Costiveness

Use in the book

Burton places costiveness first among the retentions discussed as causes of melancholy. His general classification admits accompanying, assisting and sometimes sole causes. Celsus is cited for bodily symptoms and Calenus for disturbance of the mind; the merchant’s reported case then presents a sharper contrast. His friends suspect a love potion, but the physician attributes the disturbance to constipation alone, followed by rapid recovery after an enema. This remains Schenck’s case as transmitted by Burton, not a result independently verified here. Fonseca’s eight-day case follows before the discussion broadens to other retained discharges.

In the symptom catalogue, costivenesse appears with poor digestion, undigested matter and obstructions. The same condition therefore has a place both in causal explanation and in a description of bodily troubles. The synopsis’s hard belly has this meaning too, but its separately listed binding means constriction, not another unqualified synonym for constipation. Other uses of being bound, such as obligation or captivity, cannot be transferred into this medical sense merely from the word alone.

The corrective discussion returns to the earlier cause and immediately qualifies its logic: the opposite of constipation must be beneficial, or at least a middle course must be. Piso’s benefit of the belly names the relief; natural evacuation is distinguished from medical intervention. Calenus recommends action as occasion serves, whereas Cnemander would keep a particular hypochondriacal patient’s bowels continually loose. The later summary applies correction if constipation troubles any of the three kinds and ends with properly chosen remedies that may relieve without completely curing. These distinctions describe historical regimen; the drug and enema passages are not instructions for present use.

Related entries

Excrements

Hypochondria

Purging

Flux and lask

Oppilation

Places to read

1. Symptoms Particular to the Three Distinct Species. Section 3, Member 2 · paragraphs 54–56The synopsis lists this separately from constriction and heaviness.
2. Subsection 4 Retention and Evacuation as Causes, and How They Act · paragraphs 5–9Costiveness as a retained-waste cause, competing explanations in the merchant’s case, and further reports.
3. Section 3. Member 1. Subsection 1. Symptoms or Signs of Melancholy in the Body · paragraphs 11–16The phrase accompanies headache rather than naming bowel retention. The dry bowel discharges nothing despite the ability to eat.
4. Member 2. Retention and Evacuation Corrected · paragraphs 27–31The middle-course qualification, the benefit of the belly, and differently qualified historical regimens.
5. Subsection 2 Corrective Medicines to Expel Wind. Against Constipation, and So On · paragraphs 56–60Conditional correction of constipation in the three kinds and the distinction between relief and complete cure.

In this edition

“Costiveness” → “constipation” and “costivenesse” → “constipation” give the same direct modern equivalent. “bound” becomes constipated in the eight-day case, and “hard belly” becomes constipation in the synopsis. The neighbouring “binding heavinesse” is instead a constricting heaviness; the supplied synopsis note keeps that distinction explicit.

The Latin marginal phrases are separate evidence from the English body and have their own supplied translations. The unusual printed astrictus and siccum are retained rather than silently repaired. Another distinction matters in the preceding citation: Burton’s body says inflammation, but the margin’s inflationes means swellings or distensions. The reported symptoms and sources are not harmonized by changing one into the other.

alvus astrictus

Printed “Alvus astrictus” (Latin; phrase).

A bound or constipated bowel.

Here: The marginal phrase identifies the alleged sole cause of the merchant’s condition.

Context: The reported diagnosis and rapid recovery belong to Schenck’s case as transmitted by Burton; the printed astrictus is retained.

Source: original marginal quotation

Source wording and original alignment: Alvus astrictus causa

Modern rendering: A constipated bowel was the cause

Modern container: note

Alignment scope: Original marginal construction and supplied note translation

Word and construction: Alvus names the bowel, astrictus its bound or constipated state, and causa the cause; was is supplied in English.

Further local use

Printed “alvum siccum” (Latin; lemma).

Citation key: alvus.

Here: The bowel is described as dry and passing nothing in Fonseca’s reported case.

Context: The Latin marginal description is translated separately; it is a historical description, not a new diagnosis.

Source: original marginal quotation

Source wording and original alignment: alvum siccum habet, & nihil reddit

Modern rendering: he has had a dry bowel and passes nothing

Modern container: note

Alignment scope: Original marginal phrase and supplied note translation

Word and construction: Alvus/alvum names the bowel; arida/siccum describes dryness, with failure to discharge stated in the continuation.

Sense relation: A related Latin description of the same retained bowel waste, without silently correcting the printed morphology.

Further local use

Printed “Alvus arida” (Latin; lemma).

Citation key: alvus.

Here: The dry bowel discharges nothing despite the ability to eat.

Context: The Latin marginal description is translated separately; it is a historical description, not a new diagnosis.

