Platerus golden practice of physick: fully and plainly discovering, I. All the kinds. II. The several causes of every disease. III. Their most proper cures, in respect to the kinds, and several causes, from whence they come. After a new, easie, and plain method; of knowing, foretelling, preventing, and curing, all diseases incident to the body of man. Full of proper observations and remedies: both of ancient and modern physitians. In three books, and five tomes, or parts. Being the fruits of one and thirty years travel: and fifty years practice of physick. By Felix Plater, chief physitian and professor in ordinary at Basil. Abdiah Cole, doctor of physick, and the liberal arts. Nich. Culpeper, gent. student in physick, and astrology.

The Causes.

The Cause of all failing of strength, fainting, and weakness of particular parts, dependeth upon the inbred and inhaerent spirit of the similary parts, which makes the spiritual substance of parts, as they call it, and giveth living vertue, or life, and strength, and heat, which is natural. This natural spirit or heat being in∣bred in every substance of parts as in the Heart (which though it abound with other, yet hath this in it as ne∣cessary for life) hath need to be continually nourished and renewed by the vital spirit, made in the left ventri∣cle of the Heart, and communicated to all the parts by the Arteries, as to the substance of the Heart by the co∣ronary Arteries called the influent spirit, that it might be the matter that sustains the innate spirit; and because it easily disperseth, it ought to be in great plenty through the body. And hence is it that the heart being the shop where that spirit is made, alwaies stands in need of Air and Blood whereof it is made. Wherefore if they be wanting, or but little, there is one cause why strength faileth. As when for want of breath the heart wants Air, then Death follows except its motion were hindered by other causes, as shal be shewed in the cau∣ses of swooning. Because the Heart being dilated by motion often not filled with matter for vital sptrits, di∣eth: And this cannot befall it while it moveth not, because it may subsist a while with its own spirits, as other parts. So we shewed in a Syncope, wherein they revive after a long stopping of the breath. But seeing Blood mixed with Air in the Lungs affordeth fit matter for animal spirits, if it be consumed by great want of nourishment or Arrophy; or stopped in the Vessels, so that it cometh not to the parts, there must be weakness. But no man living can be so without blood, that the Lungs should be so empty which usual∣have so much; or the Vessels that are so large by which the Blood is carried with Air from the Heart, should be so obstructed. Only strength fails in this respect, that spirits are not made, or being made, they are suddenly dissipated, which causeth the innate spirits to subsist no longer. And that either when they alto∣gether vanish and leave the body, as in the Agony of Death; or they depart for a time from the Heart and return again, as in swooning: Or when they are fewer then are necessary, as in Weakness. Also strength must needs fail when there is want of substance making moisture, in regard the innate spirit is nourished not only with the infinent spirit, but by radical moisture which consumeth dayly. And so it is the occasion of Death, or Weeknes•• as it is wanting in the Heart (where it is the proper nourishment of the spirit) or in any other parts. But if the innate spirit ca••••ed the spiritual substance of the parts, or called the natural heat be extinguished or weakened, or any part cold: Then if it be in the Heart (which hath as I shewed, its proper native heat or innate spirit besides the vital, which it aboundeth with, otherwise there had been no coronal Arteries) and be spent, Death follows, but if it be diminished, there is a general faintness of the whol body, as a particular weakness of some other member, if it be in them. But now I shal shew what causeth the dissipation of both the innate spirit called native heat, and of the Influent spirit by which it is susteined. And how the humor that feeds it is consumed by natural and adventitious courses.

They who have more innate spirit, or natural heat, and radical moisture, are more strong and active, and they who have less, are weak, and sooner die. And when that flourishing humor is consumed like Oyl by the heat of the spirit, by degrees, in age men grow more weak and dry.

Among internal and external causes, all great Diseases dissipate the vital spirits if they continue long, and at length consume the innate spirits with the radical moisture wherewith it is joyned; from whence the weakness is more or less.

Great and often Evacuations either by chance, or willingly, or in Diseases, exhaust and dissipate the spirits, and abate strength, e∣specially if good humors be void∣ded, as Seed in the running of the Reins, or by Venery. Also great bleeding, purging by reason the stirring of the spirits abate strength, as in Diarrhaea's, and great and often sweating, and much pissing. Also the sudden effusion of things besides na∣ture, as of Water in the Dropsie, matter in an Empie∣ma

doth weaken. These violent excretions being pain∣ful, as in a Dysentery, weaken more.

