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Robert Burton

The Anatomy of Melancholy

Name: The Anatomy of Melancholy
Author: Robert Burton

1651 English with a close modern English rendering

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The Anatomy of MelancholyMember 3. Subsection 1 Treatment of Hypochondriacal Melancholy

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Facing Pages · Branch 658 of 1495

Member 3. Subsection 1 Treatment of Hypochondriacal Melancholy

Book Mode

1651 English

399–400–400

Though in some Physicians I finde very strong purgers, Hellebor it self prescribed in this affection. If it long continue, vomits may be taken after meat, or otherwise gently procured with warm water, oxymel, &c. now and then. Fuchsius cap. 33. prescribes Hellebor; but still take heed in this malady, which I have often warned, of hot medicines, because (as Salvianus adds) drought follows heat, which increaseth the disease: and yet Baptista Sylvaticus controv. 32. forbids cold medicines, because they increase obstructions, and other bad symptomes. But this varies as the parties do, and ’tis not easie to determine which to use.

The stomack most part in this infirmity is cold, the liver hot; scarce therefore (which Montanus insinuates consil. 229. for the Earl of Mansfort) can you help the one, and not hurt the other: much discretion must be used; take no Physick at all he concludes without great need.

Lælius Ægubinus consil. 77. for an Hypocondriacall German Prince, used many medicines; but it was after signified to him in letters, that the decoction of China and Sassafras, and salt of Sassafras, wrought him an incredible good. In his 108. consult. he used as happily the same remedies; this to a third might have been poison, by over-heating his liver and blood.

For the other parts look for remedies in Savanarola, Gordonius, Massaria, Mercatus, Johnson, &c. One for the spleen, amongst many other, I will not omit, cited by Hildesheim spicel. 2. prescribed by Mat. Flaccus, and out of the authority of Benevenius. Antony Benevenius in an hypocondriacall passion, cured an exceeding great swelling of the spleen with Capers alone, a meat befitting that infirmity, and frequent use of the water of a Smiths forge; by this Physick he helped a sick man, whom all other Physicians had forsaken, that for seven yeers had been Splenatick.

And of such force is this water, that those creatures as drink of it, have commonly little or no spleen. See more excellent medicines for the Spleen in him, and Lod. Mercatus, who is a great magnifier of this medicine.

This Chalybs præparatus, or steel-drink is much likewise commended to this disease by Daniel Sennertus l. 1. part. 2. cap. 12. and admired by I. Cæsar Claudinus Respons. 29. he cals steel the proper Alexipharmacum of this malady, and much magnifies it; look for receipts in them. Averters must be used to the liver and spleen, and to scoure the Meseriack veins; and they are either to open or provoke urine.

You can open no place better then the Hæmrods, which if by horse-leeches they be made to flow, there may be again such an excellent remedy, as Plater holds. Salust. Salvian will admit no other phlebotomy but this; and by his experience in an hospitall which he kept, he found all mad and melancholy men worse for other blood-letting. Laurentius cap. 15. cals this of horse-leeches, a sure remedy to empty the spleen and Meseriack membrane.

8060.BurtonPrinted page 399, g: “Lib. 2. cap. 1. Quoniam caliditate conjuncta est siccitas quæ malum auget.” “Book 2, chapter 1. Because dryness accompanies heat, and this increases the trouble.”

8061.BurtonPrinted page 400, h: “Quisquis frigidis auxiliis hoc morbo usus fuerit, is obstructionem aliaque symptomata augebit.” “Whoever uses cold remedies for this disease will increase the obstruction and other symptoms.”

8063.BurtonPrinted page 400, i: “Ventriculus plerumq; frigidus, hepar calidum: quomodo ergo ventriculum calefaciet, vel refrigerabit hepar sine alterius maximo detrimento?” “The stomach is generally cold, the liver hot: how, then, will one warm the stomach or cool the liver without gravely harming the other?”

8065.BurtonPrinted page 400, k: “Significatum per literas, incredibilem utilitatem ex decocto Chinæ, & Sassafras percepisse.” “It was reported by letter that he had obtained incredible benefit from a decoction of China root and sassafras.”

8067.BurtonPrinted page 400, l: “Tumorem splenis incredibilem sola cappari curavit, cibo tali ægritudini aptissimo. Soloq; usu aquæ, in qua faber ferrarius sæpe candens ferrum extinxerat, &c.” “He cured an incredible swelling of the spleen with capers alone, a food particularly suited to such a disorder. And by the use alone of water in which a blacksmith had frequently quenched glowing iron,” and so on.

8069.BurtonPrinted page 400, m: “Animalia quæ apud hos fabros educantur, exiguos habent lienes.” “Animals raised at these blacksmiths’ premises have small spleens.”

8070.BurtonPrinted page 400, dagger: “L. 1. cap. 17.” Book 1, chapter 17.

8072.BurtonPrinted page 400, asterisk: “Continuus ejus usus semper felicem in ægris finem est assequutus.” “Its continued use has always achieved a happy outcome in sick people.”

8074.BurtonPrinted page 400, n: “Si Hemorroides fluxerint, nullum præstantius esse remedium, quæ sanguisugis admotis provocari poterunt. observat. lib. 1. pro hypoc. leguleio.” “If the haemorrhoidal vessels flow, there is no better remedy; the flow can be induced by applying leeches. Observations, book 1, for a lawyer with hypochondriacal melancholy.”

