OF THE FALSE MENSES, OR WHITES.
From the womb proceed not only menstruous blood, but a distillation of a
variety of corrupt humours through the womb, keeping neither courses nor
colour, but varying in both.
_Cause._—The cause is either promiscuously in the whole body, by a
cocochymia, or weakness of the same, or in some of the parts, as in the
liver, which causeth a generation of corrupt blood, and then the matter
is reddish; sometimes the gall being sluggish in its office, not drawing
away those choleric superfluities engendered in the liver, the matter is
yellowish; sometimes in the spleen, not deficiating and cleansing the
blood of the excrementitious parts. It may also come from the catarrh in
the head, or from any other corrupt member; but if the matter of the
flux be white, the cause is in the stomach by a crude matter there, and
vitiated through grief and melancholy, for, otherwise, if the matter
were only pituitous, crude phlegm, it might be converted into blood; for
phlegm in the ventrical is called nourishment half digested; but being
corrupt, though sent into the liver, yet it cannot be turned into
nutriment; for the second decoction cannot correct that which the first
hath corrupted; and therefore the liver sends it to the womb, which can
neither digest nor repel it, and so it is voided out with the same
colour it had in the ventricle. The cause also may be in the reins being
over-heated, whereby the spermatical causes may be moistness of air,
eating of corrupt meats, anger, grief, slothfulness, immoderate
sleeping, costiveness.
The signs are, extenuation of the body, shortness and stinking of the
breath, loathing of meat, pain in the head, swelling of the eyes and
feet, and melancholy: humidity from the womb of divers colours, as red,
black, green, yellow, and white. It differs from the menses, in that it
keeps no certain period, and is of many colours, all of which generate
from blood.
_Prognostics._—If the flux be phlegmatical, it will continue long and be
difficult to cure, yet if vomiting or diarrhœa happeneth, it diverts the
humour and cures the disease. If it be choleric, it is not so permanent,
yet more perilous, for it will cause a cliff in the neck of the womb,
and sometimes make an excoriation of the matrix; if melancholic, it must
be dangerous and contumacious. Yet the flux of the hemorrhoids
administer cure.
If the matter flowing forth be reddish, open a vein in the arm; if not,
apply ligatures to the arms and shoulders. Galen cured the wife of
Brutus, by rubbing the upper part with crude honey.
If it be caused by a distillation from the brain, take syrup of betony,
and marjoram; with sugar and betony water make lozenges, to be taken
every morning and evening; Auri Alexandria, half a drachm at night going
to bed. If these things help not, use the suffumigation and plaster, as
they are prescribed.
If the flux be melancholic, prepare with syrup of maiden-hair, borage,
buglos. Purges for melancholy are stamped prunes, two oz.; senna, one
drachm; fumitory, a drachm; sour dates, one ounce; with endive water,
make a decoction; take of it four ounces, add unto it confections,
hamesech three drachms, manna three drachms. Take conserves of borage,
violets, buglos, of each a drachm; citron peel candied one drachm;
sugar, seven ounces; with rose-water make lozenges.
Lastly, let the womb be cleansed from the corrupt matter. Make
injections of the decoction of betony, feverfew, spikenard, bistort,
mercury, and sage, adding thereto sugar, oil of sweet almonds, of each
two ounces; pessaries also may be made of silk or cotton, mollified in
the juice of the aforesaid herbs.
A dry diet is commended as the best, because in this effect the body
most commonly abounds with phlegmatical and crude humours. For this
cause Hippocrates counsels the patient to go to bed supperless. Let her
meat be partridge, pheasant, and mountain birds, rather roasted than
boiled. Immoderate sleep is forbidden, moderate exercise is commended.