A compleat practice of physick.: Wherein is plainly described, the nature, causes, differences, and signs, of all diseases in the body of man. VVith the choicest cures for the same. / By John Smith, Doctor in Physick.

ABORTION is a symptom of things thrust out.

The Cause is the expulsive faculty, provoked; or the re∣tentive, hurt: which is done by the air, too much voiding of excrements, moti∣on, Venery, diseases, natural debility of the womb, or the child; of the retentive faculty, by the first birth; the stinck of a candle put out, Castoreum Galbanum, from the child diseased by naughty seed; from want of superfluity of nou∣rishment from the disease of the mo∣ther, distempers, sharp fevers, loosness of the Ligaments, the womb gaping, shortness of the Intestins, dissolved u∣nity of the parts adjoyning, from swoo∣ning, convulsion, pain, sneesing, slippe∣riness of the matrix from a flegmatic▪ humour. Aph. 45. s. 5.

Diagnostick Signs, Aph. 37, 38,—52. 53. Prognosticks. In Abortion wo∣men are in worse condition then in na∣tural birth: for unripe apples fall not unless they be pulled oft times, especi∣ally the first Abortion, causeth barren∣ness. Abortion is most dangerous in the sixth, seventh and eighth moneths.

Preservation. The cause must be resi∣sted; it oft times proceeds from a steg∣matick humour, Internal and Topical remedy must be astringent. Specialties are Corals, cochineal, shaving of Ivory.

Take Red coral prepared I dram, Pearl prepared half a dram, shavings of Ivory I dram, Mastick half a dram, Manus Christi with Pearls 2 drams; make a powder.

The Cure. If you cannot prevent it, you must by all means procure A∣bortion.

Question. Whether straightnesse of the Matrix can cause Abortion? It is affirmed: as straightness of the stomach may case vomiting.

Affection Hypochondriacal is a sink of humours melancholick, and oft times of slegmatick and cholerick collected

in the branches of vena porta, the Cae∣liaque artery and the Meseraiques, e∣specially in the left hypochondre, by rea∣son of the concoction of the spleen hurt, without putrefaction from whence vapours that have the nature of these things, and part of the humour, do stir up various symptoms, as loathing, vo∣miting, belching, sowre corruption, and burnt like sut, (whence it is that Senn. will have the case of Fabr. Cent. 4. obs. 32. not to proceed from the seed, but to be hypochondriacal) many winds, which Senn. will have to be contain∣ed in that cavity of Spiegelius on the left side, sadnesse after meat, costiveness by the drines of the vessels, heat of the hypochondres, urine sometime thick sometime thin, troubled panting of the heart, swooning, thirst, difficulty of breathing, Vertigo, falling-sicknesse, palsie, Wearinesse, troublesomesse, it differs from hypochondriacal melan∣choly, because in the affection hypo∣chondriacal, many are not melancholy.

The Cause is a sink of humours col∣lected, by reason of the cold of the stomach, weaknesse of the spleen, hear

of the liver, driness of the intestines, & the Pancreas, obstruction of the vessels, especially of the Pancreas, and fault of the milky veins, chiefly in virgins, and in women by the fault of the womb, and stopping of their Courses.

Diagnostick signs. If it come from the Spleen, it is stretched out and hard, the face is ill coloured.

If from the Liver, that is stretched forth.

If in the Mesentery vessels, &c, there are winds, noyses, and hard nesse.

If in the stomach, concoction is hurt.

If from the womb, there is a noise of the womb, and the Courses are stop∣ped.

Prognosticks. The disease is obstinate by reason of a contrary temper of the bowels and grosnesse of the hu∣mour.

The Emrods, Melancholick veins, the Courses do often cure it: also bleed∣ing of the left nostril, black urine.

Women are seldom troubled with it but never cured.

Thick urine is best.

The Cure. The first Indication is,

that the humours must be evacuated by gentle moistures and coolers, by open∣ing the Emrods, by vomit, by diureticks. If this be fruitlesse, we must respect two things, 1. Steel, which is the best for all obstructions and melancholick disea∣ses, by reason of the brimstone it a∣bounds with: wherefore we must see to it, that it be not over calcined; for so it will rather bind, the brimstony part being taken away: the filings of steel or prepared steel is given, which is done, if the filings be steeped in vine∣gar, dried, and powdered: or else the crocus, or tincture, or wine, or oxymel, or syrup, or electuary, or roles of steel. The dosein substance, for middle age is 1 scruple, or not under 2 scruples, nor above 1 dram and half be administred. It is given best in the Spring and Fall; for in Summer the hear, in the Winter the cold hinders. Let it be taken fast∣ing, and after that, let the Patient walk one hour or two; if the party be weak, walking may be omitted. Let him dine four hours after. At first let it be gi∣ven every third day, and afterward e∣very day. Some the first days cast it off

again: but sometimes it is conveni∣ently given to 30 days. We must see that the steel passe thorough the Belly, which is known by the black Excre∣ments; and if it come not so, every 4. day we must purge with pills, or Cly∣sters. After the tenth day, purge gently, and abstain two days from the use of it. That it may descend the sooner, you may add purgations to it & correctors, & give it in pills, 2. The Patient may go to the sharp waters and hot baths, they that drink of them purge forth black excrements by reason of the vitrials. The sowre waters called Swalbacenses, Griesbachienses, Egranae, the hot Baths of Baden, Carolius. Also medicaments made of Tartar.

2. The weak parts must be corrected and strengthned by internal and topi∣cal means: so a cold stomack by inward heats, a hot liver by topicals, or by coo∣ling Clysters, or give the pulp of the citron with the shell for so it will long∣er stay in the stomack, or whole grains of pepper. Or to a man that is long fasting give some Cooler, which will presently go to the Liver, especially if

he do not exercise moderately, or give such heats that are below the heat of the Liver, and which for that do not increase its distemper, as Egrimony Fumitory, Succory. So the stomach be∣ing strengthned, you may safely give cool things that concern the Liver; or give such things to drink, the mixture whereof is not discovered by a new and first concoction, but by the second and third, as Spirit of Vitriol.

If it come from the Courses stopt, a vein must be opened.