A Briefe Discovrse of a Disease called the Suffocation of the Mother

by Edward Jorden

Of the suffocation of
the Mother.

Cap. 1.

That this disease doth oftentimes giue occasion vnto simple and vnlearned people, to suspect possession, witchcraft, or some such like supernaturall cause.

The passiue condition of womankind is subiect vnto more diseases and of other[1] sortes and natures then men are: and especially in regarde of that part[2] from whence this disease which we speake of doth arise. For as it hath more varietie of[3] offices belonging vnto it then other partes of the bodie haue, and accordingly is supplied from other partes with whatsoeuer it hath need of for those vses: so it must needes thereby be subiect vnto mo infirmities then other parts are: both by reason of such as are bred in the part it selfe, and also by reason of such as are communicated vnto it from other parts, with which it hath correspondence. And as those offices in their proper kindes are more excellent then other; so the diseases whereby they are hurt or depraued, are more grieuous. But amongest all the diseases wherevnto that sex is obnoxious, there is none comparable vnto this which is called The Suffocation of the mother, either for varietie, or for strangenesse of accidents. For whatsoeuer straunge accident may appeare in any of the principall functions of mans bodie, either animall, vitall, or naturall, the same is to bee seene in this disease, by reason of the communitie and consent which this part hath with the braine, heart, and liuer, the principall seates of these three functions; Altomarus de medend. hum. corp. malis cap. 110. Barth. Montagnana Consilio. 226. and the easie passage which it hath vnto them by the Vaines, Arteries, and Nerues. And whatsoeuer humor in other partes may cause extraordinarie affects, by reason of the abundance or corruption of it, this part will affoord the like in as plentifull a manner, and in as high a degree of corruption: and with this aduauntage that whereas in the other, some one or two of the faculties onely one are hurt (as in Apoplexies, Epilepsyes, Syncopyes, subuersions of the stomacke, &c.) and not all (vnlesse as in Syncopyes by consent, where the vitall function ceasing, all the rest must needes cease) in this case all the faculties of the bodie doe suffer; Mercatus lib. 2. cap. 2. & 3. not as one may do from another, but all directly from this one fountaine, in such sort as you shall often tymes perceyue in one and the same person diuerse accidents of contrarie natures to concurre at once.

And hereupon the Symptoms of this disease are sayd to be monstrous and terrible to beholde, and of such a varietie as they can hardly be comprehended within any method or boundes. Valetius scoffing at their ignorance calleth this disease a kind of diuell. in Holler. cap. 59. Insomuch as they which are ignorant of the strange affects which naturall causes may produce, and of the manifold examples which our profession of Phisicke doth minister in this kind, haue sought aboue the Moone for supernaturall causes: ascribing these accidents either to diabolicall possession, to witchcraft, or to the immediate finger of the Almightie.

But it is no maruell though the common people and men also in other faculties verie excellent may bee deceyued by the rarenesse and straungenesse of these matters, which are hidden out of their Horizon amongest the deepest mysteries of our profession: Cosmocrit. li. 1 cap. 7. pag. 153 Inexperto medico sapè suspitionem ñuminis præb̃uerunt when as Phisitions themselues, as Cornelius Gemma testifieth. If they bee not verie wel exercised in the practise of their profession, are oftentimes deceyued, imagining such manifolde straunge accidents as their hee mencioneth to accompanie this disease, (as suffocation in the throate, croaking of Frogges, hissing of Snakes, crowing of Cockes, barking of Dogges, garring of Crowes, frenzies, convulsions, hickcockes, laughing, singing, weeping, crying, &c.) to proceede from some metaphysicall power, when in deede (as hee there sayeth) they are meerely naturall.

Auicen also in his Chapter of this disease, Fen. 21. 3 cap: 26: tract: 4: speaking of the causes of it, sayth, that there were some wise Phisitions in his time which said, that the cause of this disease was vnknowne: Because as Iacobus de Partibus expoundeth it, they did thinke it to be inflicted from aboue, yet notwithstanding he setteth downe naturall causes of it, and a naturall cure.

Hippocrates Lib. de morbo sacro in principio. also long before finding this error to bee helde by some in his time maketh mention of diuerse of these Symptoms, and sayeth, that hee doth not see anie thing in them more supernaturall, or more to bee admired, then there is in Tertians, and Quartans, and other kindes of diseases: imputing it either vnto ignorance, and want of experience that Phisitians of his time did iudge otherwise; or vnto a worser humor, when as beeing loath to bewray their owne defects through pride and arrogancie: Inscitia palliũ maleficium & incantatio. R. Sc: li, 1. cap. 3 and not knowing what to prescribe would flie vnto diuine causes, and neglecting naturall meanes for their reliefe, would wholy relie vpon expiations, incantations, sacrifices, &c. cloaking their ignoraunce vnder these shadows, and pretending both more knowledge, and more pietie then other men: by which course they gained this aduauntage, that if the patient chanced to recouer, they should bee highly renowmed for their skill; if not, their excuse was readie that Gods hande was against them.

This hee speaketh of the Phisitions of his time, whome he confuteth principally by two reasons, which may serue for excellent rules for all men to discerne such cases by. The first is, that there is no supernaturall Character in these Symptoms, as hee proueth by an induction of diuerse of them, which in the cõmon opinion were thought to be aboue nature: yet hee proueth to haue their naturall causes in the bodie of man as well as others haue.