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.