Your Author reproving the Schools, that they forbid Salt to some diseased persons, as pernicious to their health: Good God, says he,[1] how unsavoury are the Schools, and how unsavoury do they bid us to be! But I suppose the Schools do not absolutely forbid all diseased persons to abstein from salt, but onely not to use it excessively, or too frequently; for experience proves, that salt meats have not onely increased, but caused diseases, as the Stone, the Gout, Sciatica, Fistula's, Cancers, sore Eyes, sore Throats, and the like: I do not say, that those diseases are always bred with the excess of salt diets; for diseases of one and the same kind, may be bred variously; but this hath been observed, that whosoever is affected with such diseases, shall after a salt meal find himself in more pain then before; wherefore a constant or common salt diet cannot but be hurtful. Neither are those persons that feed much on salt meats, or use strong drinks, take number for number, so healthful or long-lived, as those that are temperate and abstaining. Next, your Author[2] bewails The shameful simplicity of those, that give their Patients Leaf-Gold, Pearls, and bruised or powder'd pretious Stones, as Cordials, in fainting fits, and other distempers: For, says he, they may be dissolved, but not altered; wherefore they cannot produce any powerful effect to the health of the Patient. Truly, Madam, I am not of his mind; for were it that those remedies or cordials could not be transchanged, yet their vertues may nevertheless be very beneficial to the sick: For example; a man that is assaulted by enemies, or by chance is fallen into a deep Pit, or is ready to be strangled, and in all not able to help himself, yet by the help of another man, may be rescued and freed from his danger, and from death, using such means as are able to release him, which either by drawing his Sword against his enemies, or by throwing a rope down into the Pit, and haling him out, or by cutting the rope by which he hung, may save him, and yet neither the man, nor any of his Instruments, as Sword, Rope, Knife, and the like, need to be transchanged. The like may be said of the aforementioned medicines or remedies; which if they be not transchangeable, yet they may nevertheless do such operations, as by their natural active qualities and proprieties to over-power the irregular motions in the natural parts of the body of the Patient; for many diseases proceed more from irregular motions then irregular parts: and although there is no motion without matter, yet one and the same matter may have divers and various changes of motions, and moving parts will either oppose or assist each other without transchanging. And truly, Madam, I wonder that your Author doth condemn such Cordials made of Leaf-gold, Pearls, powdered precious Stones, or the like, and yet verily believe, that Amber, Saphires, Emeraulds, Beads, Bracelets, &c. outwardly applied or worn, can cure more then when inwardly taken; surely, if this be so, they cure more by Faith, then by Reason. But it seems your Author regulates the actions of Nature to the artificial actions of his Furnace, which although sometimes they produce wonderful effects, yet not such as Nature doth; for if they cure one, they commonly kill ten; nay, the best of their Medicine is so dangerous, as it ought not to be applied but in desperate cases: Wherefore Wise Physicians must needs be Provident and Cautious when they use them. And so leaving them, I rest,
Madam,
Your faithful Friend
and humble Servant.
[1] Of the disease of the Stone, c. 3.
[2] Ch. Of the reason or consideration of diet.
[XXXIX.]
MADAM,
I will not dispute your Authors opinion concerning the Plague of Men, which he says,[1] doth not infect Beasts, neither doth the plague of Beasts infect Men; but rather believe it to be so: for I have observed that Beasts infect onely each other, to wit, those of their own kind, as Men do infect other Men. For example: the Plague amongst Horses continues in their own kind, and so doth the Plague amongst Sheep; and for any thing we know, there may be a plague amongst Vegetables, as well as amongst Animals, and they may not onely infect each other but also those Animals that do feed on those infectious Vegetables: so that Infections may be caused several ways; either by inbreathing and attracting or sucking in the Poyson of the Plague, or by eating and converting it into the substance of the body; for some kinds of poyson are so powerful, as to work onely by way of inbreathing. Also some sorts of Air may be full of infection, and infect many Men, Beasts, Birds, Vegetables, and the like; for Infections are variously produced, Internally as well as Externally, amongst several particular Creatures; for as the Plague may be made internally, or within the body of a particular Creature, without any exterior infection entring from without into the body, so an external Infection again may enter many several ways into the body. And thus there be many contagious diseases caused meerly by the internal motions of the body, as by fright, terror, conceit, fancy, imagination, and the like, and many by the taking of poysonous matter from without into the body; but all are made by the natural motions or actions of animate matter, by which all is made that is in Nature, and nothing is new, as Solomon says; but what is thought or seems to be new, is onely the variation of the Motions of this old Matter, which is Nature. And this is the reason that not every Age, Nation, or Creature, has always the like diseases; for as all the actions of Nature vary, so also do diseases. But to speak of the Plague, although I am of opinion, that the Plague of Beasts doth not infect Men, unless they be eaten; nor the plague of Men, Beasts; yet Magistrates do wisely in some places, that in the beginning of the plague of Men, they command Dogs and Cats to be kill'd, by reason, as your Author saith, The skins and flesh of Brutes may be defiled with our Plague, and they may be pestiferous contagions unto us. I will add one thing more, which doth concern the Poyson of Measels, whereof your Author is saying,[2] That it is onely proper to humane kind. What kind of Measles he means, I know not; but certainly Hogs are often affected with that disease, as is vulgarly known; but whether they be different diseases in their kinds, and proceed from different motions, I will let others inquire. And so I rest,