AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 380 



as are loosening, and such as are emolient. ; Their use is various, viz. 



are both of them hot and moist. , Use 1. That the bowels may be disbur- 



To that, thus : stretching and loosening \ dened of corrupt humours, 

 are ascribed to the moveable parts of the ; 2. Outwardly used, by them the offend- 

 body, as to the muscles and their tendons, \ ing humour (I should have said the peccant 

 to the ligaments and Membrane; but soft- 1 humour, had 1 written only to scholars,) is 

 ness and hardness to such parts of the body j called from the internal parts of the bodv 



ic'i. .1.11 J Till 1 * . 1 (* * 



as may be felt with the hand : I shall make 

 dear by a similitude, Wax is softened, being 

 hard, but Fiddle-strings are loosened being 



to the superfices. 



3. By them the crisis of a disease is much 

 helped forward. 



stretched. And if you say that the dif-| 4. They are exceedingly profitable to draw 

 ference lying only in the parts of the body \ forth poison out of the body. 

 is no true difference, then take notice, that ! 5. Parts of the body over cooled are 

 such medicines which loosen, are less hot, j cured by these medicines, viz. by applying 

 and more moistening, than such as soften, j them outwardly to the place, not only be- 

 for they operate most by heat, these by cause they heat, but also because they draw 

 moisture. the spirits by which life and heat are 



The truth is, I am of opinion the dif- cherished, to the part of the body vvhich is 

 ference is not much, nay, scarce sensible, j destitute of them : you cannot but know 

 between emolient and loosening medicines ; | that many times parts of the body fall away 

 only I quoted this in a chapter by itself, j in flesh, and their strength decays, as in 

 not so much because some authors do, as; some persons arms or legs, or the like, the 

 because it conduceth to the increase of i usual reason is, because the vital spirit 

 knowledge in physic, for want of which, this j decays in those parts, to which use such 

 poor nation is almost spoiled. \ plaisters or ointments asareattractive(which 



The chief use of loosening medicines isjis the physical term for drawing medicines) 

 in convulsions and cramps, and such like! for they do not only cherish the parts by 

 infirmities which cause distentioh or stretch- their own proper heat, but draw the vital 

 ing. and natural spirits thither, whereby they 



They are known by the very same marks j are both quickened and nourished. 

 and tokens that emolient medicines are. They are known almost by the same 



\ tokens that attenuating medicines are, see- 



neat ' an( ^ tnmness f P arts ' s m lncm 



TV ' 



tlAr hit IV. , both, they differ only in respect of quantity, 



Of drawing Medicines. \ thinness of parts being most proper to at- 



The opinion of physicians is, concerning ; tenuating medicines, but attractive medi- 

 these, as it is concerning other medicines, ; fines are hotter. 

 viz. Some draw by a manifest quality, some i _ 



by a hidden, arid so (quoth they) they draw j 4PTFR V 



to themselves both humours and thorns, or | 



splinters that are gotten into the flesh ; how- j Of discttssive Medicines. 



ever this is certain, they are all of them hot, j The nature of discussing (or sweating) 

 and of thin parts; hot because the nature; medicines is almost the same with attractive, 

 of heat is to draw off thin parts that so they > for there are no discussive medicines but 

 may penetrate to the humours that are to j are attractive, nor scarce any attractive 

 to be drawn out. i medicine but is in some measure or other 



