hin 
AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 
381 
Of Medicines appropriated to the brain. 
Before we treat of medicines appropri- 
ated 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 appre- 
_hension, judgment, and memory, the origi- 
nal of sense and motion, is by nature tem- 
perate, 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 medi- 
cines, 
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 medi- 
| cines as very gently warm, cleanse, cut, and 
dry: but withal, let them be such as are 
appropriated to the head, such as physi- 
cians 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 pun- 
ishes a man with watching and headache, 
as the former did with sottishness and sleepi- 
ness, 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 medi- 
cines 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 strengthen- 
ing 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, ob- 
serve, 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 Cephalies 
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 dis- 
ease 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 multipli- 
city 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 trou- 
blesome 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 vir- 
tue, into the reason which no man can dive, _ 
unless they should fetch it from the simili- 
