Aristotle's works:: Containing the Master-piece, Directions for Midwives, and Counsel and Advice to Child-bearing Women with Various Useful Remedies — Aristotle — John Shaqi
Aristotle's works:: Containing the Master-piece, Directions for Midwives, and Counsel and Advice to Child-bearing Women with Various Useful Remedies
Aristotle · en
pears, and green cheese; but let the summer fruits be avoided; and let
her wine be astringent and red.
CHAPTER II.
OF DISEASES RELATING TO WOMEN’S MONTHLY TERMS.
SECT. I. _Of Women’s Monthly Terms in General._
That divine Providence, which with a wisdom peculiar to itself has
appointed woman to conceive, and to bear and bring forth children, has
provided for the nourishment of children during their recess in the womb
of their mother, by that redundancy of the blood which is natural to all
women; and which, flowing out at certain periods of time (when they are
not pregnant), are from thence called _terms_ and _menses_, from their
monthly flux of excrementitious and unprofitable blood. Now, that the
matter flowing forth is excrementitious, is to be understood only with
respect to the redundancy and overplus thereof, being an excrement only
with respect to its quality; for as to its quality, it is as pure and
incorrupt as any blood in the veins; and this appears from the final
cause of it, which is the propagation and conservation of mankind; and
also, from the generation of it, being the superfluity of the last
aliment of the fleshy parts. If any ask, if the menses be not of a
hurtful quality, how can they cause such venomous effects? If they fall
upon trees and herbs, they make one barren and mortify the other. I
answer, this malignity is contracted in the womb; for the woman wanting
native heat to digest the superfluity, sends it to the matrix, where
seating itself till the mouth of the womb be dilated, it becomes corrupt
and mortified; which may easily be, considering the heat and moistness
of the place; and so this blood being out of its proper vessels, offends
in quality.
SECT. II. _Of Terms coming out of order, either before or after the
usual Time._
Having, in the former part of this work, treated of the suppression and
overflow of the monthly terms, I shall content myself with referring the
reader thereto, and proceed to speak of their coming out of order,
either before or after the usual time.
Both these proceed from an ill constitution of body. Every thing is
beautiful in its order, in nature, as well as in mortality; and if the
order of nature be broke it shows the body to be out of order. Of each
of these effects briefly.