OF THE DISEASES OF THE KIDNEYS, AND THEIR CURE.
But where the kidneys are affected, the disorder continues long. It is worse if attended with a frequent bilious vomiting. It is proper to rest; to lie soft; to open the belly; and even to give a clyster if it will not do without it; to sit down often in warm water; to take neither meat nor drink cold; to abstain from every thing salt, acrimonious, acid, and fruit of the apple kind; to drink freely; to add sometimes to the meat, and sometimes to the drink, pepper, leeks, ferula(25), white poppies, which usually cause a great discharge of urine from the kidneys.
If they be ulcerated, and the ulcers are to be cleansed, the remedy is sixty seeds of cucumber blanched, fifteen kernels of the wild pine, as much anise as can be held betwixt three fingers, a little saffron; all these powdered, and divided into two draughts of mulse.
If the pain only is to be relieved, _the medicine is_ thirty seeds of cucumber, and twenty of the kernels mentioned before, five sweet almonds, a little saffron powdered, and given to drink with milk. And besides these it is proper to apply some malagmas; especially such as are fit for drawing out moisture.
From the bowels we proceed to the intestines, which are obnoxious both to acute and chronic distempers. And first of all we shall make mention of the cholera; because that seems at once to affect equally the stomach and intestines. For at the same time there is both a purging and vomiting: besides these, there are flatulencies, the intestines are racked, bile is forced both upwards and downwards, first resembling water, then as if fresh meat had been washed in it, sometimes white, sometimes black, or variously coloured. Upon this account the Greeks gave this distemper the name of cholera[CX]. And besides what we have taken notice of already, the legs and hands too are often contracted, thirst torments, and there are faintings. Where all these concur, it is not to be wondered, if the patient die suddenly. And nevertheless there is no distemper obviated with less trouble.
Wherefore upon the first appearance of these symptoms it is proper to drink plenty of tepid water and to vomit. That scarce ever fails to vomit: but although it miscarries in that, yet it is of use to mix new matter with the corrupted; and it is a step in the recovery, if the vomiting be stopped. If that happens, all drink must immediately be abstained from. But if there be bloody stools, it is fit to bathe the stomach with something cold, or if the belly be pained, with the same egelid, the belly itself being assisted by medicines moderately warm. But if the vomiting, and purging, and thirst, all at once torment greatly, and what is vomited is yet somewhat crude, it is not a proper time to give wine: water must be given, and that not cold, but rather egelid. And penny-royal with vinegar must be applied to the nostrils, or polenta sprinkled with wine, or mint, or what is _comfortable or refreshing_ to nature(26).