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Lochner (no initial) (1684) Dissertatio. De nymphomani historia medica (Altdorfii: no

publisher).
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36 (Paris: Panckoucke), 56196.
Michaud, M. (1843) Bienville, M. D. T. In Biographie universal, Vol. 4 (Paris: Thoisnier
Desplaces), 295.
Moreau, L. (1884) Les aberrations du sens gnsique (Paris: Asselin & Houzeau).
Patin, G. (1846) Letters. Edited by J. H. Reveill-Parise, 3 vols (Paris: Baillire).
Platter, F. (1664) Platerus Golden Practice of Physick (London: Peter Cole).
Renaudot, T. (1640) Les Consultations charitables pour les malades. Dedis Monseigneur de
Noyers, Secretaire dEstat (Paris: Bureau DAdresse).
Reveill-Parise, J. H. (1846) Notice sur la vie, le caractre et les ouvrages de Gui Patin, 3 vols.
In Lettres de Gui Patin (Paris: Baillire), ilv.
Riverii, Lazari (1640) Praxis medica (Paris: Luteti).
Riverius, Lazarus (1668) The Practice of Physick. In Seventeen Several Books. Translated by
Nicholas Culpeper, Abdiah Cole and William Rowland (London: Peter Cole).
Sadler, J. (1636) The Sicke Womans Private Looking Glass wherein Methodologically are Handled
all Uterine Affects, or Diseases Arising from the Womb (London: Anne Griffin).
Sennert, D. (1662) Chymistry made Easie and Useful or the Agreement and Disagreement of the
Chymists and Galenists (London: Peter Cole).
Sennert, D. (1664) Practical Physick; The Fourth Book in Three Parts. Translated by N.
Culpeper and A. Cole (London: Peter Cole). Originally published in Latin in 162835.
Soranus (1956) Gynaecology. Translated with an introduction by Owsei Temkin (Baltimore:
Johns Hopkins University Press). Originally published in Latin.
WHO (1992) The ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders. Clinical
Descriptions and Diagnostic Guidelines (Geneva: World Health Organization).

Classic Text No. 66

Madness from the Womb1

Womb-fury is a sort of madness arising from a vehement and unbridled
desire of carnal imbracement, which desire disthrones the rational faculty so
far, that the patient utters wanton and lascivious speeches, in all places, and

1. Chapter 5 in: Riverius, Lazarus (1668) The Practice of Physick. In Seventeen Several Books.
Translated by Nicholas Culpeper, Abdiah Cole and William Rowland (London: Peter
Cole). In the transcription below, the original spelling, punctuation and italicization are
retained, but not the capitalization of nouns.

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companies, and having cast off all modesty, madly seeks after carnal copulation,
and invites men to have to do with her in that way.
Cause
This immoderate desire of carnal conjunction, springs from the abundance
of seed, from its [sic] antimony, and heat transcending the bounds of nature,
whereby it is made to heave and work in the seminal vessels as yest works,
whereby the parts made for generation, are vehemently stirred up, and
inflamed with lustful desires. And from the same seminal matter so affected,
vapors ascend unto the brain which disturbe the rational faculty, and depose
it from its throne. Howbeit, the immoderate appetite of carnal conjunction
alone, without the help of any such vapors, is able of itself to master the
rational faculty, as also all other immoderate passions; but especially
immoderate love, which is called Eroticus affectus or love melancholy.
Now the seed acquires the aforesaid qualities, when it is over long retained
in bodies prone to lust, and full of heat; and therefore this disease is incident
to virgins, and young widows peculiarly; although it may also betide married
women, that have impotent husbands or such as they do not much affect,
whereby their seminary vessels are not sufficiently disburthened or their
amorous affections duly satisfied.
Some hold, that the seed being corrupted acquires a malignant quality
which causes their grievous symptomes. But they are not well able, so
holding to shew any difference between this disease, and fits of the mother,
which arise from the seed being corrupted, and thereby infected with a
malignant quality. For although several degrees of putrefaction do produce
different degrees of malignity, from whence a great variety of symptomes are
wont to arise; yet these manifest qualities aforesaid, viz. great plenty of seed,
its heat, acrimony, and fermentation in excess, together with the great heat of
the genital parts are sufficient to produce this disease we treat of.
Now the causes producing so hot, plentiful, and sharp stinging seed are
youthful age, sanguine complexion, and a cholerick or melancholy adult;
meats that nourish much, a plentiful table especially if the meate be spiced;
the frequent smell of spices, musk, amber-greece and such like; large
sleeping, and upon soft beds filled with feathers, or down; amorous courtings,
reading of lascivious books, dancings, and other pleasures usual in the meetings
of youthful persons.
Signs
The signs of this disease may easily be gathered out of what hath been
already said, but because it is wont to discover itself gradually, by little and
little; it is fit to relate its progress. In the beginning, whilst the sick persons
do yet enjoy their understanding, they are more sad and silent than ordinary,

