Their use is various, viz

Use 1. That the bowels may be disburdened of corrupt humours. 2. Outwardly used, by them the offending humour (I should have said the peccant humour, had I written only to scholars,) is called from the internal parts of the body to the super fices. 3. By them the crisis of a disease is much helped forward. 4. They are exceedingly profitable to draw forth poison out of the body. 5. Parts of the body over cooled are cured by these medicines, viz. by applying them outwardly to the place, not only because they heat, but also because they draw the spirits by which life and heat are cherished, to the part of the body which is destitute of them: you cannot but know that many times parts of the body fall away in flesh, and their strength decays, as in some persons arms or legs, or the like, the usual reason is, because the vital spirit decays in those parts, to which use such plaisters or ointments as are attractive (which is the physical term for drawing medicines) for they do not only cherish the parts by their own proper heat, but draw the vital and natural spirits thither, whereby they are both quickened and nourished. They are known almost by the same tokens that attenuating medicines are, seeing heat; and thinne of parts is in them both, they differ only in respect of quantity, thinne of parts being most proper to attenuating medicines, but attractive medicines are hotter. IMG:8489675269526074943_lines.jpg:decorative lines **CHAPTER V. Of discu ive Medicines** The nature of discu ing (or sweating) medicines is almost the same with attractive, for there are no discu ive medicines but are attractive, nor scarce any attractive medicine but is in some measure or other discu ing. The difference then is only this; that discu ive medicines are hotter than attractive, and therefore nothing else need be written of their nature. Use. Their use may be known even from their very name; for diseases that come by repletion or fulne , are cured by evacuation or emptying; yet neither blood nor gro humours are to be expelled by sweating, or insensible transpiration (as they call it) but the one requires blood-letting, the other purgation, but scrosus or thin humours and filthy vapours, and such like superfluities, are to be expelled by sweat, and be wary in this too, for many of them work violently, and violent medicines are not rashly to be given. Caution 2. Besides, swellings are sometimes made so hard by sweating medicines, that afterwards they can never be cured; for what is thin being by such medicines taken away, nothing but what is perfectly hard remains: If you fear such a thing, mix emolients with them. Caut. 3. Again, sometimes by using discu ives, the humours offending (which physicians usually call the peccant humours ) is driven to some more noble part of the body, or else it draws more than it discu eth; in such cases, concoct and attenuate the matter offending before you go about to discu it. From hence may easily be gathered at what time of the disease discu ive medicines are to be used, viz. about the declining of the disease, although in diseases arising from heat of blood, we sometimes use them in the encrease and state of them. They are known by the same marks and tokens attenuating medicines are, viz. by their burning and biting quality, they being very hot, and of thin parts, void of any biting quality, therefore they contract not the tongue in tasting of them. IMG:8489675269526074943_lines.jpg:decorative lines **CHAPTER VI. Of repelling Medicines** Repelling medicines are of contrary operation to these three last mentioned, viz. attenuating, drawing, and discu ive medicines: It is true, there is but little difference between these three, some hold none at all; and if you will be so nice, you may oppose them thus. And so medicines making thick, correspond to attenuating medicines, or such as make thin, repelling medicines are opposed to such as draw, and such as retain the humours and make them tough, are opposite to such as discu , some hold this nicene needle . 2. The sentence of authors about repulsive medicines is various. For seeing an influxion may be caused many ways, a repulsive hath got as many definitions. For such things as cool, bind, stop, and make thick, stay influxions, and therefore repulsives are by authors opposed, not only to attractives, but also to attenuating, and discu ing medicines. But properly such things are called repulsives, which do not only stay influxions, (for so do such medicines which stop and make thick) but such as drive the humours flowing to, or inherit in the place, to some other place. The truth is, binding is inherent to repulsives, so is not coldne nor making thick: Yet such as are binding, cold and thin in operation, are most effectual. Your taste will find repulsives to be, tart, or sharp, or austere, with a certain binding which contracts the tongue. Use 1. Their use is manifold, as in hot tumours, head-aches, or the like. Use 2. By these in fevers are the vapours driven from the head, Vinegar of Roses is notable. Time of giving. They are most commodious in the beginning and encrease of a disease, for then influxions most prevail. But seeing that in the cure of tumours there are two scopes, 1. That that which flows to it may be repelled. 2. That that which is already in it may be discu ed; repulsives are most commodiously used in the beginning, discu ives in the latter end. In the middle you may mix them, with this proviso, that repulsives exceed in the beginning, discu ives in the latter end. Caution 1. If the matter offending be of a venomous quality, either abstain from repulsives altogether, or use purging first, lest the matter fly to the bowels and prove dangerous, especially if the bowels be weak. 2. Also forbear repulsives, if the pain be great. 