ABSTRACT
Now it hath already been shewn above in respect of the spleen, that, by means of its veins, it draweth away the scum (or, impurity) of the blood, namely, the black bile, from the liver, and that it sendeth a little of it into the stomach, as thou mayest see from the desire for food [which is in] the stomach. This organ is situated on the left side, below those ribs called the "alien (t'. e., external) ribs", and it is surrounded, with the belly and with the membrane that envelopeth the intestines, by the arteries that nourish it, and with its diseases are associated constantly the liver, and the stomach, and the kidneys. Now, from the things that have already been said about the liver and the gall, it is easy for us to discover by what signs it may be known that the spleen is diseased, and also from the fact that the ulcers that arise therein are easily known by the touch; but because it hath the greater number of them in conjunction with the liver, for this reason they become large, and diminish and change. In the disease caused by the
Fol. x8gb. weakness of the spleen, the colour of the whole body \ inclineth to black, because its natural function is to draw away and to absorb from the liver the chyme of black bile; for by this, it seemeth, it is nourished. When, then, the absorbing power of the spleen is weakened, because this black bile is not cleared away, it goeth up from the liver into the whole body, and because of this the colour of those who suffer from disease of the spleen becometh black. Moreover, it poureth out ofttimes a superfluity of black bile, just as the liver doth in certain vomitings and retchings when it poureth out the blood of black
bile; similarly also it goeth downwards to the bowels, and if the black bile is not emptied out in some such manner, a change of mind (i.e., mental derangement) taketh place, and it produceth sickness and distress. There are occasions when it also produceth a violent desire for food, especially when the excess of black bile that cometh into the belly I is sharply Page 395 acid [in taste]. Sometimes, however, it effecteth the destruction of the craving for meats, and when it happeneth that the blood is destroyed and putrid, the patient loatheth them. When the spleen becometh hard it produceth dropsy, because the liver suffereth in sympathy with it, as we have already said above. Moreover, when both the liver and the spleen are diseased, the diseases of jaundice appear, and the colour of the sufferers inclineth so much to black, that thou mightest think that the red bile had been mixed with a certain quantity of soot. Thus certain physicians have thought that the liver was not diseased in jaundices of this kind, and therefore they enquired how jaundices could arise sometimes through the spleen. Similarly, certain other physicians thought that, without disease of the liver, men could become dropsical, because the spleen alone was hard. Let them, however, keep to their enquiry as to jaundices. And also as concerning the dropsy that ariseth in acute illnesses, in some of these the liver suffered so violently through the hot change of condition, and perhaps also through the dry change of condition, that it was unable to change food into blood, and yet even in such I illnesses these physicians Fol. 19oa. would not believe that the liver was diseased. If, because there is no ulcer whatsoever in the liver, they think that it cannot be diseased, let them consider that there is no other member which is diseased in those who have suddenly drunk very cold water, and have been attacked through this by dropsy. Now, that cold water, drunk in this manner, doth from time to time injure other members, and other members of the internal group, is well known; sometimes it injureth one more than its neighbour, and sometimes it attacketh one before it attacketh its neighbour to such an extent because it happeneth that one member is found to be weaker than its neighbour at that time. But if dropsy is about to arise, it is necessary for the cold to
Page 396 go up from the member that is injured I to the liver. Thus sometimes dropsy ariseth because of the spleen itself, or when it becometh chilled in conjunction with an ulcer of some kind, as, for example, when it is exceedingly hard; or also without an ulcer, when it becometh chilled through the drinking of cold water suddenly and unseasonably. Now, disease and derangement of the mind, which are closely connected with insanity, arise when any excess of black bile of this kind is transferred to the mouth of the belly, a fact which hath already been mentioned by us in the section treating of the mouth of the belly. It is therefore not meet to say anything more about it here, because the organic ailments, which take place therein, do not need mental symptoms [to reveal their existence]. As concerning the other diseases, which take place in the spleen through a change of condition, their symptoms are well known from the things that have been said [here], and also from those things that have been said in the sections that treat of the liver. Some of them have been described with exactness and have been mentioned by name, and like unto these some of them have been established, and therefore the symptoms of the latter resemble those of the former. And, as we know well what the function of the spleen is, and as we have learned also what happenings are attached to the diseases thereof, it is necessary for us to approach the [considerations of the]
Fol. 19ob. operations thereof I also with great care. Now therefore also all the medicines that are bitter-with some of them those that are acid must be mixed-are good for the spleen, and, as things that are also good for it, we apply to it oil, and plasters, and draughts of oxymel. And to these we add also other kinds of medicinal draughts, which are compounded with drugs that are well known to be good for it, and that do not heat it overmuch, and that do cut and destroy the various kinds of thick chymes that arise in it.
