This distemper consists in excess of heat; for as heat of the womb is necessary for conception, so if it be too much, it nourisheth not the seed, but disperseth its heat and hinders the conception. This preternatural heat is sometimes from the birth, and causes barrenness; but if it be accidental, it is from hot causes, that bring the heat and the blood to the womb; it arises from internal and external medicines, and from too much hot meat, drink, and exercise. Those that are troubled with this distemper have but few menses, and those are yellow, black, burnt, or sharp; are subject to headache, and abound with choler; and when the distemper is strong upon them, they have but few terms, which are out of order, being bad and hard to flow, and in time they become hypochondriacs, and for the most part barren, having sometimes a frenzy of the womb.
Cure.—The remedy is to use coolers, so that they offend not the vessels that must open the flux of the terms. Therefore, take the following inwardly, succory, endive, violets, water lilies, sorrel, lettuce, saunders, and syrups and conserve made thereof. Also take conserve of succory, violets, water lilies, burrage, each an ounce; conserve of roses, half an ounce, diamargation frigid, diatriascancal, each half a drachm; and with syrup of violets, or juice of citrons, make an electuary. For outward applications, make use of ointment of roses, violets, water lilies, gourd, venus, narvel, applied to the back and loins.
Let the air be cool, her garments thin, and her food endive, lettuce, succory, and barley. Give her no hot meats, nor strong wine, unless mixed with water. Rest is good for her, she may sleep as long as she pleases.
Sect. II. Of the Cold Distemper of the Womb.
This distemper is the reverse of the foregoing, and equally an enemy to generation, being caused by a cold quality abounding to excess, and proceeds from a too cold air, rest, idleness, and cooling medicines. The terms are phlegmatic, thick, and slimy, and do not flow as they should; the womb is windy, and the seed crude and waterish. It is the cause of obstructions, and barrenness, and hard to be cured.
Cure.—Take galengal, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, each two drachms; ginger, cubebs, nedory, cardamum, each an ounce; grains of paradise, long pepper, each half an ounce; beat them, and put them into six quarts of wine for eight days; then add sage, mint, balm, mother-wort, of each three handfuls: let them stand eight days more, then pour off the wine, and beat the herbs and the spice, and then pour off the wine again, and distil them. Or you may use this: take cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, mace, ginger, cubebs, cardamum, grains of paradise, each an ounce and a half; galengal six drachms, long pepper half an ounce, zedoary five drachms, bruise them, and add six quarts of wine; put them into a cellar nine days, daily stirring them; then add of mint two handfuls, and let them stand fourteen days; pour off the wine, and bruise them, and then pour on the wine again, and distil them. Also anoint with oil of lilies, rue, angelica, bays, cinnamon, cloves, mace, and nutmeg. Let her diet and air be warm, her meat of easy concoction, seasoned with aniseed, fennel, and thyme; and let her avoid raw fruits and milk diet.
Sect. III. Of the Inflation of the Womb.
The inflation of the womb is a stretching of it by wind, called by some a windy mole; the wind proceeds from a cold matter, whether thick or thin, contained in the veins of the womb by which the heat thereof is overcome, and which either flows thither from other parts, or is gathered there by cold meats and drinks. Cold air may be a producing cause of it also, as women that lie-in are exposed to it. The wind is contained either in the cavity of the vessels of the womb, or between the tunicles, and may be known by a swelling in the region of the womb, which sometimes reaches to the navel, loins, and diaphragm, and rises and abates as the wind increaseth or decreaseth. It differs from the dropsy, in that it never swells so high. That neither physician nor midwife may take it for conception, let them observe the signs of the pregnant woman laid down in a former part of this work; and if any sign be wanting, they may suspect it to be an inflation; of which this is a further sign, that in conception the swelling is invariable; also if you strike upon the belly, in an inflation, there will be a noise, but not so in case there be a conception. It also differs from a mole, because in that there is a weight and hardness in the abdomen, and when the patient moves from one side to the other she feels a great weight which moveth; but not so in this. If the inflation continue without the cavity of the womb, the pain is greater and more extensive, nor is there any noise, because the wind is more pent up.
Cure.—This distemper is neither of a long continuance, nor dangerous, if looked after in time; and if it be in the cavity of the womb, is more easily expelled. To which purpose give her diaphnicon, with a little castor, and sharp clysters that expel the wind. If this distemper happen to a woman in travail, let her not purge after delivery, nor bleed, because it is from a cold matter; but if it come after child-bearing, and her terms come down sufficiently, and she has fulness of blood, let the saphæna vein be opened; after which let her take the following electuary: take conserve of betony and rosemary, of each an ounce and a half; candied eringoes, citron peel candied, each half an ounce; diacinium, diaganel, each a drachm; oil of aniseed six drops; and with syrup of citrons make an electuary. For outward application make a cataplasm of rue, mugwort, camomile, dill, calamint, new pennyroyal, thyme, with oil of rue, keir, and camomile. And let the following clyster, to expel the wind, be put into the womb; take angus castus, cinnamon, each two drachms; boil them in wine to half a pint. She may likewise use sulphur, Bath and Spa waters, both inward and outward, because they expel wind.