242 CULPEPER’s ‘ENGLISH PHYSICIAN, 
_ food, fuch as jellies; broths, oyfters; and all agglutinating meats, arethe moft effece 
tual meansiof obtaining a:cure. : ok 
There is a certain occult and fecret {pecies ap barrennefs, that cannot be attributed 
to any,of the caufes before affigned,. or indeed to any vifible caufe at all. © This 
happens when no. manner of defeét is difcoverable, on the fide either of the male or 
female, and yet they fhall, againft their inclinations, remain without iffue. Many 
_ odd conjectures haye been ftarted on this account, concerning the poffible caufes of 
tterility, v when.nejther perfon appears tobe in fault.. Some fuperftitious people have 
imputed it to forcery, and recourfe has been had to incantations, amulets, charms, 
and magic rites; in order to the.cure. But people of underftanding give no heed to 
fuch fables, being fatisfied, . that. when both parties are of fuitable years) brifk, and 
not labouring under any apparent weaknefs or indifpofition, if fertility do not fols 
low their nuptial intercourfe, there muft be fome real and mechanical reafon for it, 
though not apparent to the fenfes, When there appears no deficiency-or defect in - 
either the man or woman, and none of the before-mentioned caufes of barrennefs 
- exift, we mpft then recur to the real phyfical caufe,, which is confidered. and under - 
: ftood by very few. Itis what is called the temperament, conptitution, or complexion ; if ~ 
the: man. bé ‘of a-hot temperament, the woman, fhould be of a cold one; if he be of | 
“the dry temperament, the fhould be of the moift: but, if both be of a dry or both 
: of: a moift conftitution, they cannot propagate, though neither may be barren, fingly 
onfidered, and, if joined with an apt conftitution, might both become fruitful. 
It muft fall under every one’s obfervation, that both women and men,. who marry 
more than once,. will have children by one marriage, and not by another; which. 
will certainly confirm what is above afferted. And again, there are other caufes 
cS anataste, much more aerate and occult, than .the foregcite, whereby men y ali 
( ve ) way vbbasiaat to procreation. 3 ‘This vanke fottered in the ‘mother’s womb, 
: . having i its root in the conftruction of. the zodiacal figns and planetary influence 
4 er which Ssgeaneke is wares and nourifhed; is di incurable. So like. 
Sun 1 be. nes oie ‘the Moon; in cche : 
er at Mars and 1 Ven irradiate the fame, i in marsala figns, 
: zg eeheper onl bie the women fo bern will have a 
eternatural and mixed, but, if Mars and Venus be contti- 
= ne m aantier if feminine figns, the men will be fubje& to a mix-— 
sG cure os fex, and tes women to Be aes and violent luft. All thefe fpecula- 
tions,_ 
