Physician, &c." but these men are too peremptory and selfconceited as I think. But what do I do, interposing in that which is beyond my reach? A blind man cannot judge of colours, nor I peradventure of these things. Only thus much I would require, Honesty in every Physician, that he be not over-careless or covetous, Harpy-like to make a prey of his patient; Carnificis namq; est (as * Wecker notes) inter ipsos cruciatus ingens precium exposcere, as an hungry Chirurgion often produces and wier-draws his cure, so long as there is any hope of pay, "Non missura cutem, nisi plena cruoris hirudo." Many of them, to get a fee, will give Physick to every one that comes, when there is no cause, and they do so irritare silentem morbum, as Heurnius complaines, stir up a silent disease, as it often falleth out, which by good counsel, good advice alone, might have been happily composed, or by rectification of those six non-naturall things otherwise cured. This is Naturæ bellum inferre, to oppugne nature, and to make a strong body weak. Arnoldus in his 8 and 11 Aphorismes gives cautions against, and expressely forbiddeth it. "A wise Phycian will not give Physick, but upon necessity, and first try medicinall diet, before he proceed to medicinall cure." m In ano ther place he laughs those men to scorne, that think longis syrupis expugnare dæmones & animi phantasmata, they can purge phantasticall imaginations and the divel by physick. Another caution is, that they proceed upon good grounds, if so be there be need of Physick, and not mistake the disease; they are often deceived by the similitude of symptomes, saith Heurnius, and I could give instance in many Consultations, wherein they have prescribed opposite Physick. Sometimes they go too perfunctorily to work, in not prescribing a just course of Physick: To stir up the humor, and not to purge it, doth often more harme then good. Montanus consil. 30. inveighs against such perturbations, "that purge to the halfes, tire nature, and molest the body to no purpose." 'Tis a crabbed humor to purge, and as Laurentius calls this disease, the reproach of Physicians: Bessardus, flagellum medicorum, their lash; and for *Antid. gen. lib 3. cap. 2. Quod sæpe evenit. lib. 3. cap. 1, cum non sit necessitas. Frustra fatigant remediis ægros, qui victus ratione curari possunt, Heurnius. 1 Modestus & sapiens medicus, nunquam properabit ad pharmacum, nisi cogente necessitate, 41 Aphor. prudens & pius med.cus cib s prius medicinal. quam medicinis puris morbum expellere satagat. m Brev. 1. c, 18. Similitudo sæpe bonis medicis imponit. Qui melancholicis præbent remedia non satis valida Longiores morbi imprimis solertiam medici postu lant & fidelitatem, qui enim tumultuariò hos tractant, vires absq; ullo commodo lædunt & frangunt, &c, Hh2 that that cause, more carefully to be respected. Though the patient be averse, saith Laurentius, desire help, and refuse it again, though he neglect his own health, it behoves a good Physician not to leave him helpless. But most part they offend in that other extreme, they prescribe too much physick, and tire out their bodies with continual potions, to no purpose. Etius tetrabib. 2. 2. ser. cap. 90. will have them by all means therefore" to give some respite to nature," to leave off now and then; and Lælius à Fonte Eugubinus in his consultations, found it (as he there witnesseth) often verified by experience, " that after a deal of Physick to no purpose, left to themselves, they have recovered." 'Tis that which Nic. Piso, Donatus Altomarus, still inculcate, dare requiem Naturæ, to give na ture rest. WHEN SUBSECT. II. Concerning the Patient. THEN these precedent cautions are accurately kept, and that we have now got a skilfull, an honest Physician to our minde, if his patient will not be conformable, and content to be ruled by him, all his endevours will come to no good end. Many things are necessarily to be observed and continued on the patient's behalf; First that he be not too niggardly miserable of his purse, or think it too much he bestows upon himself, and to save charges endanger his health. The Abderites, when they sent for Hippocrates, promised him what reward he would, "all the gold they had, if all the city were gold he should have it." Naaman the Syrian, when he went into Israel to Elisha to be cured of his leprosy, took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten change of rayments, (2 Kings 5. 