Of the cure of this disease, so much as belongeth to the friends and attendants to performe.

The signes of this disease, seeing they are drawne principally from the causes and Symptoms before declared shall not neede any particular discourse, especially considering the vse of them belongeth properly to the Physition, to direct him in his cure. And therefore I thinke good to ease my selfe of this labour, which would bee altogether vnprofitable to the reader.

Concerning the cure also I thinke it not meete to say more then may concerne the friends and assistants vnto the patient to looke vnto: referring Physitions workes vnto Physitions. There are some things by the friendes to bee performed vnto the patient in regard of the 61presẽt fit, & some things in regard of the cause. In the fit let the bodies bee kept 62vpright, straight laced, and the belly & throat held downe with ones hand. Rondeltius Hollerius. Let heed be taken that they hurt not themselues by biting their fingers, striking their armes & legs against hard things, &c. apply euil smels to their nostrils, and sweet smels beneath 63tie their legs hard with a garter for reuulsion sake, &c.

Out of the fit, in regard of Externall causes, remoue from them all occasions of breeding or increasing the disease: as sweet sauors, pleasant meats and drinks, much rest and slouthfulnesse, &c. Also if 64discontinuance of any thing accustomed bee the cause of this disease, bring it into custome againe: if want of any thing necessary for their health, let it be supplied, 65let their diet be sparing and vpon cooling things, let them vse much fasting and prayer, and all other meanes to pull downe their bodies: and contrariwise abstaine from egges, wine, flesh, &c. If the perturbations of the mind be any occasion hereof, let them haue their proper remedies, as anger and iealousie are to be appeased by good counsell and perswasions: hatred and malice by religious instructions, feare by incouragements, loue 66by inducing hatred, or 67by permitting them to enioy their desires, &c. Galen boasteth that he did euery yeare cure many diseases by this stratagem of moderating the perturbations of the mind by the example of Æsculapius who deuised many songs and ridiculous pastimes for that purpose. To which end also other phisitions haue vsed diuers sorts of fallacies to encounter the melancholike conceits of their patients. Cardan tels of a Gentlewoman, who finding her self vexed with many grieuous Symptoms, imagined that the Diuell was the author thereof, and by Iosephus Niger was cured by procuring her son to make her beleeue that he saw three diuels in her looking glasse, & one great one to driue them out. Another like policie Marcellus Donatus tells vs of, which a Physition vsed towardes the Countesse of Mantua, who being in that disease which we call melancholia Hyppocondriaca did verily beleeue that she was bewitched, and was cured by conueying of nayles, needles, feathers, and such like things into her close stoole when shee tooke physicke, making her beleeue that they came out of her bodie. The like there he mentioneth also out of Trallian, of a woman who did thinke that she had a serpent within her, and was cured by the like meanes.

So that if we cannot moderate these perturbations of the minde, by reason and perswasions, or by alluring their mindes another way, we may politikely confirme them in their fantasies, that wee may the better fasten some cure vpon them: Lib de incant. adiuratione, &c. as Constantinus Affricanus (if it be his booke which is inserted among Galens workes, De incantatione, adiuratione &c.) affirmeth, and practized with good successe, vpon one who was impotens ad Venerem, & thought himselfe bewitched therewith, by reading vnto him a foolish medicine out of Cleopatra, made with a crowes gall, and oyle: whereof the patient tooke so great conceit, that vpon the vse of it he presently recouered his strength and abilitie againe.

Si quis incantationem sibi prodesse confidat, qualisicũq; sit, cum tamen suu. it. li. 1. proximé citato. The like opinion is to bee helde of all those superstitious remedies which haue crept into our profession, of Charmes, Exorcismes, Cõstellations, Characters, Periapts, Amulets, Incense, Holie water, clouts crossed and folded superstitiously, repeating of a certaine number and forme of prayers or Aue Maries, offering to certaine Saintes, pissing through the wedding Ring, and a hundred such like toyes and gambols: which when they preuaile in the cure of diseases, it is not for any supernaturall vertue in them, either from God or from the diuell (although perhaps the Diuell may haue a collaterall intent or worke therein, namely to drawe vs vnto superstition) but by reason of the confident perswasion which melancholike and passionate people may haue in them: according to the saying 4. Natural. 6. of Auicen, that the confidence of the patient in the meanes vsed is oftentimes more auailable to cure diseases then all other remedies whatsoeuer.

Another course hath beene taken sometimes in these cases, by remouing the cause of these affections, or by inducing of other perturbations of a diuerse nature. Whereby as (experience teacheth vs) most grieuous diseases haue beene oftentimes cured beyond expectation.

A yong man falling out of fauour with his father, fell thereupon into the fits of the falling sicknesse, and continued long and often molested there with; vntill a reconciliation was wrought with his father: who sending him a kind letter to that effect, the yong man was presently deliuered from that fearefull disease.

A yong Maiden also vpon some passion of the minde, as it was credibly reported, fell into these fits of the Mother, and being in one of them, a Physition then present modestly put his hand vnder her cloathes to feele a windie tumor which shee then had in her backe. But a Surgeon there also present not contented with that maner of examination, offered to take vp her cloathes, and to see it bare: whereupon the Maid being greatly offended, tooke such indignation at it, as it did put her presently out of her fit.

And it is no maruel that the affections of the mind doe beare such rule in this disease, seeing we doe obserue that most commonly besides the indisposition of the bodie: here is also some Melancholike or capricious conceit ioyned withall of loue, feare, hatred, iealousie, discontentment, witchcraft, poysoning, &c. which being by policie or good instructions and perswasions remoued, the disease is easily ouercome.

Other matters of gouernment of them either in the fit or out of the fit, togither with the cure in regard of the internall causes, because they are properly belonging to the Physition, I do purposely omit.

FINIS.