<SPAN name="VADEMECUM_PART_I_CHAPTER_IX"id="VADEMECUM_PART_I_CHAPTER_IX"></SPAN>
<h2>CHAPTER IX</h2>
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<p><i>Of the Green-Sickness in Virgins, with its causes, signs and
cures; together with the chief occasions of Barrenness in Women,
and the Means to remove the Cause, and render them
fruitful</i>.</p>
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<p>The green-sickness is so common a complaint amongst virgins,
especially those of a phlegmatic complexion, that it is easily
discerned, showing itself by discolouring the face, making it look
green, pale, and of a dusty colour, proceeding from raw and
indigested humours; nor doth <!-- Page 59 --> it only appear to the eye, but sensibly affects the
person with difficulty of breathing, pains in the head, palpitation
of the heart, with unusual beatings and small throbbings of the
arteries in the temples, back and neck, which often cast them into
fevers when the humour is over vicious; also loathing of meat and
the distention of the hypochondriac part, by reason of the
inordinate effluxion of the menstruous blood of the greater
vessels; and from the abundance of humours, the whole body is often
troubled with swellings, or at least the thighs, legs and ankles,
all above the heels; there is also a weariness of the body without
any reason for it.</p>
<p>The Galenical physicians affirm, that this distemper proceeds
from the womb; occasioned by the gross, vicious and rude humours
arising from several inward causes; but there are also outward
causes which have a share in the production of it; as taking cold
in the feet, drinking of water, intemperance of diet, eating things
contrary to nature, viz., raw or burnt flesh, ashes, coals, old
shoes, chalk, wax, nutshells, mortar, lime, oatmeal, tobacco pipes,
etc., which occasion both a suppression of the menses and
obstructions through the whole body; therefore, the first thing
necessary to vindicate the cause, is matrimonial conjunction,
<!-- Page 60 --> and such
copulation as may prove satisfactory to her that is afflicted, for
then the menses will begin to flow according to their natural and
due course, and the humours being dispersed, will soon waste
themselves; and then no more matter being admitted to increase
them, they will vanish and a good temperament of body will return;
but in case this best remedy cannot be had soon enough, then let
blood in the ankles, and if she be about sixteen, you may likewise
do it in the arm, but let her be bled sparingly, especially if the
blood be good. If the disease be of any continuance, then it is to
be eradicated by purging, preparation of the humour being first
considered, which may be done by the virgin's drinking the
decoction of guaiacum, with dittany of erete; but the best purge in
this case ought to be made of aloes, agaric, senna, rhubarb; and
for strengthening the bowels and removing obstructions, chaly-beate
medicines are chiefly to be used. The diet must be moderate, and
sharp things by all means avoided.</p>
<p>And now, since barrenness daily creates discontent, and that
discontent breeds indifference between man and wife, or, by
immediate grief, frequently casts the woman into one or another
distemper, I shall in the next place treat thereof.</p>
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<h3>OF BARRENNESS.</h3>
<p><!-- Page 61 --> Formerly,
before women came to the marriage-bed, they were first searched by
the mid-wife, and those only which she allowed of as fruitful were
admitted. I hope, therefore, it will not be amiss to show you how
they may prove themselves and turn barren ground into fruitful
soil. Barrenness is a deprivation of the life and power which ought
to be in the seed to procreate and propagate; for which end men and
women were made. Causes of barrenness may be over much cold or
heat, drying up the seed and corrupting it, which extinguishes the
life of the seed, making it waterish and unfit for generation. It
may be caused also, by the not flowing or over-flowing of the
courses by swellings, ulcers, and inflammation of the womb, by an
excrescence of flesh growing about the mouth of the matrix, by the
mouth of the matrix being turned up to the back or side by the
fatness of the body, whereby the mouth of the matrix is closed up,
being pressed with the omentum or caul, and the matter of the seed
is turned to fat; if she be a lean and dry body, and though she do
conceive, yet the fruit of her body will wither before it come to
perfection, for want of nourishment. One main cause of barrenness
is attributed to want of a convenient <!-- Page 62 --> moderating quality, which the woman
ought to have with the man; as, if he be hot, she must be cold; if
he be dry, she must be moist; as, if they be both dry or both moist
of constitution, they cannot propagate; and yet, simply considering
of themselves, they are not barren, for she who was before as the
barren fig-tree being joined to an apt constitution becomes as the
