SUBSECT. 3. Causes of Head-Melancholy.

After a tedious discourse of the generall causes of Melancholy, I am now returned at last to treat in brief of the three particular species, and such causes as properly appertain unto them. Although these causes promiscuously concur to each and every particular kinde, and commonly produce their effects in that part which is most weak, ill disposed, and least able to resist, and so cause all three species, yet many of them are proper to some one kinde, and seldome found in the rest.

As for example, Head-Melancholy is commonly caused by a cold or hot distemperature of the Brain, according to Laurentius cap. 5. de melan. but as Hercules de Saxoniâ contends, from that agitation or distemperature of the animall spirits alone.

Salust. Salvianus before mentioned lib. 2. cap. 3. de re med. will have it proceed from cold: but that I take of naturall melancholy, such as are fools and dote; for as Galen writes lib. 4. de puls. 8. and Avicenna, a cold and moist Brain is an unseparable companion of folly.

But this adventitious melancholy which is here meant, is caused of an hot and dry distemperature, as Damascen the Arabian lib. 3. cap. 22. thinks, and most writers; Altomarus and Piso call it an innate burning untemperatenesse, turning bloud and choler into melancholy.

Both these opinions may stand good, as Bruel maintains, and Capivaccius, si cerebrum sit calidius, if the brain be hot, the animall spirits will be hot, and thence comes madnesse: if cold, folly.

David Crusius Theat. morb. Hermet. lib. 2. cap. 6. de atra bile, grants melancholy to be a disease of an inflamed brain, but cold notwithstanding of it self: calida per accidens, frigida per se, hot by accident only; I am of Capivaccius minde for my part.

Now this humour, according to Salvianus, is sometime in the substance of the Brain, sometimes contained in the Membranes, and Tunicles that cover the Brain, sometimes in the passages of the Ventricles of the brain, or veins of those ventricles.

It followes many times a Phrensie, long diseases, agues, long abode in hot places, or under the Sun, a blow on the head, as Rhasis informeth us: Piso addes solitarines, waking, inflammations of the head, proceeding most part from much use of spices, hot wines, hot meats; all which Montanus reckons up consil. 22. for a Melancholy Jew; and Heurnius repeats cap. 12. de Mania:

Hot bathes, Garlick, Onions, saith Guianerius, bad ayr, corrupt, much waking, &c. retention of seed or abundance, stopping of hæmorrogiâ, the Midriffe misaffected; and according to Trallianus l. 1. 16. immoderate cares, troubles, griefs, discontent, study, meditation, and in a word, the abuse of all those 6 non-naturall things.

Hercules de Saxonia, cap. 16. lib. 1. will have it caused from a cautery, or boyl dried up, or any issue. Amatus Lusitanus cent. 2. cura. 67. gives instance in a fellow, that had a hole in his arm, after that was healed, ran mad, and when the wound was open, he was cured again.

Trincavelius consil. 13. lib. 1. hath an example of a melancholy man so caused by overmuch continuance in the Sun, frequent use of Venery, and immoderate exercise: And in his cons. 49. lib. 3. from an headpiece overheated, which caused head-melancholy. Prosper Calenus brings in Cardinall Cæsius for a pattern of such as are so melancholy by long study: but examples are infinite.