THE _VIRGIN-DISEASE, is a Change of the natural Colour of the Face into a pallid greenish Tincture; with a Dejection of Strength, Gravity of all the Members and Parts of the Body, Fastidy of Victuals, Malacia or Pica, Heaviness and Palpitation of Heart, Difficulty of Breathing, a slow Fever, Pains of the Head, Melancholy, Inflations, and Oedematous Tumours of the Feet, Legs, Eye-lids, and the whole Face; with a frigid Intemperature, and Cachexy of the whole Body; proceeding from a deprav’d Nutrition, and the abundance of crude Humours, ingender’d from a perverse Disposition of the_ LIVER, SPLEEN, _or_ VENTRICLE.
HENCE proceed the _OBSTRUCTIONS_ of the _Uterine Vessels_, and neighbouring _Parts_, of the _Veins_ of the _LIVER_, and _SPLEEN_; but especially, of the _MESENTERY_: So that the _natural Calidity_ of the whole _Body_ being thus suffocated, and oppressed, by those _crude Humours_, an Irregularity, or Suppression of the _MENSTRUA_, must needs ensue.
BY this _Definition_, the _DISEASE_ may easily be known; tho’ in some _Circumstances_, it may differ, according to the different _Quality_ of the predominant _Humour_: Especially considering, that if all the foremention’d _Signs_, or _Symptoms_, do not concur in all _PATIENTS_; yet _Most_ of them commonly do happen in most _Persons_, and ALL in _Some_. Whence I come _methodically_ to denote more particularly its CAUSES.
IN order to which, I may justly premise, that the _Proximous Cause_ is a _Collection_ of deprav’d _crude Humours_ in the Body: As the _Remote Cause_, is a _Suppression_, or _Irregularity_ in the Course of the _Menstruous Blood_.
NOW this _Blood_ flowing to the WOMB, as soon as the _VIRGIN_ is _Mature_; if the _Passages_ are not capacious or patent enough, it _regorges_ to the _Major Veins_, and thence to the very BOWELS; extinguishing the _Heat_, and obstructing the _Vessels_ of the _LIVER_, _SPLEEN_, and _MESENTERY_: From whence proceeds a vicious _Concoction_ and _Sanguification_; and consequently a _Collection of crude Humours_, which excite various _Symptoms_ thro’ all Parts of the Body. And it commonly happens, that an irregular or improper _Way of Living_, especially about the Time of _Puberty_, or in the Time of the _natural Course_, engenders a pituitous and viscid _Blood_; which, together with the aforesaid _Humours_, totally obstructs the _Uterine Vessels_.