I. What Surgery is.
II. Of Surgical operations
III. Of things Natural.
IV. Of Elements.
V. Of Temperaments.
VI. Of Humors
VII. Of the Practice of the aforesaid rules of Temperaments.
VIII. Of the Faculties.
IX. Of the Actions.
X. Of the Spirits.
XI. Of the Adjuncts of things Natural.
XII. Of Things Not Natural.
XIII. Of the Aire.
XIIII. Of Meat and Drink
As Monsters sometimes happen in nature, so also in diseases, and in the events and cures of diseases. I understand by monsters certain marvelous successes in diseases, or certain ways of curing them, which swarve from arte, and happen besides reason, nature, and common use.
Alexander ab Alexandro and Peter Gilius tell, that in Apulia a part of Italy, they have a certain kind of spider very frequent, the natives call it Tarentula, Petrus Rhodius calls it Phalangium. The inhabitants finde these spiders in the first heat of summer so venenate and deadly, that whomsoever they touch with their virulent biting, he presently, without he have speedy remedy, deprived of all sense and motion falls down, or certainly if he escape the danger of death, he leades the remnant of his life in madness.
Experience hath found a remedy by musicke for this so speedy and deadly a disease; Wherefore as soon as they can, they fetch fiddlers and pipers of diverse kinds, who by playing and piping may make musicke, at the hearing whereof, he which has fallen down by reason of the venemous bite, rises cheerfully and dances so long to their measures and tunes, until by the painful and continued shaking and agitation of the whole body, all the malignity is dissipated by transpiration and sweates.
Alexander adds that it happened once in his sight, that the musicians, their wind and hands failing them, ceased playing. The dancer promptly fell down as if he had been dead; but by and by the musicke began anew, so he rise up again and continued his dancing til the perfect dissipation of the venome. And that it hath happened besides, that one not so perfectly healed, certaine reliques of the disease yet remaining, when a long time after he heard by chance a noise of musicians, he presently fell a leaping and dancing, neither could he be made to leave before he was perfectly cured.
Some affirme according to the opinion of Asclepiades, that such as are franticke are much helped with a sweet and musical harmony. Theophrastus and Aulus Gellius say that the pain of the gout and sciatica are taken away by the music. And the sacreds scripture testifies, that David was wont by the sweet sound of the harp to refresh and ease King Saul when he was miserably tormented by his evil spirit. Herodotus in Clio tells that Crafus the King of Lydia had a son, which of a long time could not speak, and when he came to mans estate was accounted dumb, but when an enemy with his drawn sword invaded his father (overcome in a great fight, and the city being take in which he was), not knowing that he was the king, the young man opened his mouth endeavoring to cry out, and with that striving and forcing of the spirit he broke the bonds and hinderances of his tongue, and spoke plainly and articulately, crying out to the enemy that he should not kill King Crafus. So both the enemy withheld his sword, and the king had his life, and his son had his speech always after.
Plutarch in his book, Of the benefit to be received from our enemies, tells that a thessalian called Proteus, had a certain inveterate and incurable ulcer in a certain part of his body, which could not be healed, before he received a wound in a conflict in the same place, and by that means the cure being begun afresh, the wound and ulcer were both healed.
Quintus Fabius Maximus, as Livye writes, was long and very sicke of a quartaine Ague, neither could have wished success from medicines administered according to arte, until skirmishing with the Allobroges he shaked off his old feaverish heate, by a new heat and ardent desire of fighting.
It was crediblely reported to me of late by a gentleman of the lord of Lansackes Chamber, that there was a French gentleman in Polonia who was greivously tormented with a quartaine Feaver, who on a time walking upon the banke of the River Wixell to take away the irkesomeness of his fit, was thrust in jeast into the River by a friend of his that met him by chance, by which (although hee could swim, as hee also knew that thrust him in) hee conceived so great feare, that the Quattaine never troubled him after.
King Henry the Second commanded me to goe from the Campe at Amiens to the City Dorlan, that I might cure those that were hurt in the conflict with the Spaniards, the Captaine S. Arbin although at that time he had a fit of a quartaine ague, yet would hee be present at the fight, in which being shott through the side of his neck with a Bullet, hee was strucken with such a terror of death, that the heate of the Feaver was asswaged by the cold feare, and he afterwards lived freed from his Ague.
