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 Kinds.

VVE call those Pains in the Habit of the Body which are within the Skin, either in the soft or fleshy, or hard, or bony parts. They are of divers sorts, some are greater, and others less then their accidents.

VVe shall mention only by the way those pains whose accidents are grea∣ter, * 1.1 because we spake of them in their places. As in Hurt of the Functions, when there is pain joyned, as pain of weakned Motion, mentioned in Lazi∣ness, voluntary, and after labour; this pain is ulcerated, inflamed, stret∣ching, or beating. Besides, there are somtimes in some kinds of unmoveableness, as in that kind of palsie, where the Sense of Feeling remains, with a pricking, or vehe∣ment pain. Also there are divers pains in the Cramp, especially when it is from wind: As we shewed concern∣ing a moving pain in the Cramp of many years continu∣ance. Also there is pain in Fractures and Dislocations of Bones. All these are spoken of in impotent Motion. And in Depravation of Feeling, there is a pain in divers parts from a false Sense of Cold or Heat. And we shewed in Feavers, that there might be pains, as if the Limbs were bruised or broken. Also pains inwardly may come forth as in the Head-ach, the pain may reach to the Eyes, and and other pains may come to the Neck, Breast, and Belly, as we shewed. And we shall shew how some superficial pains go over the whol Body. And others are from evil Conformity or shape.

Those pains which are in the Habit of the Body greater then their Accidents, * 1.2 are chiefly distin∣guished as they are in the Flesh, Joynts, or Bones.

The Germans call the pains in the fleshy parts of the Habit of the Body, die Fluze, * 1.3 from the cause that is Defluxion, Distillations, or Catarrhs. Of which we shall declare divers kinds, in parts not fleshy, from the Joynts.

These Pains or Defluxions are some∣times in the Cheeks, Chapps, * 1.4 or about the Ears, with Swelling, or without.

Or in the sides, or behind the Neck, with difficult turning of the Neck, or a Creek, and Swelling of the Glandles. And if there be difficulty of swallowing, it is a bastard Quinzy.

Also there is a pain from Defluxion in the fleshy sides of the Breast, heavy, and tearing, that increaseth with tou∣ching, or Motion of the Arms, and hindereth breathing. And if it be pricking, it is a bastard Pleurisie, if the breath be much stopt, it is to be referred to Dyspnaea, or difficul∣ty of breathing.

These pains from Defluxions, are also on both fleshy sides of the Back, either above, towards the Neck, or be∣low towards the Loyns. And are increased by Motion of the Back-bone, or by lying down, or pressing, but if they endure touching; they are spoken of in internall Pains.

These pains from Defluxion, are also in the fleshy parts of the Joynts, in the Arms, or Feet, and in the Nervous parts, if they are about the Shoulder blads, or fleshy parts of the Hipps, they are referred to pains in the Joynts.

A pain in the Joynts is called Arthritis. And it is either more general in many Joynts, as in the Feet, Arms, Hands, Hips, * 1.5 Shoulders, reaching to the Back, and Neck, and somtimes to the Cheeck-bones, and Joynts. Or it is more particular in some small or great Joynts, * 1.6 as in the Hip called the Sciatica. That in the Shoulder is called the pain of the Homoplate; when it is in the small Joynts, in the Toes, or Foot, * 1.7 or Ancles, it is called Podagra; when in the Knee, Gonagra; when in the Fingers, Thumb, or Wrists, Chiragra. This Dis∣ease seldom is constant in the Shoulder a∣lone, as in the Knee; and if it be there, it is called Arthritis, when other Joynts suffer also. Some of these kinds of Gouts have the same accidents.

Sometimes there is a great pain fixed in one or more Joynts. That which is in the Hip is first fixed, then moveth from the Thigh into the Foot, and that in the Shoulder, in∣the Arm. In all kinds, the pain is increased by Motion of the Joynt, and touching, except in the Hip and Shoul∣der, and then when the pain comes outward. These pains come suddenly unto some.

There is usually a Tumor with Redness, Heat, and bea∣ting, in the Podagra, and Chiragra, first or last; and som∣times in the Gonagra, or Arthritis, especially in the Joynts without Flesh. Somtimes it is an Oedema with∣out Redness. But in the pain of the Shoulder and Hip in the fleshy parts there is no such appearance or tumor.

