Philosophical Letters: or, modest Reflections upon some Opinions in Natural PhilosophyNewcastle, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of
Philosophy
Philosophical Letters: or, modest Reflections upon some Opinions in Natural Philosophy
Newcastle, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of
Newcastle, William Cavendish, Duke of, 1592-1676; Philosophy
I find your _Author_ to be as great an enemy to Issues, Cauteries,
Clysters, and the like, as he is to Blood-letting and Purging;
especially to Issues, which he counts to be blasphemous against
the Creator, and blames much the Schools for prescribing them. But
concerning Blood-letting and Purging, I have declared my opinion in
my former Letters; and if you desire my judgment of Clysters and
Issues, I must needs tell you, that it is well known these many ages,
that in such diseases which lie in the guts, and cause pain in the
head, and stop the ureteres, Clysters have been very beneficial, but
wise Physicians do not prescribe them, unless upon necessity: As for
example; if the disease in the Guts proceed from cold or wind, they
prescribe a Sack-Clyster, with oyl of Walnuts; and if the disease in
the guts proceed from a sharp or bitter humor, then they prescribe
Milk, or Posset, sweetned with Sugar: the same if the guts be too
full of excrements or slime. But in case of diseases in the head or
stomack, they prescribe attractive Clysters, to wit, such as draw down
from the upper into the lower parts, wherein the Physical drugs are;
and if the guts be too dry, or dryer then their nature requires,
they prescribe moistening Clysters, such as have not onely wetting,
but slimy qualities. And surely Clysters properly and timely applyed,
are a safe, speedy, easie and profitable medicine, and far more safe
then Chymical Salts, Tartars, Spirits, or the like. Next concerning
Issues and Cauteries, your _Author_, I say, is so much against them,
as he counts them a blasphemy; for says he,[1] _I have beheld always
an implicite blasphemy in a Cautery, whereby they openly accuse the
Creator of insufficiency in framing the emunctories; for I have bidden
above a thousand Issues to be filled up with flesh._ Also, _That which
God hath made whole and entire, that it might be very good, seems to
the Schools, that it should be better if it be kept wounded._ Truly,
_Madam_, in my opinion, it is no blasphemy at all, neither directly
nor indirectly, to make Issues, but a meer superstition to believe the
contrary, _viz._ that they are blasphemy, and a great folly not to make
them when need requires it to the preservation of ones health. _God has
made our body whole and intire_, says your _Author_: by which he will
prove that no holes must be made in the body to let out excrementious
matter, and therefore he thinks that body to be whole and intire which
is without an Issue, when as yet our bodies have numerous issues,
which are the pores of the skin, to let out sweat; and therefore if
he counts that body not to be whole and intire that has Issues, then
no humane body is intire. Certainly, no Artificial Issue will make
the body maimed, but it will nevertheless continue whole and intire
although it has Issues. He says it is Blasphemy; But how will he prove
it? Surely not by the Scripture; and if not by the Scripture, then it
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