5.) Another thing is, that out of bashfulness he do not conceal his grief; if ought trouble his minde, let him freely disclose it, ** "Stultorum incurata pudor malus ulcera celat :" by that means he procures to himself much mischief, and runs into a greater inconvenience: He must be willing to be cured, and earnestly desire it. Pars sanitatis velle sanari fuit. (Seneca) 'Tis a part of his cure to wish his own health; and not to defer it too long. ". Qui blandiendo dulce nutrivit malum, P Naturæ remissionem dare oportet. Et Pleriq; hoc morbo medicina nihil *Abderitani ep. Hippoc. * Quicquid auri apud nos est, libenter persolvemus, etiamsi tota urbs nostra au rum esset. • Seneca. Helleboruin Helleborum frustra cum jam cutis ægra tumebit, by this means many times, or through their ignorance in not taking notice of their grievance and danger of it, contempt, supine negligence, extenuation, wretchedness and peevishness; they undo themselves. The Citizens, I know not of what City now, when rumor was brought their enemies were coming, could not abide to hear it; and when the plague begins in many places and they certainly know it, they command silence and hush it up; but after they see their foes now marching to their gates, and ready to surprize them, they begin to fortifie and resist when 'tis too late; when the sickness breaks out and can be no longer concealed, then they lament their supine negligence: 'tis no otherwise with these men. And often out of prejudice, a loathing, and distaste of Physick, they had rather dy, or do worse, then take any of it."Barbarous immanity (Melancthon termes it) and folly to be deplored, so to contemn the precepts of health, good remedies, and voluntarily to pull death, and many maladies upon their own heads." Though many again are in that other extreme too profuse, suspicious, and jealous of their health, too apt to take physick on every small occasion, to aggravate every slender passion, imperfection, impediment: if their finger do but ake, run, ride, send for a physician, as many Gentlewomen do, that are sick, without a cause, even when they will themselves, upon every toy or small discontent, and when he comes, they make it worse then it is, by amplifying that which is not. Hier. Cappivaccius sets it down as a common fault of all "melancholy persons, to say their symptomes are greater then they are, to help themselves." And which y Mercurialis notes, consil. 53. to be more troublesome to their Physicians, then other ordinary patients, that they may have change of physick." A third thing to be required in a Patient, is confidence, to be of good chear, and have sure hope that his Physician can help him. Damascen the Arabian requires likewise in the Per. 3. Sat. "De anima. Barbara tamen immanitate, & deploranda inscitia contemnunt præcepta sanitatis, mortem & morbos ultro accersunt. Consul. 173. è Scoltzio Melanch. Agrorum hoc fere proprium est, ut graviora dicant esse symptomata, quam revera sunt. y Melancholici plerumq; medicis sunt molesti, ut alia alus adjungant. Oportet infirmo imprimere salutem, utcunque promittere, etsi ipse desperet. Nullum medicamentum efficax, nisi medicus etiam fuerit fortis imaginationis. Hh3 Physician a Physician himself, that he be confident he can cure him, otherwise his physick will not be effectuall, and promise withall that he will certainly help him, make him beleeve so at least. Galeottus gives this reason, because the forme of health is contained in the Physician's minde, and as Galen holds "confidence and hope to be more good then physick," he cures most in whom most are confident. Axiocus sick almost to death, at the very sight of Socrates recovered his former health. Paracelsus assignes it for an only cause, why Hippocrates was so fortunate in his cures, not for any extraordinary skill he had; but "because the common people had a most strong conceipt of his worth." To this of confidence we may adde perseverance, obedience, and constancie, not to change his Physician, or dislike him upon every toy; for he that so doth (saith Janus Damascen)" or consults with many, falls into many errours; or that useth many medicines." It was a chief caveat of Seneca to his friend Lucilius, that he should not alter his Physician, or prescribed physick: "Nothing hinders health more; a wound can never be cured that hath severall plasters." Crato consil. 