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but with a wanton rowling of their eyes and a ruddiness of countenance;

which ruddiness is sometime more than at others: especially when mention is
made of matters belonging to bodily lust, for then their breathing is changed,
and their pulse too, by sympathy of the heart, which made Galen boast that
he knew the furious lusts of women by their pulse; because such lovers do of
a sudden undergo divers changes of their pulse, when desirable objects are
presented unto them, or brought into their remembrance. Afterwards when
the disease is exasperated, they begin to scold, and to weep, and ever and
anon they fall a laughing, they speak many things without rime or reason,
unadvisedly, out of which no certain sense can be gathered; a while after they
repent of this their folly, until another fit take them, by reason of the
inordinate motion of the peccant matter, which observes no certain period in
its fomentations. Women possessed with this kind of dotage when the disease
is come to its height, do openly before all the world ask men to lie with them
expressing the action of generation in the most proper, and broadest
language, their mother tongue affords.
Prognosticks
As for the prognosticks of this disease, it is a cureable sickness, if meanes be
used in time. But if it continue long, and take firm rooting, it turns into a
true and perfect madness.
There is great hope of recovery, when the distance between the fits begin
to be longer than ordinary, or when the patients body being grown lean
becometh fat again, and when mention of matters pertaining to generation,
doth no longer affect or disturb them.
Cure
The cure of this disease tends to correct the hot distemper of the bowels;
especially of the womb, and the blood, and seed; likewise to evacuate the
sharp humors, and seminal matter offending. All which may be done by the
following remedies.
And in the first place, blood must be often drawn, as far as the patients
strength can bear that so the whole mass of blood, and the womb itself may be
cooled, and the fervent blood may be withdrawn from the veins of the womb.
And if the patients monethly courses be stopt, the inferior veins are
afterwards to be opened, that they may by that means be brought down.
But if the blood seems to have recourse to the hemorrhoid veins, which is
known by their swelling and redness: the said veins are to be opened by
application of leeches.
Afterwards, a purgation is to be given, made of the gentle sort of
medicines purging choller or melancholy, according as the one or the other
humor shall seem to abound.

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This purgation is to be followed by juleps that prepare the matter

offending, viz. such as cool and gently open; which must be given three days
together.
Then a more strong purgation is to be administred, which may wholy
extirpate the foresaid humors. To which intent those purging medicaments
may be used, which were set down in our cure of madness, which must be
now and then repeated.
After iterated purgations, the following bath being frequently used in the
whole course of the disease, will be very useful to cool the whole body, and
temper the fervor of the peccant humour.
Take leaves of Lettuce, Willow-tree, Water-Lillies, Vine-tree, Purslain, Pennywort, of each a handful; flowers of Violets. Water-Lillies and Roses, of each two
handfuls. Boyl all for a bath, into which blood-warm let the patient enter twice
in a day, without sweating, far from meal-tide.

And forasmuch as a compleat and entire bathing cannot conveniently be

continued for so many daies together; at least the patient may be bathe her
lower parts frequently in a part of the aforesaid decoction, yea or of meer
water, and the liquor must be only warmish: for the prime intention of this
cure is, that the womb may be cooled to the purpose: which is confirmed by
a remarkable experiment propounded by Dr. Harvey in his treatise of the
child-bearing of a noble lady, who had been more than ten years besides her
self, by reason of this womb-fury; whose womb (after all things had been tried
to reduce her to her wits, in vain) fell out, which they did not put up till the
coldness of the external air had healed its distemper; the event was, as the
doctor imagind, and she grew quickly well and her womb was at last
restored to its proper place.
For the greater cooling of the body, it may be convenient to give the
patient whey to drink many days together.
And to be brief, whatever hath been prescribed in our cures of madness
and hypochondriacal melancholy, will be good in this disease, according as it
shall be caused either by choler or melancholy.
Unto all which may be added such things, which by a peculiar property
diminish and cool the seed: among which take these that follow for example:
Take leaves of water-lilly, willow, agnus castus, of each four handfuls: lettuce,
purslain, penny-wort, or two penny grass, of each a handful: the four larger
cooling seeds, lettuce and white poppy seeds, of each half an ounce: dill seeds two
drams: the flowers of water-lilly and violets, of each a handful. Let all be
stamped, being fresh, and let them be sprinkled with juice of lemmons, and
distilled in Balneo Mari; and to every pint of the water, add a dram of
Camphire. Let the patient take an ounce divers times.

