Cure.—The cure is, first, in repelling and carrying away the blood: Secondly, in correcting and taking away the fluxibility of the matter: Thirdly, in incorporating the veins and faculties. For the first, open a vein in the arm, and draw out so much blood as the strength of the patient will permit; and at several times, for thereby the spirits are less weakened, and the refraction so much the greater.
Apply cupping-glasses to the breasts, and also the liver, that the reversion may be in the fountain.
To correct the fluxibility of the matter, cathartical means, moderated with the astrictories, may be used.
If it be caused by erosion, or sharpness of blood, prepare with syrup of violets, wormwood, roses, citron-pill, succory, &c.
If by adust choler, prepare the body with syrup of roses, myrtles, sorrel, and purslain, mixed with water of plantain, knot-grass, and endive. Then purge with rhubarb, one drachm, cinnamon fifteen grains; infuse them one night in endive water; add to the straining, pulp of tamarind, cassia, of each half an ounce; make a potion. If the blood be waterish as it is in hydropical bodies, and flows forth by reason of thinness, to draw off the water it will be profitable to purge with agaric, coloquintida: sweating is proper, for thereby the matter offending is taken away, and the blood carried to the other parts. To procure sweat, use cardus water, with mithridate, or the decoction of guaiacum, and sarsaparilla. The pills of sarsaparilla are commended.
Take of bole ammoniac one scruple, London treacle one drachm, old conserve of roses half an ounce, with syrup of myrtle make an electuary: or, if the flux hath continued long, take of mastic two drachms, olibani troch de carbara, of each one drachm; balustium, one scruple; make a powder;—with syrup of quinces make it into pills; take one before meals. Take the juice of knot-grass, comfrey, and quinces, of each one ounce, camphor, one drachm; dip silk or cotton therein, and apply it to the place. Take of oil of mastic, myrtles, quinces, of each half an ounce; fine bole, trock, decarda, of each one drachm; sanguis draconis a sufficient quantity; make an unguent, and apply it before and behind. Take the plantain, shepherd’s purse, red rose leaves, of each one ounce:—boil all these in plantain water, and make of it two plasters; apply one before and one behind. If the blood flow from those veins which terminated in the neck of the matrix, then it is not the overflowing of the terms, but the hemorrhoids of the womb; yet the same cure will serve both, only the instrumental cure will a little differ: for, in the uterine hemorrhoids, the ends of the veins hang over like teats or bushes, which must be taken away by incision, and then the veins closed up with aloes, fine bole, burnt alum, troch de terrs fiall; myrrh, mastic, with the juice of comfrey and knot-grass, laid plaster-ways thereto.
The air must be cold and dry. All motion of the body must be forbidden. Let her meat be pheasant, partridge, mountain birds, coneys, calf-feet, &c.
CHAPTER IX.
OF THE WEEPING OF THE WOMB.
The weeping of the womb is a flux of blood, unnaturally coming from thence by drops, after the manner of tears, causing violent pains, keeping neither period nor time. By some it is referred unto the immoderate evacuation of the menses, yet they are distinguished in the quantity and manner of overflowing, in that they flow copiously and free; this is continual, by little and little, and with great pain and difficulty.
The cause is in the faculty, by being enfeebled that it cannot expel the blood resting there, makes that part of the womb grow hard, and stretcheth the vessels; from whence proceeds the pain of the womb. It may be the matter of the blood which may offend in too great a quantity; or it may be so gross and thick as to flow by drops. The signs will be pains in the head, stomach, and back, with inflammations, suffocations, and excoriations of the matrix. If the strength of the patient will permit, first open a vein in the arm, rub the upper parts, and let her arm be corded, that the force of the blood may be carried backwards: then apply such things as may laxate and mollify the strengthening of the womb, and assuage the sharpness of the blood, as cataplasms made of bran, linseed, and mallows. If the blood be vicious and gross, add thereto mugwort, calamint, dictam, and betony; and let her take of Venice treacle the size of a nutmeg, and the syrup of mugwort every morning; make an injection of the decoction of mallows, linseed, groundsel, mugwort, with oil of sweet almonds.