The Sweating Sickness: A boke or counseill against the disease commonly called the sweate or sweatyng sicknesse — John Shaqi
The Sweating Sickness: A boke or counseill against the disease commonly called the sweate or sweatyng sicknesseCaius, John
History
The Sweating Sickness: A boke or counseill against the disease commonly called the sweate or sweatyng sicknesse
Caius, John
Medicine -- Early works to 1800; Sweating-sickness -- Early works to 1800
As the cause in the fote cãnot trouble the flanke and leue
the knee (the mean betwixte) except there were a greater
consent and likenes of nature in sufferance (whiche we call
_sympathian_) betwixte those then thother. Nor fire refusynge
stones, canne burne hardes, strawe, stickes and charcole, oile,
waxe, fatte, and seacole, except these same first of al wer
apte, and by conuenient qualities disposed to be enflamed and
burned. Nor any man goeth about to burne water, because the
qualities thereof be contrary, and the body vndisposed to the
like of fire. By whiche reason it may also be perceiued, that
y^e venemouse qualitie of this corrupt aire is (20) [= (19)]
hote and moiste, for it redily enfectethe the lyke complexions,
and those nigh vnto theim, and the contrary not at all, or
hardly: & easely doth putrify, as doe the Southe wyndes.
Therfore next vnto those colde and drie cõplexions, olde men
escaped free, as like to theim by age: and children, as voide of
replecion consumed by their great hete, and therefore alwaies
redy to eate. But in this disease the subtile humour euill and
abundant in full bodies fedyng y^e spirites, is more to be noted
then the humour complexional, whiche notwithstanding, as an
helper or hinderer to y^e same, is not to be neglected. For els
it should be in all contries and persones indifferently, wher
all complexiones be. The thirde and laste reason is, y^t they
which had thys sweat sore with perille or death, were either men
of welthe, ease, & welfare, or of the poorer sorte such as wer
idle persones, good ale drinkers, and Tauerne haunters. For
these, by y^e great welfare of the one sorte, and large drinkyng
of thother, heped vp in their bodies moche euill matter: by
their ease and idlenes, coulde not waste and consume it.
A comfirmacion of this is, that the laborouse and thinne dieted
people, either had it not, because they dyd eate but litle to
make the matter: or with no greate grefe and danger, because
they laboured out moche thereof. Wherefore vpon small cause,
necessarily must folowe a smal effecte. All these reasones go to
this ende, that persones of all contries of moderate and good
diete, escape thys Englishe _Ephemera_, and those be onely vexed
therewith, whiche be of immoderate and euill diete. But why? for
the euill humores and corrupte aier alone? No, for thẽ the
pestilence and not the swet should rise. For what then? For y^e
impure spirites corrupte in theim selues and by the infectiue
aier. Why so? for that of impure and corrupte humores, whether
thei be blode or others, can rise none other then impure
spirites. (20) For euery thynge is suche as that whereof it
commeth. Now, that of the beste and fineste of the blode, yea in
corrupte bodies (whyche beste is nought) these spirites be
ingendred and fedde, I before expressed. Therfor who wyl haue
them pure and cleane, and him selfe free from sweat, muste kepe
a pure and cleane diete, and then he shalbe sure.
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