fruitful vine. And that a man and woman, being every way of like
constitution, cannot create, I will bring nature itself for a
testimony, who hath made man of a better constitution than woman,
that the quality of the one, may moderate the quality of the
other.</p>
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<h3>SIGNS OF BARRENNESS.</h3>
<p>If barrenness proceeds from overmuch heat, if she is a dry body,
subject to anger, has black hair, quick pulse, and her purgations
flow but little, and that with pain, she loves to play in the
courts of Venus. But if it comes by cold, then the signs are
contrary to the above mentioned. If through the evil quality of the
womb, make a suffumigation of red styrax, myrrh, cassia-wood,
nutmeg, and cinnamon; and let her receive the fumes into her womb,
covering her very close; and if the odour so received passes
through the body to the mouth <!-- Page 63 --> and nostrils, she is fruitful. But if she feels not
the fumes in her mouth and nostrils, it argues barrenness one of
these ways—that the spirit of the seed is either extinguished
through cold, or dissipated through heat. If any woman be suspected
to be unfruitful, cast natural brimstone, such as is digged out of
mines, into her urine, and if worms breed therein, she is not
barren.</p>
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<h3>PROGNOSTICS.</h3>
<p>Barrenness makes women look young, because they are free from
those pains and sorrows which other women are accustomed to. Yet
they have not the full perfection of health which other women
enjoy, because they are not rightly purged of the menstruous blood
and superfluous seed, which are the principal cause of most uterine
diseases.</p>
<p>First, the cause must be removed, the womb strengthened, and the
spirits of the seed enlivened. If the womb be over hot, take syrup
of succory, with rhubarb, syrup of violets, roses, cassia,
purslain. Take of endive, water-lilies, borage flowers, of each a
handful; rhubarb, mirobalans, of each three drachms; make a
decoction with water, and to the straining of the syrup add
electuary violets one ounce, syrup of cassia half an ounce, manna
three <!-- Page 64 --> drachms;
make a potion. Take of syrup of mugwort one ounce, syrup of
maiden-hair two ounces, pulv-elect triasand one drachm; make a
julep. Take prus. salt, elect. ros. mesua, of each three drachms,
rhubarb one scruple, and make a bolus; apply to the loins and privy
parts fomentations of the juice of lettuce, violets, roses,
malloes, vine leaves and nightshade; anoint the secret parts with
the cooling unguent of Galen.</p>
<p>If the power of the seed be extinguished by cold, take every
morning two spoonfuls of cinnamon water, with one scruple of
mithridate. Take syrup of calamint, mugwort and betony, of each one
ounce; waters of pennyroyal, feverfew, hyssop and sage, of each two
ounces; make a julep. Take oil of aniseed two scruples and a half;
diacimini, diacliathidiamosei and diagla-ongoe, of each one drachm,
sugar four ounces, with water of cinnamon, and make lozenges; take
of them a drachm and a half twice a day, two hours before meals;
fasten cupping glasses to the hips and belly. Take of styrax and
calamint one ounce, mastick, cinnamon, nutmeg, lign, aloes, and
frankincense, of each half ounce; musk, ten grains, ambergris, half
a scruple; make a confection with rosewater, divide it into four
equal parts; one part make a pomatum oderation to smell at
<!-- Page 65 --> if she be not
hysterical; of the second, make a mass of pills, and let her take
three every other night: of the third make a pessary, dip it in oil
of spikenard, and put it up; of the fourth, make a suffumigation
for the womb.</p>
<p>If the faculties of the womb be weakened, and the life of the
seed suffocated by over much humidity flowing to those parts: take
of betony, marjoram, mugwort, pennyroyal and balm, of each a
handful; roots of alum and fennel, of each two drachms; aniseed and
cummin, of each one drachm, with sugar and water a sufficient
quantity; make a syrup, and take three ounces every morning.</p>
<p>Purge with the following things; take of the diagnidium, two
grains, spicierum of castor, a scruple, pill foedit two scruples,
with syrup of mugwort, make six pills. Take apeo, diagem. diamoser,
diamb. of each one drachm; cinnamon, one drachm and a half; cloves,
mace and nutmeg, of each half a drachm; sugar six ounces, with
water of feverfew; make lozenges, to be taken every morning. Take
of decoction of sarsaparilla and virga aurea, not forgetting sage,
which Agrippa, wondering at its operation, has honoured with the
name of <i>sacra herba</i>, a holy herb. It is recorded by
Dodonoeus in the <i>History of Plants</i>, lib. ii. cap. 77, that
after a great mortality among the Egyptians, the surviving
<!-- Page 66 --> women, that
they might multiply quickly, were commanded to drink the juice of
sage, and to anoint the genitals with oil of aniseed and spikenard.