3. Lastly, Have a care lest by repulsives you contract the pores so much, that the matter cannot be removed by discu ives. IMG:8489675269526074943_lines.jpg:decorative lines **CHAPTER VII. Of cleansing Medicines** Cleansing medicines can neither be defined by heat, nor coldne , because some of both sorts cleanse. A cleansing medicine, then, is of a terrene quality, which takes away the filth with it, and carries it out. Definition. ] Here, to avoid confusion, a difference must be made between washing and cleansing. A thing which washeth, carries away by fluxion, as a man washeth the dirt off from a thing. A cleansing medicine by a certain roughne or nitrous quality, carries away the compacted filth with it. This also is the difference between cleansing and discu ing medicines, the one makes thick humours thin, and so scatters them, but a cleansing medicine takes the most tenacious humour along with it, without any alteration. Besides, of cleansing medicines, some are of a gentler nature, some are more vehement. These are not known one and the same way; for some are sweet, some salt, and some bitter. The use of cleansing is external, as the use of purges are internal. They are used to cleanse the sanies and other filth of ulcers, yea, and to consume and eat away the flesh itself, as burnt Alum, precipitate , . When these must be used, not only the effects of the ulcers, but also the temperature of the body will tell you. For if you see either a disease of fulne , which our physicians call [ Plethora ] or corrupted humours which they call [ Cacochyma ] you must empty the body of these, viz. fulne by bleeding, and corrupt humours, or evil state of the body, by purging before you use cleansing medicines to the ulcer, else your cure will never proceed prosperously. IMG:8489675269526074943_lines.jpg:decorative lines **CHAPTER VIII. Of Emplasters** By Emplasters, here, I do mean things glut i native, and they are quite contrary to things cleansing. They are of a far more glutinous and tenacious substance. They differ from things stopping because they do not stop the pores so much, as stick to them like Birdlime. They have a certain glutinous heat, tempered both with coldne and moisture. From these plasters take their names. Their taste is either none at all, or not discernable whether hot or cold, but fat, insipid, or without taste, or sweet, and viscous in feeling. Their use is to stop flowing of blood, and other fluxes, to cause suppuration, to continue the heat, that so tumours may be ripened. Also they are mixed with other medicines, that they may the better be brought into the form of an emplaster, and may stick the better to the members. IMG:8489675269526074943_lines.jpg:decorative lines **CHAPTER IX. Of suppuring Medicines** These have a great affinity with emolients, like to them in temperature, only emolients are somewhat hotter. Yet is there a difference as apparent as the sun when he is upon the meridian, and the use is manifest. For, Emolients are to make hard things soft, but what suppures, rather makes a generation than an alteration of the humour. Natural heat is the efficient cause of suppuration, neither can it be done by any external means. Therefore such things are said to suppure, which by a gentle heat cherish the inbred heat of man. This is done by such medicines which are not only temperate in heat, but also by a gentle viscosity, fill up or stop the pores, that so the heat of the part affected be not scattered. For although such things as bind hinder the di ipation of the spirits, and internal heat, yet they retain not the moisture as suppuring medicines properly and especially do. The heat then of suppuring medicines is like the internal heat of our bodies. As things then very hot, are ingrateful either by biting, as Pepper, or bitterne : in suppuring medicines, no biting, no binding, no nitrous quality is perceived by the taste, (I shall give you better satisfaction both in this and others, by and by.) For reason will tell a man, that such things hinder rather than help the work of nature in maturation. Yet it follows not from hence, that all suppuring medicines are grateful to the taste, for many things grateful to the taste provokes vomiting, therefore why may not the contrary be? The most frequent use of suppuration is, to ripen Phlegmonæ , a general term physicians give to all swellings proceeding of blood, because nature is very apt to help such cures, and physic is an art to help, not to hinder nature. The time of use is usually in the height of the disease, when the flux is stayed, as also to ripen matter that it may be the easier purged away. IMG:8489675269526074943_lines.jpg:decorative lines **CHAPTER X. Of Medicines provoking urine** The causes by which urine is suppre ed are many. 1. By too much drying, or sweating, it may be consumed. 2. By heat or inflammation of the reins, or pa ages whereby it pa es from the reins, it may be stopped by compre ion. Urine is the thinnest part of blood, separated from the thickest part in the reins. If then the blood be more thick and viscous than ordinary, it cannot easily be separated without cutting and cleansing medicines. This is for certain, that blood can neither be separated nor distributed without heat. Yet amongst diureticks are some cold things, as the four greater cold seeds, Winter-cherries, and the like. Although this seem a wonder, yet it may be, and doth stand with truth. For cool diureticks, though they further not the separation of the blood one jot, yet they cleanse and purge the pa ages of the urine. Diureticks then are of two sorts: 1. Such as conduce to the separation of the blood. 