Or of all, or some of the simples aforesaid, a decoction may be made, and

sweetned with sugar, and a little camphire put to it, to be taken divers times
one after another.

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Or an emulsion may be made of the greater cold seeds, lettuce seeds, and
white poppy seeds, extracted with the waters of lettuce, willow and waterlillies, and sweetened with syrup of violets.
An electuary may be prescribed after this manner:
Take conserve of the flowers of water-lillies, violets, and agnus castus, of each
half an ounce: conserve of roses, half an ounce; lettuce stalks preserved one
ounce; coral and smaragd prepared, of each one dram: with syrup of violets and
water-lillies make an opiate.

In the greatest extremity of the patients raving, such things as procure sleep
are very profitable, both inward and outward medicaments, as they are set
down in the cure of phrenzy and madness.
In the whole course of the disease, clysters which cool and gently purge are
to be used, taking heed of sharp clysters, and such as vehemently purge,
which do exagitate the humor contained in the womb, or its vessels, whereby
the symptomes are wont to become more fierce.
Also injections may be made into the womb, of the decoction of such
herbs as have formerly been set down for baths and other remedies,
whereunto sal saturni may profitably be added.
Frequent clysters may likewise be good to the same intent, being made of
vinegar allayed with water.
Also cooling ointments are to be applied to the loins, privity, the share,
and between the water-gate, and the dung-gate, made of oyl of water-lillies,
oyntment of roses, unguentum album camphoratum, with the juyces of nightshade, henbane and water-lillies melted together, adding a little camphire.
Also a plate of lead is good to be worn continually upon the reins.
In regard to the immediate cause, seeing the evacuation of the sharp and
corrupted seed, may cure the disease; it is very good advice in the beginning
of the disease, before the patient begins manifestly to rave, or in the space
between her fits, when she is pretty well, to marry her to a lusty young man.
For so the womb being satisfied, and the offensive matter contained in its
vessels being emptied, the patient may peradventure be cured.
But if the patient cannot so conveniently be married, or the condition of
her life will not bear that estate, some advise that the genital parts should be
by a cunning midwife so handled and rubbed, as to cause an evacuation of
the over-abounding sperm. But that being a thing not so allowable, it may
suffice whilst the patient is in the bath, to rub gently her belly on the region
of the womb, not coming near the privy parts, that the luke-warm temper of
the water may moderate the hotness of the womb, and that it may by the
moisture be so relaxed, as of its own accord to expel the seminal excrement,
and that nothing else be done with the hand, save a little to open the womb,
so as the water may pass into its more inward parts; forasmuch as the water
will operate as much as any of those medicines which we are used to
extinguish the seed withal.

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Pessaries may be compounded to the same intent of the leaves of mercury

bruised, with a little mirrh, or the pouder of Aristolochia or birthwort; which
must be put up, when the patient is in the bath, lest otherwise the womb
should be over-heated; and after an hour, it must be taken away. And
afterward, let an injection be made into the womb of whey, or barley-water,
with a little juyce of nightshade, housleek, or hemlock, which is specially
commended in this disease.
To purge out the seed, the following bolus or morsel will be very
profitable.
Take of Venice turpentine three drams: agarick trochiscated one dram: carrot
seed, hempseed, and lignum aloes powdered, of each eight grains: with sugar
make all into a bolus or morsel to be swallowed.

If the disease do yet continue, let issues be made in her thighs; for nothing is
better than by such means to draw the matter downward, from the womb, to
those inferior parts
And if swellings of the spleen shall arise, and obstructions, during this
cure, as it oftentimes happens; they must be carefully cured with their proper
medicaments.
Finally, because in this disease the brain and heart are grievously affected
by reason of vapors arising from the womb, they are both of them diligently
to be provided for; the brain being secured by rubbing and chafing the lower
parts, and by cupping-glasses frequently fastened upon the hips and groins,
and the heart defended by cordial things outwardly applied, both liquid and
solid, such as are described in our chapter touching decay of strength.