Great pain which violently stirreth the spirits, to bring them to the part afflicted with the blood, for help; causeth weakness, and if it be very great, fainting. Especialy if the part suffering, have great affinity with the Heart. Hence it is that they who have the Cardialgia or Heart pain are very weak by reason of the consent of the Stomach with the Heart, and do easily faint: this fainting is called Cardiaca. And so it is in other painful and long Dis∣eases.

Great and sudden Passions of the Mind, because then the spirits are carried in and out with force, cause debility, and somtimes fainting and death; Thus we have seen some swoon with joy that hath thrown the spirits outward, and have read that others have died so. In anger the spirits are so inraged that they look red in the Face: And when the spirits presently return, as the paleness following sheweth, they are in little danger of life, but they are weakned thereby, as appears by their trembling, and there remains a weariness though anger be over. Nor is the cause of men not dying with anger as with joy, because angry men are stronger, as is sup∣posed: in regard old men and sick men that are pee∣vish, are easily moved to anger. But it often hapens that by great fear, the spirits being violently moved, some die and many are weakned. And shame and bashfulness may cause the same; by which they say Homer died. Also if the passions be of long continu∣ance and strong; as sadness, and fear, and the like, they stir the spirits with continual Cogitation, and at length consum them, and as they say dry the bones, and this is a Consumption of the Spirits.

A strong and constant heat, doth not only dissipate the spirits but consumes them, and their nourishment; as when the body is weakned by heat, fire, labor, there is fainting somtimes. And in Feavers, it is so especially in a Causon, or burning Feaver. And in a Hectick the accidental heat of the heart, though not great, yet continuing, devours the radical moisture of the heart and solid parts, and the spirits, and causeth weakness and Consumption.

A cold distemper quencheth the native heat, or makes it less: so some have been frozen to death. And others have been killed with staying long in cold water. Also some parts are benumed and blasted with cold, or so weakned that they come not again to themselves. And this may come to the Stomach, by drinking cold water. And hither may be referred those that for want of excercise, bring not the native heat into action, and grow stupid. Also the parrs grow weak, by using things inwardly and outwardly, that are Potentially cold a long time, they grow weak, but the native heat is not wholly extinct, as by actual cold. Although hitherto it hath been believed, to come from Narcoticks, that are very cold: which as we shewed, do not kil by cooling, but by stupefying the brain. Nor do we grant that the Pores being obstructed, that the heat is Suffocated for want of fanning, or Eventilation; for as we shewed, the Skin hath Pores not to let in Air, but to let out other things.

A Maligne quality affecting the Heart, or mixed with its spirits, causeth an extinction of native heat thereof, and by consequence of all the Body: or diminisheth it, and begets a Syncope, or weakness, or Death, according toits divers qualities. So when the Air is infected, men in the Plague, suddenly faint, are weak and die: or in swouning Feavers, which alwaies begin with fainting. And when Poyson is taken, or bred in the Body, it gets to the Heart, and endangers life, and causeth weakness. And this may happen to other parts, when Poyson is more contrary to them then to the Heat.

If a Wound peirce the left Ven∣tricle of the Heart, the spirits sud∣denly vanish, and there is sudden Death. And if the right, or it peirce the Superficies, or cuts the Coronal Veins, they die suddenly from great bleeding. I suppose non can scape, if the substance only be hurt and divi∣ded, because a principal part cannot endure it. Fernelius writes that he saw one that consumed, before he died of an Ulcer in the Heart that came from an inward cause. The like may be from a Tumor, which is rare, and not known but by dissection, because the Heart feels not. I faw in 1644. in a Woman that I opened of a Dropsie in the Breast, such a swolen Heart loose and greater then it should be with the Vessels, especially the Arteria Aorta three times bigger then usual, and both the Ven∣tricles, especially the left, and the Langs and Cavity of the breast, silled with waterish blood. Also a great corruption in other parts extinguisheth the native heat.

Notes

• The cause of all want of strength is in the vital spirit in man, when it is not nourish∣ed with another spirit or moisture, or consu∣med.
• The constipation of radical moisture through age is the cause of weakness.
• Diseases that dissi∣pate the influent and fixed spirits are the cause of weakness.
• Evacuations that dissipate the natural fixed, and also the influent heat cause weakness.
• Pain moving the spirits caus∣eth weakness.
• Pain of the Mouth of the Stomack cause of Cardiaca, or fain∣ting.
• Trembling of the Spirit, is the cause of weakness, fain∣ting.
• Heat dissipating the spirits and consuming their nourishment, is the cause of weakness.
• Cold restraining the native heat, is the cause of weak∣ness.
• A Maligne qua∣lity in the Heart, is the Cause of weakness.
• A Wound in the Heart, is the cause of weakness and Death.