CHAPTER I.

_Of Medicines appropriated to the head._


By [_head_] is usually understood all that part of the body which is
between the top of the crown, and the uppermost joint of the neck,
yet are those medicines properly called _Cephalical_, which are
appropriated to the brain, not to the eyes, ears, nor teeth; neither
are those medicines which are proper to the ears, proper also to the
eyes, therefore (my intent being to write as plain as I can) I shall
subdivide this chapter into these parts.

Medicines appropriated

1. _To the brain._
2. _To the eyes._
3. _To the mouth, and nostrils._
4. _To the ears._
5. _To the teeth._

For what medicines are appropriated to an unruly tongue, is not in my
power at present to determine.

_Of Medicines appropriated to the brain._

Before we treat of medicines appropriated to the brain, it is requisite
that we describe what the nature and affection of the brain is.

The brain which is the seat of apprehension, judgment, and memory, the
original of sense and motion, is by nature temperate, and if so, then
you will grant me that it may easily be afflicted both by heat and
cold, and it is indeed more subject to affliction by either of them,
than any other part of the body, for if it be afflicted by heat, sense
and reason, it is immoderately moved, if by cold, they languish, and
are dulled, to pass by other symptoms which invade the head, if the
brain be altered from its proper temper.

Also this is peculiar to the brain, that it is delighted or offended by
smells, sights, and sounds, but I shall meddle no further with these
here, because they are not medicines.

_Cephalical_ Medicines may be found out from the affections of the
brain itself. The brain is usually oppressed with moisture in such
afflictions; therefore give such medicines as very gently warm,
cleanse, cut, and dry: but withal, let them be such as are appropriated
to the head, such as physicians say (by an hidden quality) strengthen
the brain.

Again, if you consider the situation of the brain, you shall find
it placed in the highest part of the body, therefore it is easily
afflicted with hot vapours: this punishes a man with watching and
head-ache, as the former did with sottishness and sleepiness, in such
cases use such _Cephalecs_ as gently cool the brain.

To make _Cephalecs_ of _Narcoticks_, or stupifying medicines, is not my
intent, for I am confident they are inimical both to brain and senses.
Of these, and such medicines as also purge the brain, I shall speak by
and by. To return to my purpose.

Some Cephalics purge the brain, some heat it, some cool it, some
strengthen it; but how they perform this office peculiarly to the
brain, most physicians confess they could neither comprehend by reason,
nor describe by precepts, only thus, they do it by an hidden quality,
either by strengthening the brain, thereby descending it from diseases,
or by a certain antipathy between them and the diseases incident to the
brain.

Lastly, For the use of Cephalics, observe, if the brain be much
afflicted, you cannot well strengthen it before you have purged it,
neither can you well purge the brain before you have cleansed the rest
of the body, it is so subject to receive the vapours up to it; give
cooling Cephalics when the brain is too hot, and hot Cephalics when it
is too cold.

Beware of using cooling medicines to the brain when the crisis of a
disease is near: how that time may be known, I shall (God assisting
me) instruct you hereafter, let it suffice now, that according as the
disease afflicting your head is, so let your remedy be.

_Of Medicines appropriated to the eyes._

Take such medicines as are appropriated to the eyes under the name of
(_Ocular Medicines_) I do it partly to avoid multiplicity of words,
and partly to instruct my countrymen in the terms of art belonging to
physic, (I would have called them [_Ophthalmics_] had not the word
been troublesome to the reading, much more to the understanding of a
countryman) as I even now called such medicines [_Cephalics_] as were
appropriated to the brain.

Ocular medicines are two-fold, viz. such as are referred to the visive
virtues, and such as are referred to the eyes themselves.

Such as strengthen the visive virtue or the optick nerves which convey
it to the eyes (say Doctors) do it by an hidden virtue, into the
reason which no man can dive, unless they should fetch it from the
similitude of the substance: And yet they say a Goat’s liver conduces
much to make one see in the night, and they give this reason, because
Goats see as well in the night as in the day. Yet is there no affinity
in temperature nor substance between the liver and the eyes: However
Astrologers know well enough that all herbs, plants, &c. that are under
the dominion of either sun or moon, and appropriated to the head, be
they hot or cold they strengthen the visive virtue, as Eyebright, which
is hot, _Lunaria_, or Moonwort which is cold.

As for what appertains to the constitution of the eyes themselves,
seeing they are exact in sense, they will not endure the least
inconvenience, therefore such medicines as are outwardly applied to
them (for such medicines as strengthen the visive virtues are always
given inwardly) let them neither hurt by their hardness nor gnawing
quality, nor be so tough that they should stick to them. Therefore
let ocular medicines be neither in powders nor ointments, because oil
itself is offensive to the eyes, and how pleasing powders are to them,
you may perceive yourself by just going into the dust.

_Medicines appropriated to the mouth and nose._

Apply no stinking medicine to a disease in the nose, for such offend
not only the nose, but also the brain; neither administer medicines
of any ill taste to a disease in the mouth, for that subverts the
stomach, because the tunicle of the mouth and of the stomach is the
same: and because both mouth and nostrils are ways by which the brain
is cleansed, therefore are they infected with such vices as need almost
continual cleansing, and let the medicines you apply to them be either
pleasant, or at least, not ingrateful.

_Medicines appropriated to the ears._

The ears are easily afflicted by cold, because they are always open,
therefore they require hot medicines. And because they are of
themselves very dry, therefore they require medicines which dry much.

_Medicines appropriated to the teeth._

Vehement heat, and vehement cold, are inimical to the teeth, but they
are most of all offended by sharp and sour things, and the reason is,
because they have neither skin nor flesh to cover them, they delight in
such medicines as are cleansing and binding, because they are troubled
with defluxions and rheums upon every light occasion; and that’s the
reason the common use of fat and sweet things, soon rots the teeth.