Franciscus Valleriola the famous physician of Arles, tells that John Berlam, his fellow citizen troubled with a palsey of one side of his body for many years, his house taking fire, and the flame coming neere the bed in which he lay, he strucken with a great fear, suddenly raised himself with all the force he had, and presently recovering the strength of his body, leaps out at the window from the top of the house, and was presently cured of his disease, sense and motion being restored to the part, so that afterward he went upright without any sense of pain, who lay unmoveable for many years before. He tells the like in the same place of his cosen John Sobiratius; he was a long time lame at Auignion, by reason that the nerves of his hams were shrunk and drawn up so that he could not go; being moved with a vehement and suddain passion of anger against one of his servants whom he endevored to beate, hee so stirred his body that forthwith the nerves of his hams being distended, and his knees made plyant he began to go and stand upright without any sense of pain, when he had been crooked about the space of six years before, and all his life after he remained sound.
Galen tells he was once fetched to stanch the bleeding, for one who had an artery cut nere his ankle, and that by his means he was cured without any danger of an aneurism. A relaxation of a veinous vessel, and besides by that accidental wound he was freed from most greivous pain of his hip, with which he was tormented for four years before: but although this easing of the pain of the sciatica happened according to reason by the evacuation of the conjunct matter, by the artery of the anckle of the same side being opened; yet because it was not cut for this purpose, but happened only by chance, I judged it was not much dissenting from this argument.
Pliny writes that there was one named Phalereus, which casting up blood at his mouth, and at the length medicines nothing availing, being weary of his life, went unarmed in the front of the battell against the enemy, and there receiving a wound in his breast, shed a great quantity of blood, which gave an end to his spitting of blood, the wound being healed, and the vein which couuld not contain the blood being condensate.
At Paris Anno1 1572, in July, a certain gentleman being of a modest and courteous carriage fell into a continual feaver, and by that means became franticke, moved with the violence of which hee cast himselfe headlong out of a window two storyes high, and fell first upon the shoulder of Vaterra the Duke of Alenzons physition, and then upon the pavement; with which fall hee cruelly bruized his ribbs and hippe, but was restored to his former judgment and reason. There were present with the patient besides Valterra, witnesses of this accident these physitions, Alexis, Magnus, Duretus, and Martinus. The same happened in the like disease, and by the like chance to a certaine Gascoyne lying at the house of Agrippa in the paved streete.
Othomannus Doctor of physicke of Mompelier and the king’s professor, told me that a certain carpenter at Broquer a village in Switzerland, being franticke cast himself headlong out of a high window into a river, and being taken out of the water was presently restored to his understanding.
But if we may convert casualties into counsell and arte, I would not cast the Patient headlong out of a window. But would rather cast them sodainely and thinking of no such thing into a great cesterne filled with cold water, with their heads foremost, neither would I take them out untill they had drunke a good quantitie of water, that by that sodaine fall and strong feare, the matter causing the Frenzy might be carryed from above downewards, from the noble parts to the ignoble; the possibility of which is manifest by the forereceited examples, as also by the example of such as bit by a mad Dogge, fearing the water are often ducked into it to cure them.
Ere I determine to treat those Imposters, who taking upon them the person of a surgeon, doe by any meanes either right or wrong put themselves upon the workes of the Arte; but they principally boast themselves amongst the ignorant common sort, of setting bones which are out of joynt and broken, affirming as falsly as impudently that they have the knowledge of those things from their Ancestors; as by a certaine hereditary right; which is a most ridiculous fiction; for our mindes when we are borne, is as a smooth table, upon which nothing is painted. Otherwise what need wee take such labour and paines to acquire and exercise sciences? God hath endued all brute beasts with an inbred knowledge of certaine things necessary for to preserve their life, more than man.
But on the contrary hee hath enriched him with a wit furnished with incredible celerity and judgment, by whose diligent and laborious agitation he subjects all things to his knowledge. For it is no more likely, that any man should have skill in surgery because his father was a surgeon, than that one who never endured sweat, dust, nor Sunne in the field, should know how to ride and governe a great horse, and know how to carry away the credite in tilting, onely because hee was begot by a Gentleman and one famous in the Arte of Warre.
There is another sort of impostor farre more pernitious and lesse sufferable, boldy and insolently promising to restore to their proper unity and seate, bones which are broken and out of joint, by the only murmuring of some conceited charmes, so that they may but have the patients name and his girdle. In which thing I cannot sufficiently admire the idlenesse of our countrymen so easily crediting so great and pernitious an error. Not observing the inviolable law of the ancient physicians, and principally of divine Hippocrates, by which it is determined, that three things are necessary to the setting of bones dislocated and out of joint; to draw the bones asunder; to hold the bone receiving, firmly immoveable with a strong and steady hand; to put the bone to be received into the cavity of the receiving. For which purpose the diligence of the ancients hath invented so many engines, glossocomies and bands, lest that the hand should not be sufficient for that laborious worke; what therefore is the madnesse of such impostures to undertake to doe that by words, which can scarse be done by the strong hands of so many servants, and by many artificial engines?
