SUBSEC. 3. Compound Purgers.

Compound medicines which purge melancholy, are either taken in the superior or inferior parts: superior at mouth or nostrils. At the mouth swallowed or not swallowed: If swallowed liquid or solid: liquid, as compound wine of Hellebor, Scilla or Sea-onyon, Sena, Vinum Scilliticum, Helleboratum, which Quercetan so much applauds for melancholy and madness, either inwardly taken, or outwardly applied to the head, with little pieces of linen dipped warm in it.

Oxymel Scilliticum, Syrupus Helleboratus major and minor in Quercetan, and Syrupus Genistæ for Hypocondriacall melancholy in the same Author, compound Syrupe of Succory, of Fumitory, Polypodie, &c. Heurnius his purging Cockbroth.

Some except against these Syrupes, as appears by Udalrinus Leonorus his Epistle to Matthiolus, as most pernitious and that out of Hippocrates, cocta movere, & medicari, non cruda, no raw things to be used in Physick; but this in the following Epistle is exploded and soundly confuted by Matthiolus; many Julips, potions, receipts, are composed of these, as you shall finde in Hildesheim spicel. 2. Heurnius lib. 2. cap. 14. George Skenkius Ital. med. prax. &c.

Solid purgers are confections, electuaries, pills by themselves, or compound with others, as de lapide Lazulo, Armeno, Pil. Indæ, of fumitory, &c. Confection of Hamech, which though most approve, Solenander sec. 5. consil. 22. bitterly inveighs against, so doth Randeletius Pharmacop. officina, Fernelius and others; Diasena, Diapolypodium, Diacasia, Diacatholicon, Weckers Electuarie de Epithymo, Ptolomyes Hierologadium, of which diverse receipts are daily made.

Ætius 22. 33. commends Hieram Ruffi. Trincavelius consil. 12. lib. 1. approves of Hiera; non, inquit, invenio melius medicamentum, I finde no better medicine, he saith. Heurnius adds pil. Aggregat. pills de Epithymo. pil. Ind. Mesue describes in the Florentine Antidotary, Pillulæ sine quibus esse nolo, Pillulæ Cochiæ cum Helleboro, Pil. Arabicæ, Fœtidæ, de quinque generibus myrabolanorum, &c. More proper to melancholy, not excluding in the mean time, Turbith, Manna, Rubarb, Agarick, Elescophe, &c. which are not so proper to this humour.

For as Montaltus holds cap. 30. and Montanus cholera etiam purganda, quod atræ sit pabulum, choler is to be purged because it feeds the other: and some are of an opinion, as Erasistratus and Asclepiades maintained of old, against whom Galen disputes, that no Physick doth purge one humour alone, but all alike or what is next. Most therefore in their receipts and magistrals which are coined here, make a mixture of severall simples and compounds to purge all humors in generall as well as this.

Some rather use potions then pills to purge this humour, because that as Heurnius and Crato observe, hic succus à sicco remedio ægrè trahitur, this juyce is not so easily drawn by dry remedies, and as Montanus adviseth 25. cons. All drying medicines are to be repelled, as Aloe, Hiera, and all pills whatsoever, because the disease is dry of it self.

I might here insert many receipts of prescribed potions, boles, &c. The doses of these, but that they are common in every good Physitian, and that I am loth to incurre the censure of Forestus lib. 3. cap. 6. de urinis, against those that divulge and publish medicines in their mother tongue, and lest I should give occasion thereby to some ignorant Reader to practise on himself, without the consent of a good Physitian.

Such as are not swallowed, but only kept in the mouth, are Gargarisms used commonly after a purge, when the body is soluble and loose. Or Apophlegmatisms, Masticatories, to be held and chewed in the mouth, which are gentle, as Hyssope, Origan, Pennyriall, Thyme, Mustard; strong, as Pellitory, Pepper, Ginger, &c.

Such as are taken into the nostrils, Errhina are liquid or drie, juyce of Pimpernell, Onions, &c. Castor, Pepper, white Hellebor, &c. To these you may adde odoraments, perfumes, and suffumigations, &c.

Taken into the inferior parts are Clysters strong or weak, Suppositories of Castilian sope, hony boiled to a consistence; or stronger of Scamony, Hellebor, &c. These are all used, and prescribed to this malady upon severall occasions, as shall be shewed in his place.