Source: original marginal quotation

Source wording and original alignment: Alvus arida nihil dejiciens

Modern rendering: The bowels are dry and discharge nothing

Modern container: note

Alignment scope: Original marginal phrase and supplied note translation

Word and construction: Alvus/alvum names the bowel; arida/siccum describes dryness, with failure to discharge stated in the continuation.

Sense relation: A related Latin description of the same retained bowel waste, without silently correcting the printed morphology.

beneficium ventris

Printed “Beneficium ventris” (Latin; phrase).

The benefit or relief of the belly: here, a bowel movement.

Here: The expression names the evacuation opposed to costiveness.

Context: Piso supplies the name; the surrounding physicians differ in the circumstances and means of obtaining the relief.

Source: original body

Source wording and original alignment: Beneficium ventris

Modern rendering: the benefit of the belly

Word and construction: Beneficium means benefit; ventris is of the belly. The idiom refers here to a bowel movement, rather than every bodily benefit.

Alignment conventions: Alignment convention.

binding heaviness

Printed “binding heavinesse” (English; phrase).

A sensation of constricting heaviness.

Here: The phrase accompanies headache rather than naming bowel retention.

Context: Burton attributes this principal sign to Rhazes; the supplied synopsis note expressly distinguishes it from hard belly.

Source: original body

Source wording and original alignment: a binding heavinesse

Modern rendering: a constricting heaviness

Alignment conventions: Alignment convention, Alignment convention.

bound

Printed “bound” (English; lemma).

Constipated; unable to pass the usual bowel waste.

Here: Fonseca’s patient is said to have been constipated for eight days.

Context: Burton reports Fonseca’s case and then turns to other kinds of retained discharge; bound here specifies bowel retention.

Source: original body

Source wording and original alignment: for eight days was bound

Modern rendering: was constipated for eight days

Alignment conventions: Alignment convention, Alignment convention.

costiveness

Printed “Costiveness” (English; lemma).

Constipation or retention of the ordinary bowel waste.

Here: The condition is placed first among retentions that can cause melancholy.

Context: Burton distinguishes accompanying, assisting and sometimes sole causes; the claim belongs to historical medicine.

Source: original body

Source wording and original alignment: Costiveness

Modern rendering: constipation

Alignment conventions: Alignment convention, Alignment convention.

Further local use

Printed “costivenesse” (English; lemma).

Here: Constipation appears with impaired digestion, undigested matter and obstructions.

Context: Burton invokes Rhazes and Aretaeus within a historical catalogue of nutritive disturbances.

Source: original body

Source wording and original alignment: costivenesse

Modern rendering: constipation

Sense relation: The same bowel condition occupies a causal, symptomatic or corrective place in the argument.

Alignment conventions: Alignment convention, Alignment convention.

Further local use

Printed “Costiveness” (English; lemma).

Here: The condition displaces a suspected love potion as the explanation of the merchant’s delusion.

Context: His friends suspect a potion; the physician Cnelinus diagnoses constipation, and the case reports rapid recovery after treatment.

Source: original body

Source wording and original alignment: his Costiveness alone to be the cause

Modern rendering: constipation alone to be the cause

Sense relation: The same bowel condition occupies a causal, symptomatic or corrective place in the argument.

Alignment conventions: Alignment convention, Alignment convention.

Further local use

Printed “costiveness” (English; lemma).

Here: The cure discussion returns to the earlier causal account.

Context: Burton immediately qualifies the inference that the opposite must be good by allowing a middle course.

Source: original body

Source wording and original alignment: what harm costiveness hath done

Modern rendering: the harm constipation has done

Sense relation: The same bowel condition occupies a causal, symptomatic or corrective place in the argument.

Alignment conventions: Alignment convention, Alignment convention.

Further local use

Printed “Costiveness” (English; lemma).

Here: Constipation can be treated as an accompanying trouble in any of the three kinds.

Context: The statement is conditional on its causing trouble; the following conclusion speaks of properly chosen remedies easing rather than necessarily curing.

Source: original body

Source wording and original alignment: If Costiveness offend

Modern rendering: If constipation causes trouble

Sense relation: The same bowel condition occupies a causal, symptomatic or corrective place in the argument.

Alignment conventions: Alignment convention, Alignment convention.

hard belly

Printed “hard belly” (English; phrase).

Constipation or a bound state of the bowels.

Here: The synopsis lists this separately from constriction and heaviness.

Context: The supplied note distinguishes binding, meaning constriction, from the separately named hard belly; the two should not be conflated.

Source: original body

Source wording and original alignment: hard belly

Modern rendering: constipation

Alignment conventions: Alignment convention, Alignment convention.