By loosening here, I do not mean purging, nor that which is opposite to astringency; but that which is opposite to stretching: I knew not suddenly what fitter English name to give it, than loosening or laxation, which latter is scarce English.
The members are distended or stretched divers ways, and ought to be loosened by as many, for they are stretched sometimes by dryness, sometimes by cold, sometimes by repletion or fullness, sometimes by swellings, and sometimes by some of these joined together. I avoid terms of art as much as I can, because it would profit my country but little, to give them the rules of physic in such English as they understand not.
I confess the opinion of ancient physicians hath been various about these loosening medicines. Galen’s opinion was, that they might be referred either to moistening, or heating, or mollifying, or evacuating medicines, and therefore ought not to be referred to a chapter by themselves.
It is likely they may, and so may all other medicines be referred to heat, or coldness, or dryness, or moisture: but we speak not here of the particular properties of medicines, but of their joined properties, as they heat and moisten.
Others, they question how they can be distinguished from such as mollify, seeing such as are loosening, and such as are emolient, are both of them hot and moist.
To that, thus: stretching and loosening are ascribed to the moveable parts of the body, as to the muscles and their tendons, to the ligaments and Membranæ; but softness and hardness to such parts of the body as may be felt with the hand: I shall make clear by a similitude, Wax is softened, being hard, but Fiddle-strings are loosened being stretched. And if you say that the difference lying only in the parts of the body is no true difference, then take notice, that such medicines which loosen, are less hot, and more moistening, than such as soften, for they operate most by heat, these by moisture.
The truth is, I am of opinion the difference is not much, nay, scarce sensible, between emolient and loosening medicines; only I quoted this in a chapter by itself, not so much because some authors do, as because it conduceth to the increase of knowledge in physic, for want of which, this poor nation is almost spoiled.
The chief use of loosening medicines is in convulsions and cramps, and such like infirmities which cause distention or stretching.
They are known by the very same marks and tokens that emolient medicines are.
