_The false Courses, or Whites._
From the womb, not only the menstruous blood proceeds, but many
evacuations, which were summed up by the ancients under the title of
_rhoos gunaikeios_,[6] which is the distillation of a variety of corrupt
humours through the womb, which flow from the whole body or a part of
it, varying both in courses and colour.
CAUSE.
The cause is either promiscuously in the whole body, by a cacochymia; or
weakness of it, or in some of its parts, as in the liver, which by a
weakness of the blood producing powers, cause a production of corrupt
blood, which then is reddish. Sometimes, when the fall is sluggish in
its action, and does not get rid of those superfluities engendered in
the liver, the matter is yellowish. Sometimes it is in the spleen when
it does not cleanse the blood of the dregs and rejected particles, and
then the matter which flows forth is blackish. It may also come from a
cold in the head, or from any other decayed or corrupted member, but if
the discharge be white, the cause lies either in the stomach or loins.
In the stomach, by some crude substance there, and vitiated by grief,
melancholy or some other mental disturbance; for otherwise, if the
matter were only crude phlegm and noways corrupt, being taken into the
liver it might be converted into the blood; for phlegm in the ventricle
is called nourishment half digested; but being corrupt, though sent into
the liver it cannot be turned into nutriment, for the second decoction
in the stomach cannot correct that which the first corrupted; and
therefore the liver sends it to the womb, which can neither digest nor
reject it, and so it is voided out with the same colour which it had in
the ventricle. The cause may also be in the veins being overheated
whereby the spermatical matter flows out because of its thinness. The
external causes may be moistness of the air, eating bad food, anger,
grief, sloth, too much sleep, costiveness.
The signs are bodily disturbances, shortness of breathing, and foul
breath, a distaste for food, swollen eyes and feet, and low spirits;
discharges of different colours, as red, black, green, yellow and white
from the womb. It differs from the flowing of the courses and from too
abundant menstruation, in so far as it keeps no certain period, and is
of many colours, all of which spring from blood.
If the flux be phlegmatic, it will last long and be hard to cure, but if
sickness or diarrhoea supervene, it carries off the humour and cures the
disease. If it is abundant it does not last so long, but it is more
dangerous, for it will cause a cleft in the neck of the womb, and
sometimes also an excoriation of the matrix; if melancholy, it must be
dangerous and obstinate. The flux of the haemorrhoids, however, assists
the cure.
If the matter which flows out be reddish, open a vein in the arm; if
not, apply ligatures to the arms and shoulders. Galen boasts that he
cured the wife of Brutus, who was suffering from this disease, by
rubbing the upper part with honey.
If it is caused by the brain, take syrup of betony and marjoram. Give as
a purgative _Pill. coch._ or _Agaric_; make nasalia of sage, or hyssop
juice, betony, flagella, with one drop of oil of _Elect. Dianth. Rosat.
Diambrae, diamosci dulus_, one drachm of each, and make lozenges to be
taken every morning and evening. _Auri Alexandrina_, half a drachm at
night on going to bed. If these things have no effect, try suffumigation
and plasters, as they are prescribed above.
If it arises from crudities of the stomach or from a cold, disordered
liver, take a decoction of _lignum sanctum_ every morning, purge with
_pill de agaric, de hermadact, de hiera, diacolinthis, foetid-agrigatio_;
take two drachms of elect. aromet-roses, one scruple each of dried
citron peel, nutmeg, long pepper; one drachm of draglanga; half a
scruple each of _fantalum album_, ling, aloes; six ounces of sugar, with
mint water: make lozenges of it, and take them before meals. If there be
repletion besides the rigidity of the liver, purging by means of an
emetic is to be recommended, for which take three drachms of the
electuary diasatu. Galen allows diuretical remedies, such as _aqua
petrofolma_.
If the discharge be angry, treat it with syrup of roses, violets, endive
and succory; give a purge of mirabolans, manna, rhubarb, and cassia.
Take two drachms of rhubarb, one of aniseed, and one scruple and a half
of cinnamon; infuse them into six ounces of syrup of prunes, and add one
ounce of strained manna, and take it in the morning as required. Take
one drachm each of the following drugs: _diatonlanton, diacorant,
diarthod, abbaris, dyacydomei_, four ounces of sugar, and make into
lozenges with plantain water. If the gall be sluggish, and does not stir
the bowels, give warm injections of a decoction of the four mollifying
herbs, with honey of roses and aloes.
If the flow be bilious, treat the patient with syrup of maiden-hair;
epithynium, polypody, borage, buglos, fumitary, hart's tongue and
syrups, bisantius, which must be made without vinegar, else it will
assist the disease instead of nature, for melancholy is increased by the
use of vinegar, and both Hippocrates, Silvius and Avenzoar reject it as
injurious for the womb, and therefore not to be used internally in
uterine diseases. _Pilulae sumariae, pilulae lud. delupina, lazuli
diosena_ and _confetio hamec_ are purges of bile. Take two ounces of
pounded prunes, one drachm of senna, a drachm and a half each of
epithimium, polypody and fumitary, and an ounce of sour dates, and make
a decoction with endive water; take four ounces of it and add three
drachms of hamesech and three of manna. Or take a scruple each of _pil.
indic. foetid, agarici, trochis ati_; one scruple of rhubarb pills, six
grains of lapis lazuli, make into pills with epithimium, and take them
once a week. Take three drachms of elect. loetificans. Galen three
drachms, a drachm each of _diamargaritum, calimi, diamosci dulus_; a
drachm of conserve of borage, violets and burglos; one drachm of candied
citron peel, seven ounces of sugar, and make into lozenges with rose
water.
Lastly let the womb be cleansed of all corrupt matter, and then be
strengthened. In order to purify it, make injections of the decoction of
betony, feverfew, spikenard, bismust, mercury and sage, and add two
ounces each of sugar and sweet almond oil; pessaries may also be made of
silk or cotton, softened in the juice of the above mentioned herbs.
You must prepare trochisks, thus, to strengthen the womb. Take one ounce
each of mugwort, feverfew, myrrh, amber, mace, storax, ling aloes and
red roses, and make lozenges or troches with mucilage of tragacanth;
throw one of them on to hot coals and fumigate the womb with red wine,
in which mastic, fine bole, malustia and red roots have been decocted;
anoint the matrix with oil of quinces and myrtles, and apply a plaster
to it, for the womb; and let the woman take _diamosdum dulco_, _aract_,
and _slemoticum_ every morning.
A drying diet is recommended as best, because in these cases the body
abounds with phlegmatic and crude humours. On this account, Hippocrates
advises the patient to go to bed supperless. Her food should consist of
partridges, pheasant and grouse, roasted rather than boiled, too much
sleep must be prohibited whilst moderate exercise is very advisable.
FOOTNOTES:
[6] The female flowing.
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