Take mace, nutmeg, cinnamon, styrax and amber, of each one drachm;
cloves, laudanum, of each half a drachm; turpentine, a sufficient
quantity; trochisks, to smooth the womb. Take roots of valerian and
elecampane, of each one pound; galanga, two ounces; origan
lavender, marjoram, betony, mugwort, bay leaves, calamint, of each
a handful; make an infusion with water, in which let her sit, after
she hath her courses.</p>
<p>If barrenness proceed from dryness, consuming the matter of the
seed; take every day almond milk, and goat's milk extracted with
honey, but often of the root satyrion, candied, and electuary of
diasyren. Take three wethers' heads, boil them until all the flesh
comes from the bones, then take melilot, violets, camomiles,
mercury, orchia with their roots, of each a handful; fenugreek,
linseed, valerian roots, of each one pound; let all these be
decocted in the aforesaid broth, and let the woman sit in the
decoction up to the navel.</p>
<p>If barrenness be caused by any proper effect of the womb, the
cure is set down in the second book. Sometimes the womb proves
barren where there is no impediment on either side,
<!-- Page 67 --> except only in
the manner of the act; as when in the emission of the seed, the man
is quick and the woman is slow, whereby there is not an emission of
both seeds at the same instant as the rules of conception require.
Before the acts of coition, foment the privy parts with the
decoction of betony, sage, hyssop and calamint and anoint the mouth
and neck of the womb with musk and civet.</p>
<p>The cause of barrenness being removed, let the womb be
strengthened as follows; Take of bay berries, mastic, nutmeg,
frankincense, nuts, laudanum, giapanum, of each one drachm,
styracis liquid, two scruples, cloves half a scruple, ambergris two
grains, then make a pessary with oil of spikenard.</p>
<p>Take of red roses, lapididis hoematis, white frankincense, of
each half an ounce. Dragon's blood, fine bole, mastic, of each two
drachms; nutmeg, cloves, of each one drachm; spikenard, half a
scruple, with oil of wormwood; make a plaster for the lower part of
the belly, then let her eat candied eringo root, and make an
injection only of the roots of satyrion.</p>
<p>The aptest time for conception is instantly after the menses
have ceased, because then the womb is thirsty and dry, apt both to
draw the seed and return it, by the roughness of the inward
surface, and besides, in some, the mouth <!-- Page 68 --> of the womb is turned into the back or
side, and is not placed right until the last day of the
courses.</p>
<p>Excess in all things is to be avoided. Lay aside all passions of
the mind, shun study and care, as things that are enemies to
conception, for if a woman conceive under such circumstances,
however wise the parents may be, the children, at best, will be but
foolish; because the mental faculties of the parents, viz., the
understanding and the rest (from whence the child derives its
reason) are, as it were, confused through the multiplicity of cares
and thought; of which we have examples in learned men, who, after
great study and care, having connection with their wives, often
beget very foolish children. A hot and moist air is most suitable,
as appears by the women in Egypt, who often bring forth three or
four children at one time.</p>
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