186. taxeth all melancholy persons of this fault: "Tis proper to them, if things fall not out to their minde, and that they have not present ease, to seek another, and another;" (as they do commonly that have sore eyes) twenty, one after another, and they still promise all to cure them, try a thousand remedies; and by this means they increase their malady, make it most dangerous and difficil to be cured. They try many (saith & Montanus) and profit by none:" and for this cause, consil. 24. he injoyns his patient before he take him in hand,h perseverance and sufferance, for in such a small time no great matter can be effected, and upon that condition he will administer physick, otherwise all his endevour and counsell would be to small purpose." And in his 31. counsell for a notable Matron, he tells her, "if she will be cured, she must be of a most abiding patience, faithfull obedience, and singular perseverance; if she remit, or despair, she can expect or hope for no good success." Consil. 230. for an Italian Abbot, he makes it one of the greatest reasons, why this disease is a De promise. doct. cap. 15. Quoniam sanitatis formam animi medici contipent. Spes & confidentia, plus valent quam medicina. < Fælicior in medicina ob fidem Ethnicorum. Aphoris 89. Eger qui plurimos consulit medicos, plerumq; in errorem singulorum cadit. Nihil ita sanitatem impedit, ac remediorum crebra mutatio, nec venit vulnus ad cicatricem in quo diversa medicamenta tentantur. f Melancholicorum proprium, quum ex eoru arbitrio non fit subita mutatio in melius, alterare medicos qui quidvis, &c. Consil. 31. Dum ad varia se conferunt, nullo prosunt. Imprimis hoc statuere oportet, requiri perseverantiam, & tolerantiam. Exiguo enim tempore nihil ex, &c. Si curari vult, opus est pertinaci perseverantia, fideli obedientia, & patientia singulari, si tædet aut desperet, nullum habcbit effectum.. SQ so incurable," because the parties are so restless, and impatient, and will therefore have him that intends to be eased, to take physick, not for a moneth, a year, but to apply himself to their prescriptions all the dayes of his life." Last of all, it is required that the patient be not too bold to practise upon himself, without an approved physician's consent, or to try conclusions, if he read a receipt in a book; for so, many grosly mistake, and do themselves more harme then good. That which is conducing to one man, in one case, the same time is opposite to another. * An Asse and a Mule went laden over a brook, the one with salt, the other with wool: the Mule's pack was wet by chance, the salt melted, his burden the lighter, and he thereby much eased: He told the Asse, who, thinking to speed as well, wet his packe likewise at the next water, but it was much the heavier, he quite tired. So one thing may be good and bad to severall parties, upon divers occasions." Many things (saith Penottus) are written in our books, which seem to the Reader to be excellent remedies, but they that make use of them, are often deceived, and take for Physick poyson." I remember in Valleriola's observations, a story of one John Baptist a Neopolitan, that finding by chance a pamphlet in Italian, written in praise of Hellebor, would needs adventure on himself, and tooke one dram for one scruple, and had not he been sent for, the poor fellow had poysoned himself. From whence he concludes out of Damascenus 2. & 3. Aphoris. "" that without exquisite knowledge, to work out of bookes is most dangerous: how unsavourie a thing it is to beleeve Writers, and take upon trust, as this patient perceived by his own perill." I could recite such another example of mine own knowledge, of a friend of mine, that finding a receipt in Brassivola, would needs take Hellebor in substance, and try it on his own person; but had not some of his familiars come to visit him by chance, he had by his indiscretion hazarded himself: many such I have observed. These are those ordinary cautions, which I should thinke fit to be noted, and he that shall keep them, as Montanus saith, shall surely be much eased, if not throughly cured, Ægritudine amittunt patientiam, & inde morbi incurabiles. 1 Non ad mensem aut annum, sed opportet toto vitæ curriculo curationi operam dare. * Camerarius emb. 55. cent. 2. Præfat. de nar. med. In libellis quæ vulgo versantur apud literatos, incautiores multa legunt, à quibus decipiuntur, eximia illis, sed portentosum hauriunt venenum. Operari ex libris, absq; cognitione & solerti ingenio, periculosum est. Unde monemur, quam ins pidum scriptis authoribus credere, quod hic suo didicit periculo. Consil. 23. hæc omnia si quo ordine decet egerit, vel curabitur, vel certe minus afficietur. |