2. Such as open the urinal pa ages. The former are biting (and are known by their taste) very hot and cutting, whence they penetrate to the reins, and cut the gro humours there. Bitter things, although they be very hot, and cut gro humours, yet are they of a more dry and terrene substance than is convenient to provoke urine. Hence then we may safely gather, that bitter things are not so moist nor penetrating, as such as bite like Pepper. IMG:8489675269526074943_lines.jpg:decorative lines **CHAPTER XI. Of Medicines breeding flesh** There are many things diligently to be observed in the cures of wounds and ulcers, which incur and hinder that the cure cannot be speedily done, nor the separated parts reduced to their natural state. Viz. Fluxes of blood, inflammation, hardne , pain, and other things besides our present scope. Our present scope is, to shew how the cavity of ulcers may be filled with flesh. Such medicines are called Sarcoticks . This, though it be the work of nature, yet it is helped forward with medicines, that the blood may be prepared, that it may the easier be turned into flesh. These are not medicines which breed good blood, nor which correct the in temperature of the place afflicted, but which defend the blood and the ulcer itself from corruption in breeding flesh. For nature in breeding flesh produceth two sorts of excrements, viz. scrosus humours, and purulent dro . Those medicines then which cleanse and consume, these by drying are said to breed flesh, because by their helps nature performs that office. Also take notice that these medicines are not so drying that they should consume the blood also as well as the sanies, nor so cleansing that they should consume the flesh with the dro . Let them not then exceed the first degree unle the ulcer be very moist. Their difference are various, according to the part wounded, which ought to be restored with the same flesh. The softer then, and tenderer the place is, the gentler let the medicines be. IMG:8489675269526074943_lines.jpg:decorative lines **CHAPTER XII. Of glut i native Medicines** That is the true cure of an ulcer which joins the mouth of it together. That is a glut i native medicine, which couples together by drying and binding, the sides of an ulcer before brought together. These require a greater drying faculty than the former, not only to consume what flows out, but what remains liquid in the flesh, for liquid flesh is more subject to flow abroad than stick to together. The time of using them, any body may know without teaching, viz. when the ulcer is cleansed and filled with flesh, and such symptoms as hinder are taken away. For many times ulcers must be kept open that the sanies, or fords that lie in them may be purged out, whereas of themselves they would heal before. Only beware, lest by too much binding you cause pain in tender parts. IMG:8489675269526074943_lines.jpg:decorative lines **CHAPTER XIII. Of Medicines resisting poison** Such medicines are called Alexiteria , and Alexipharmaca , which resist poison. Some of these resist poison by astral influence, and some physicians (though but few) can give a reason for it. These they have sorted into three ranks: 1. Such as strengthen nature, that so it may tame the poison the easier. 2. Such as oppose the poison by a contrary quality. 3. Such as violently thrust it out of doors. Such as strengthen nature against poison, either do it to the body universally, or else strengthen some particular part thereof. For many times one particular part of the body is most afflicted by the poison, suppose the stomach, liver, brain, or any other part: such as cherish and strengthen those parts, being weakened, may be said to resist poison. Such as strengthen the spirits, strengthen all the body. Sometimes poisons kill by their quality, and then are they to be corrected by their contraries. They which kill by cooling are to be remedied by heating, and the contrary; they which kill by corroding, are to be cured by lenitives, such as temper their acrimony. Those which kill by induration, or coagulation, require cutting medicines. Also because all poisons are in motion, neither stay they in one till they have seized and oppre ed the fountain of life, therefore they have invented another faculty to stay their motion, viz. terrene and emplastic. For they judge, if the poison light upon these medicines, they embrace them round with a viscous quality. Also they say the ways and pa ages are stopped by such means, to hinder their proceeding; take Terra Lemnia for one. Truly if these reasons be good, which I leave to future time to determine, it may be done for little cost. Some are of opinion that the safest way is to expel the poison out of the body, so soon as may be, and that is done by vomit, or purge, or sweat. You need not question the time, but do it as soon as may be; for there is no parlying with poison. Let vomiting be the first, purging the next, and sweating the last. This is general. But, If thou dost but observe the nature and motion of the venom, that will be thy best instructor. In the stomach it requires vomiting, in the blood and spirits, sweating, if the body be plethoric, bleeding, if full of evil humours, purging. Lastly, The cure being ended, strengthen the parts afflicted. IMG:8489675269526074943_lines.jpg:decorative lines **CHAPTER XIV. Of purging Medicines** Much jarring hath been amongst physicians about purging medicines, namely, whether they draw the humours to them by a hidden quality, which in plain English is, they know not how; or whether they perform their office by manifest quality, viz. by heat, dryne , coldne , or moisture: it is not my present scope to enter the lists of a dispute about the busine , neither seem it such an hidden thing to me that every like should draw its like, only to make the matter as plain as I can, I sub-divide this chapter into these following parts. 1. Cautions concerning purging. 2. Of the choice of purging medicines. 3. Of the time of taking them. 4. Of the correcting of them. 5. Of the manner of purging.