. argenti vivi extin. ℥.vj. ol. laurini, & de spicâ, reducantur ad formam emplastri.

10. Spread of it on leather, and apply it as you shall see cause: or

℞. Emplastri de meliloto pro splene li. ss. argent. * 1.15 viv. ℥. ij. olei laurini, petrolei, terebinthinae, ana Q.S. fiat cerotum.

For the ulcers of the mouth, make a decoction of barley, marsh mallowes, and lettice: Also to wash the mouth with cowes milk warme, is good.

11. If the mouth and jawes become so swel∣led, as a gangreen is to be feared; then use re∣strictive and repelling gargarismes, * 1.16 made of barley water, plantin, night-shade, knot-grass, sheppards purse, quinces, lettice, water-lillies, and wood-binde: also Balaustia, red roses, and myrtills: syrrups of dried roses, quinces, and barberies; honey of roses, and diamoron.

His diet in this condition must be reer-egges, * 1.17 barley creames, cullesses, made of the decocti∣on of knuckles of veale, and gellies.

12. For the ulcers on the prepuce, and glans, every night anoynt them with ung. Argenti vivi: so far as they are scorched with inflamma∣tion, or ulcerated; and in the morning wash it with the coction of guaicaum, or china, or sarsae∣parilla: so do untill the ulcer be dryed, and hea∣led, and the inflammation quenched; this is a sure help; its called Paraphimosis.

13. For the virulent Gonorrhaea annexed

with it: * 1.18 First direct a dry diet; as biscakes, rai∣sons, blanched almonds, to make meales of them often.

14. Then purge him with this potion fol∣lowing.

℞. * 1.19 Decoct. com. ℥. vj. cassiae re. extractae ℥. ss. Syrrupus rosarum. sol. ℥. ss. misce.

Let him take the one half overnight warm, and the rest in the morning: If he be a strong body, put in ℥.ss. or ʒ.vj. of Diaprunum sol. in∣stead of Cassia: let him drink of the decoction of Sarsae and China constantly.

15. And let him take halfe an ounce of washt turpentine in wafers, 2, or 3 times; and sweat once or twice, if need be.

For this Gonorrhaea, is the beginning of the Lues venerea; and will certainly follow, if not prevented with the aforesaid meanes: And so much shall suffice for this most detestable and grievous evill, which by Gods command, hath assailed mankind; as a scourge or punishment to restrain the too wanton and lascivious lusts of unpure persons.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Causa.
• * 1.2

  Signa.
• * 1.3

  Prognostica
• * 1.4

  Plica. Glissonins.
• * 1.5

  Hercul∣saxonia
• * 1.6

  Mentagra. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.7

  Curatio. Venae sectio
• * 1.8

  Oximel.
• * 1.9

  Potio pur∣gans.
• * 1.10

  Decoctio guaiaci.
• * 1.11

  Haustus.
• * 1.12

  Electuari∣um.
• * 1.13

  Linimentū.
• * 1.14

  Emplastrū.
• * 1.15

  Ceratum.
• * 1.16

  Gargaris∣mus.
• * 1.17

  Victus rae∣tio.
• * 1.18

  Gonorrhaea virulenta.
• * 1.19

  Potio pur∣gans.