Abhomeron Abynzohar & Colliget Auerroys (Medical Compendium)

This same sickness arises from other sicknesses and their causes; wherefore we refute those that happen to them. But after it has been confirmed in the brain, it requires special and proper care. And this sickness happens either from acute and biting humors existing in the stomach, from which fumes and vapors are released, which, ascending to the brain, collect therein; or it arises from a very acute, most hot, and strong fever, which causes fumosities to ascend to the head; or from the strong quality of the sun; or from other causes making or creating an immense heat. Wherefore, if the sickness is infirm and its accidents are fixed and remaining, it requires special care. But if the sickness is not confirmed nor fixed, its remote cause is removed. Whence, in that which is caused by the heat of the sun, it suffices for you to apply to the head itself rose oil, in which roses have been steeped many times, and cooled in a well, repeating this many times and frequently, and thus it will be entirely liberated. But if it has been created from fiery heat from acute and very hot humors existing in the stomach, the aforementioned care will not suffice, but it is necessary that you be diligent in cooling the stomach. Wherefore, if the aforesaid humors are in the concavity of the stomach, evacuate them through vomiting, and then the cause will be removed. And if it has been from fiery heat created by intensive fevers, whether they are occluded and inseparable, or not, then in all ways it is necessary for you to cool its complexion with great caution and study, for the reason that if the fever is from putrefaction, and you multiply cooling agents in its treatment, you will thicken the matter. And even if you were as excellent in medical science as was Archilinus, you could not fully break a putrid fever only with cold things without injury and harm to the innate heat, if you do this with the power of the primary virtues or operations. And if you cool temperately, it will be possible that you break the strength of the fever without harm to the innate heat. And also, you should not exercise these cold things temperately except after the opening of the obstruction with things that are thinning, incisive, and digestive of the humor. And those things which perform this operation are hot medicines, since the operation of hot things aids in the preservation of natural heat, and increases it, and removes the root of putrefaction. And these things cannot be done with the aforesaid temperately cold medicines unless you mix with them incisive and opening things, and we do this not so that we may heat the nature, since it is superfluously hot, but we intend to remove the cause of the putrefaction by opening the obstructions and thinning and cutting the humors. But if you intend to break the strength of the unnatural heat without putrefaction, do it with cooling medicines that do not transcend the limit of the second degree. And be content in these, especially in this sickness. And to mix vinegar with these medicines is very useful, since it is a vehicle and carrier of other medicines to the limbs to which they could not pass at all without it. And it is necessary that these medicines be cold in act and power; the potential coldness of them is not sufficient unless you cool them by placing them in cold air, namely in a cold well, or in the wind. And when the sickness is present, place a piece of linen moistened in snow upon his head. And do not consign to oblivion that the brain, insofar as it is the brain, is of a cold complexion, and because of this it cannot sustain actual coldness in excess, as other limbs that are not cold can. And be mindful that other very bad accidents to the brain itself can arise from superfluous coldness, and for that reason, you should not superfluously iterate cold things in excess upon it. And you shall give him to drink rose water and citron water, the parts of which are equal, with a fourth part of them being vinegar; and with this drink you can also place a crumb of bread washed for eating. And it will be to him a very useful food and medicine, and far from all putrefaction. And if this [apoplexy] has been from a cause or sickness of some other nervous limb, it cannot be removed in any way unless the cause is removed. And if it has been from an aposteme visible and appearing in some part of the body, and the sick person has not been in the beginning of his phlebotomy, you shall apply to the location this plaster: Take of chamomile flowers, linseed powder, and barley flour, and mix with rose oil. And if with this it is dissolved, it is good, which you ought to use. But if the said aposteme has arrived at pus, study the maturation of the same, and afterwards open it, evacuating the pus. And once the opening is made with the evacuation of the pus, the accidents are removed. And what remains after the opening, study to digest with a crumb of white bread kneaded with the decoction of rams' trotters. But if the aforesaid aposteme has not arrived at pus, then first you must fomented it, and afterwards you must intend towards the resolution, breaking the heat of them with the aforesaid, adding to the aforesaid plaster stoechas and eryngo roots, since stoechas is found to be of admirable efficacy in this case. And now the cure of this sickness has been sufficiently declared to you, which is very useful for all fevers with which there is an aposteme, whether it be inside or outside. And let their food be barley gruel or clear panada, or a crumb of bread washed many times, taking barley water as a drink.

Chapter XV. Which is concerning the privation of the intellect from coldness.

The intellect is certainly perturbed from a cold and dry bad complexion when it is already fixed and rooted in the very substance of the brain. And from it occurs sleeplessness; just as of necessity shadows or darkness are found to be in the time of rain, which is to be helped by placing rose oil upon the head of the patient in great quantity. And also you ought to apply of the same in his nostrils and ears. And bathe him in tepid, sweet water, inducing joy in him with all your power, and provide him all rest and gentleness, distancing him from women. And make him smell bugloss and aromatic apples. And do not forget with all this to purge him from cold and dry humor, and this you can do with fresh polypody, very well broken, placing it to cook with an old cock, whose legs are broken and all its other bones with their flesh are very well crushed in sweet water with a little oil and salt and fresh coriander. And when it has been very thoroughly decocted, it should be filtered by squeezing strongly, and in that decoction, again boil one ounce of fresh polypody, and afterwards filter, and give that to the sick person to drink while fasting. And if with this he is not purged properly, know that his sickness is of a bad disposition, wherefore it behooves you to return to purging him with the aforesaid laxative medicines that purge melancholy.

Chapter XVI. Which is concerning mania.

This sickness, namely mania and the destruction of the intellect, happens from a bad complexion of vapors ascending to the head, whether they be hot or cold. And if the cause is hot, they are entirely without fear, and especially if dryness is associated with the heat. But if the said bad complexion is universal to the whole body, so that it is ingrained and rooted in the heart, then when his blood boils, mania is rendered very bad and strong. And if the mania persists until the sick person arrives at a fear of water and flees from it, his death is near. And these things happen to many animals, namely lions, dogs, horses, mules, and donkeys; and it has already happened that a certain mule wanted to bite a certain man, and the man turned to flight, going along a narrow path, and the mule was following him, who, when he had arrived at the entrance of a narrow and short lane, fixed himself therein. And since he could not exit because of the narrowness and shortness, he died therein. And this sickness is transferred from one animal to another of the same species, and also of a different species, and this happens according to the preparation of the complexion and nature of each one to receive the said bad complexion, just as it appears in the branches of trees, which are large trees; and also oil receives the operation of fire sooner by its complexion and its nature than does firewood, which is cold. And in this mania a certain wonder is found, because if a large quantity of the urine of this [creature] is collected in a glass urinal, you will see that the urine will be clarified, and without...