SUBSECT. 2. Distemperature of particular Parts, causes.

There is almost no part of the Body, which being distempered, doth not cause this malady, as the Brain and his parts, Heart, Liver, Spleen, Stomack, Matrix or Wombe, Pylorus, Mirache, Mesentery, Hypocondries, Meseraick veines; and in a word, saith Arculanus, there is no part which causeth not melancholy, either because it is adust, or doth not expel the superfluity of the nutriment.

Savonarola Pract. major. rubric. 11. Tract. 6. cap. 1. is of the same opinion, that melancholy is ingendred in each particular part, and Crato in consil. 17. lib. 2. Gordonius, who is instar omnium, lib. med. partic. 2. cap. 19. confirmes as much, putting the matter of Melancholy, sometimes in the Stomack, Liver, Heart, Brain, Spleen, Mirach, Hypocondries, when as the melancholy humor resides there, or the Liver is not well cleansed from Melancholy bloud.

The Brain is a familiar and frequent cause, too hot, or too cold, through adust bloud so caused, as Mercurialis will have it, within or without the head, the brain it self being distempered. Those are most apt to this disease, that have a hot heart and moist Brain, which Montaltus cap. 11. de Melanch. approves out of Halyabbas, Rhasis, and Avicenna.

Mercurialis consil. 11. assignes the coldness of the brain a cause, and Salustius Salvianus med. lect. l. 2. c. 1 will have it arise from a cold and dry distemperature of the brain. Piso, Benedictus Victorius Faventinus, will have it proceed from a hot distemperature of the Brain; and Montaltus cap. 10. from the Brains heat, scorching the bloud.

The brain is still distempered by himself, or by consent: by himself or his proper affection, as Faventinus cals it, or by vapors which arise from the other parts, and fume up into the head, altering the animal faculties.

Hildesheim spicel. 2. de Mania, thinks it may be caused from a distemperature of the heart; sometimes hot; sometimes cold. A hot Liver, and a cold Stomack, are put for usual causes of Melancholy: Mercurialis consil. 11. & consil. 6. consil. 86. assignes a hot Liver, and cold Stomack for ordinary causes.

Monavius in an Epistle of his to Crato in Scoltzius, is of opinion, that Hypocondriacal Melancholy may proceed from a cold Liver the question is there discussed. Most agree that a hot Liver is in fault; The Liver is the shop of humors, and especially causeth melancholy by his hot and dry distemperature.

The Stomack, and Meseraick veines do often concurre, by reason of their obstructions, and thence their heat cannot be avoided, and many times the matter is so adust, and inflamed in those parts, that it degenerates into Hypocondriacal melancholy. Guianerius c. 2. Tract. 15. holds the Meseraick veines to be a sufficient cause alone.

The spleen concurres to this malady, by all their consents, and suppression of Hæmrods, dum non expurgat altera causa lien, saith Montaltus, if it be too cold and dry, and do not purge the other parts as it ought, Consil. 23. Montanus puts the spleen stopped for a great cause.

Christopherus à Vega reports of his knowledg, that he hath known Melancholy caused from putrefied bloud in those Seed-veins and womb: Arculanus from that menstruous bloud turned into melancholy, and seed too long detained (as I have already declared) by putrefaction or adustion.

The Mesenterium, or Midriffe, Diaphragma, is a cause which the Greeks called φρένας: because by his inflammation, the minde is much troubled with convulsions and dotage. All these, most part, offend by inflammation, corrupting humours and spirits, in this non-naturall melancholy: for from these are ingendred fuliginous & black spirits.

And for that reason Montaltus cap. 10. de causis melan. will have the efficient cause of melancholy to be hot and dry, not a cold and dry distemperature, as some hold, from the heat of the brain, rosting the bloud, immoderate heat of the liver and bowels, and inflammation of the Pylorus.

And so much the rather, because that, as Galen holds, all spices inflame the bloud, solitarinesse, waking, agues, study, meditation, all which heat: and therefore he concludes that this distemperature causing adventitious Melancholy, is not cold and dry, but hot and dry.

But of this I have sufficiently treated in the matter of Melancholy, and hold that this may be true in non-naturall Melancholy, which produceth madnesse, but not in that naturall, which is more cold, and being immoderate, produceth a gentle dotage. ᵗ Which opinion Geraldus de Solo maintains in his comment upon Rhasis.