In continuance of time in the Podagra, and Chiragra, there will be knots in the Joynts of the Fingers and Toes. And when they are opened, there comes forth a thin or tough white Matter, or like Chalk. And somtimes they turn to hard uneven stones, which hinder the Motion of the Joynt. And I have seen sometimes such knots from the bending of the Arm to the Wrists, growing as it were to∣gether, and when they have been broken, there hath come forth a white Pultis, and in one troubled with the Gout, it was in his Ear. And another Merchant long and grei∣vously

troubled with the Gout. The same kind of chal∣kie Matter was all over his Body, and the very Eye-brows also, and it turned to knots, and then came forth.

As we shewed in Feavers, there is a Synoch in every ge∣neral Gout, and often in the Podagra, Chiragra, and Go∣nagra, and somtimes in the Hip and Shoulder-gout. It begins first with Chilness, and there is Thirst and Restles∣ness, the Pulse is high, and the Urin red.

There are somtimes other accidents in Arthritis. And we have known a Cramp to follow the Joynt-gout which hath been worse then it self.

The pain about the great Bones (be∣sides that which is in parts without flesh, * 1.8 of which we spake in the Pain of the Joynts, and that without the Skull of which in Head-ach) is of two sorts. The one is chiefly about the Head bones, the other is about many other Bones.

There is a kind of pain about the Head or Forehead, * 1.9 which is lasting, which is called an external Cephalaea, or Head-ach, differing from the internal mentioned. This is about the Bone, and is augmented by being touch∣ed. It somtimes springs from an internal Head-ach, or is joyned with it, or is alone outwardly on both sides, or on the right or left, as a Haemicrania. Some∣times it is like a Nail driven into one part, * 1.10 and called Clavus. Somtimes it makes Nodes in the Forehead, like that in the French Pox, and in other Bones.

There is another kind of outward pain in the Head, * 1.11 which goes before other pains from Defluxion, into the Joynts and fleshy parts. In which somthing seems to lye heavy upon the Head, and there is outward, as if the skin were flead off, and increaseth with touching of the Hair especially. And oftentimes there is a Swelling soft and oedematous, broad, and dispersed a∣bout the Neck, and hinder-part of the Head, and other accidents, as in the Heaviness of the Head, coming with∣in the Skull, especially when they meet together.

There is another kind of pain about many Bones from a Disease not known by the Antients that was brought from the Indiies, * 1.12 first called the Neopolitane, then the French Disease: * 1.13 And because it comes by Copulation, the Venereal Pox. Of which there are divers kinds, as I shall shew, and this pain about the Bones is one, and is called the contagious Pain or Pox.

This pain being near about the Bones, is chiefly in the middle Seat without the Flesh, either in Latitude or Lon∣gitude, as in the naked inside of the Leg, and about the Shoulders, Homoplate, and Arms, and before, in the Breast, which bony part can scarce suffer from another in∣ternal Cause. And therefore the Pox is known only by this sign somtimes. Also there is pain without in the Head, especially in the Forehead to the Eye brows, and about the Temples, sixed like an outward Cephalaea.

This pain is violent and implacable, pulling as it were the skin from the bones, and not to be touched. It in∣creaseth towards night, and is not abated as other pains, but augmenteth by heat. And therefore in bed they are worse, and it comes by degrees, not suddenly as Arthri∣tis.

Somtimes there are hard Tumors or Nodes in the Fore∣head, Skins, and insides of the Hands, which are unequal and increase.

And other accidents, as Falling of the Hair, Spots, Pustles, and Ulcers, as we shall shew,

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of Pains in the Habit of the Body which have pre∣vailing accidents that are greater then themselves.
• * 1.2

  Of painsin the Habit of the Body which are greater then their acci∣dents.
• * 1.3

  Of Pains in fleshy Parts.
• * 1.4

  Of Defluxions or Distillations in the Habit of the Body.
• * 1.5

  Pains in the Joynts, Ar∣thritis, or Joynt-gout.
• * 1.6

  The Sciatica, or Hip-gout.
• * 1.7

  Pain of the Homoplate, Podagra, Go∣nagra, Chira∣gra.
• * 1.8

  Pains about the Bones.
• * 1.9

  An external Cephalaea.
• * 1.10

  Clavus.
• * 1.11

  Outward Heavi∣ness of the Head.
• * 1.12

  The French Pox or Neopolitane.
• * 1.13

  The contagious French Pox.