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Member 3. Subsection 1 Treatment of Hypochondriacal Melancholy

p. 658

Yet in some medical writers I find very powerful purgatives, even hellebore itself, prescribed for this disorder. If it continues for a long time, emetics may be taken after a meal, or vomiting may occasionally be induced gently with warm water, oxymel and the like. Fuchs, chapter 33, prescribes hellebore; but in this illness always beware of hot medicines, as I have often warned, because, as Salvianus adds, dryness follows heat and increases the disease. Yet Baptista Sylvaticus, controversy 32, forbids cold medicines because they increase obstructions and other bad symptoms. But this varies from person to person, and it is not easy to decide which to use.

In this illness the stomach is usually cold and the liver hot. You can therefore scarcely help one without harming the other, as Montanus suggests in consultation 229 for the Earl of Mansfort. Great judgement is needed; take no medicine at all, he concludes, unless there is great need.

Laelius Eugubinus, consultation 77, used many medicines for a German prince with hypochondriacal melancholy; but letters later informed him that a decoction of China root and sassafras, and salt of sassafras, had done the prince an incredible amount of good. In consultation 108 he used the same remedies just as successfully. For a third person, they might have been poison, by overheating his liver and blood.

For remedies for the other parts, consult Savonarola, Gordonius, Massaria, Mercatus, Johnson and others. Among many remedies for the spleen, I will not omit one cited by Hildesheim, Gleanings 2, prescribed by Mat. Flaccus on Benevenius’ authority. In a hypochondriacal disorder, Antony Benevenius cured an exceedingly large swelling of the spleen with capers alone, a food suited to that illness, and frequent use of water from a blacksmith’s forge. With this treatment he helped a sick man whom all other physicians had abandoned, and who had suffered from a diseased spleen for seven years.

Such is the power of this water that creatures drinking it commonly have little or no spleen. See further excellent medicines for the spleen in him and in Lod. Mercatus, who highly praises this medicine.

This “prepared steel,” or steel drink, is likewise highly recommended for this disease by Daniel Sennert, book 1, part 2, chapter 12, and admired by I. Caesar Claudinus, response 29. He calls steel the specific antidote to this illness and praises it highly; look for recipes in their works. Remedies that divert the humours must be used for the liver and spleen, and to cleanse the mesenteric veins; they must either open the passages or promote urination.

There is no better place to open than the haemorrhoidal vessels: if leeches make them flow, there may again be so excellent a remedy, as Plater holds. Sallust Salvian allows no bloodletting except this; from his experience in a hospital he ran, he found that other bloodletting made all mad and melancholic patients worse. Laurentius, chapter 15, calls this use of leeches a sure remedy for emptying the spleen and mesenteric membrane.

8062.“Vomits” means emetic medicines; oxymel is a honey-and-vinegar preparation. “Drought” here means dryness. The opposed advice on hot and cold medicines is deliberately retained, followed by Burton’s qualification about individual constitutions.

8064.“Physick” here means medicine or medicinal treatment. “Insinuates” means suggests or intimates. Mansfort is retained without supplying an unverified modern identification.

8066.China root and sassafras recur from the preceding discussion. Burton explicitly contrasts successful cases with a hypothetical patient for whom the same preparation would be harmful.

8068.“Passion” here means disorder. The margin explains forge water as water used repeatedly to quench glowing iron. “Capers alone” is followed by a second remedy in both body and margin; the compressed sequence is preserved.

8071.The body infers an effect in creatures drinking the water; the margin describes animals raised at blacksmiths’ premises. These are related but not identical claims.

8073.Alexipharmacum means an antidote or protective remedy. “Meseriack” means mesenteric, concerning the tissues and vessels associated with the intestines. “Open” refers broadly to opening obstructed passages; the exact preparation called steel drink is not supplied here.

8075.The source prints “there may be again such an excellent remedy,” without “not.” The margin instead says that there is no better remedy. The awkward affirmative body reading is preserved, rather than silently inserting the missing negative that the sense may suggest.

About This Reading Edition

Robert Burton’s Anatomy ranges across medicine, philosophy, poetry, religion, and everyday life in its inquiry into melancholy. This complete parallel edition pairs the 1651 English text with a close modern English rendering, preserving the three Partitions, Democritus Junior’s address to the reader, verse, and the historical index.

Historical Text and Translation

The historical text follows the sixth edition, printed at Oxford for Henry Cripps in 1651, using the McGill University Library copy. The supplied edition documents missing printed pages 98–99 supplied from another 1651 copy at the Bavarian State Library. Historical folio labels and their irregularities remain visible; web reader numbers identify reflowed passages and do not claim to reproduce PDF pagination.

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Diotimos Editions prepared the close modern English rendering and editorial matter. All 8,755 original and modern passage pairs remain aligned, with verse breaks, italics, continuations, and linked annotations preserved. Burton’s 6,781 historical notes retain their attribution; 6,895 editorial notes remain distinct. The introduction, Note on the Text, contextual lexicon, indexes, source documentation, and bibliography are included. The engraved frontispiece remains available in the original downloads.

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Burton’s historical text is in the public domain. The modern English rendering, introduction, notes, and editorial matter are © 2026 Diotimos Editions and appear with the site owner’s permission. The complete supplied PDF, EPUB, Word, and Markdown files remain available unchanged. The PDF and Word edition preserve the original parallel page layout.