Of late yeares another kind of imposture hath sprung up in Germany. They beate into fine powders a stone within there mother tongue they call Bembruch, and give it in drinke, to any who have a bone broken, or dislocated, and affirme that it is sufficient to cure them. Through the same Germany there wander other imposters who bid to bring to them the weapons with which any is hurt; they lay it up in a secret place and free from noise, and put and apply medicines to it, as if they had the patient to dresse, and in the meane time they suffer him to go about his business, and impudently affirme that the wound heales by litle and litle by reason of the medicine applyed to the weapon.
But it is not likely that a thing inanimate which is destitute of all manner of sence, should feele the effect of any medicine; and less probable by much, that the wounded party should receive any benefit from thence. Neither if any should let mee see the truth of such jugdling by the events themselves and my owne eyes, would I therefore beleeve that it were done naturally and by reason, but rather by charmes and magicke.
In the last assault of the castle of Hisdin, the lord of Martigues the elder was shot through the breast with a musket bullet. I had him in cure together with the physitions and surgeons of the emperor Charles the Fifth and Emanuel Philibert the Duke of Savoy, who because he entirely loved the wounded prisoner, caused an assembly of physitions and surgeons to consult of the best means for his cure. They all were of one opinion, that the wound was deadly and incurable, because it passed through the midst of his lungs and besides had cast forth a great quantity of knotted blood into the hollownesse of his breast.
There was found at that time a certain Spaniard, a notable Knave, and one of those imposters who would pawne his life, that he would make him sound; wherefore this honorable personage being in this desperate case was committed to his care. First of all hee bid they should give him the patient’s shirt, which hee tore into shreds and peeces, which presently framing into a crosse, hee laid upon the wounds whispering some conceived or coined words, with a low murmur. For all other things hee wished the patient to rest content, and to use what diet hee pleased, for he would doe that for him, which truely, he did. For he eat nothing but a few prunes, and drunke nothing but small beere, yet for all this the wounded prince died within two dayes; the Spaniard slipt away, and so scaped hanging. And whilest I opened the body in the sight of the physitions and surgeons to embalme him, the signes and accidents of the wound did evidently and plainely appeare to be as we had pronounced before.
And there be also other Jugling companions of this tribe, who promise to cure all wounds with linte, or tents either dry, or macerated in oyle, or water, and bound to the wound, having murmured over some charme or other, who have had sometimes, good success, as I can witnesse. But the wounds upon which triall was made more simple ones, which only required union, or closing for to perfect the cure. So verily the bones of beasts when they be broke, grow together by the only benefit of nature. But when the affect shall be compound by diversity of symptoms, as a wound with an ulcer, inflammation, contusion and fracture of a bone, you must hope for no other from tents or lints, nor charms than death. Therefore the common sort who commit themselves to these imposters to be cured, do not only injure themselves, but also hurt the commonwealth, and the common profit of the citizens; for whose good and justice take a prudent magistrate ought to deprive imposters of all freedom in a free and christian commonweale.
Witches, conjurers, diviners, soothsayers, magitians and such like, boast of curing many diseases; but if they doe or performe any thing in this kind, they doe it all by slights, subtilties, and forbidden arts, as charms, conjurations, witcheries, characters, knots, magical ligatures, rings, images, poysons, laces tyed acrosse, and other damnable trickes, with which they pollute, perfect and defame the prime and sacred art of physick and that with the danger of men’s lives. Who certainly are to be banished by the laws of our country, especially seeing it is decreed in Moses Law. Let none be found among you that useth witchcraft, or a regarder of times, or a marker of the flying of fowles, or a sorcerer or a charmer, or that counselleth with spirits, or a soothsayer, or that asketh counsell at the dead; for all that do such things, are abomination to the lord, and because of these abominations the lord thy god doth cast them out before thee.
But the miracles of our Lorde Jesus the son of God, and of his saints and apostles in curing diseases beyond nature and all arte, are of another kind, which we ought to believe so firmly and constantly, that it should be counted an impiety for a Christian to doubt of them. All holy writings are full of these; as to give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, power to go to those sick of the palsey, to drive forth devils, to cure the leprosy, to give fruitfulness to women, to raise the dead, and perform by the holy ghost other miracles which exceed the condition and law of nature; whom here we earnestly intreat to free and protect us from unclean Divels and the spirits of diabolical deceit, and to give us the minde that we may will and be able always to aspire to heaven and fasten the hope, safety and anchor of all our fortunes in God alone. Amen.