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. XXVIII.

STERILITAS: * 1.1 or barrennesse: It is caused either of the womans, or of the mans part; when his seed is either too hot, cold, thin, wa∣tery, or too feeble: Their yards too short, or their bellies too big.

2. Also women of their part cannot con∣ceive, because their matrice is either too hot, cold, and moyst, or too foule, filthy, or drie, or too streight, or too open: Also unwilling car∣nal copulation, or their age too great, or too lit∣tle, doth let and hinder conception.

3. A fertil woman is commonly of a mode∣rate stature, and height of body, breadth of loynes, and share: her buttocks sticking out, a handsome and convenient greatnesse of belly, a streight brest, and large paps.

1. * 1.2 The hot distemper of a man is known by his lascivious and readinesse to carnal lust, yet he is satiated and filled.

2. Coldnness is known by their want of hair, for their stones are bald, and they have little desire to lust.

1. If through too much heat of the ma∣trice, the rest of their body is hot and they are lecherous.

2. Coldnesse is known by their despising carnal lust, and the stopping of the menstruis.

3. If through too much moystnesse, then in the act they are bedewed with moystnesse, and the menstruis floweth much in quantity. [ 4]

5. Drinesse of the wombe is known by the contrary signes to moystnesse.

Moderate exercise and a good diet doth well. * 1.3

1. If she be full of corrupt humors, purge her,

2. If the menstruis be stopped, look back in∣to the Chapter of Mensium suppressio.

3. If coldnes be the cause, * 1.4 make a fomentati∣on of penniroyal, aniseed, and cumminseed, let her drink Castoreum, and the juyce of sage in wine.

4. If heat be the cause, coole and moysten, with lettice, plantin, purslain, and gourds; * 1.5 to make a decoction, or boyle them in broath; But Aqua sperm. ranarum, is excellent.

5. If moystnesse be the cause, let her exer∣cise, purge, and use a drie diet, and sometimes give her a cup of restrictive wine, wherein sage is boyled and steeped.

6. If drinesse be the cause of barrenesse, use those things that moysten.

7. * 1.6 If grosse humours be the cause purge her with Hierapicra in whey or the like, labour and sweating is good.

8. If witdninesse, look into the Chapter of uteri Inflatio.

9. If through too much streightnesse of the matrice, look into the Chapter Ʋteriphimosis.

10. * 1.7 If through gaping of the mouth of the matrice, let her use a drie diet, and fomentati∣ons of the decoction of pomegranate rinds, quinces, myrtils brambles. Acatia, &c.

11. If the matrice be writhed, use mollifying pessaries Paulus saith that carnall lust used backward, is good to conceive. * 1.8

Notes

• * 1.1

  Causa.
• * 1.2

  Signa.
• * 1.3

  Curatio. Exercitiū.
• * 1.4

  Fomentatio
• * 1.5

  Aq. sperm. ranarum.
• * 1.6

  Hierapicra.
• * 1.7

  Fomentatio
• * 1.8

  Faul••••.