The Renaissance brings a unique approach to medicine. Based on the Four Humors theory of health the Galenic way, purging the body of excessive humors is essential for good health. The concept of purgatives or purgatories shape medical and folk traditions.
The Renaissance, an active period in art, science, and philosophy, also promotes significant developments in medical practice and understanding of the human body. One of the most intriguing aspects of Renaissance medicine is the concept of purgation.
During this time, purging through various methods such as emetics, laxatives, and sweating medications is considered a vital process to restoring health and balance within the body. It's based on the medicine of Galen (129 - 216 AD) and meets fierce opposition by Paracelsus.
Purging for Health
In the Renaissance, the understanding of health is largely based on the ancient Greek belief in the Four Humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. Physicians believe the balance of these humors is crucial for health. Imbalance was thought to lead to illness.
As such, purgation is believed essential in emptying the body of harmful excesses and toxins. Physicians and practitioners believe by inducing vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, or urination, they can help restore natural equilibrium of the humors, leading to improved health.
If a patient has a fever, a doctor might prescribe a purgative to cleanse the body and bring back health. Purging is recommended for the majority of patients with ailments like fevers or digestive issues. Food poisoning is not unusual and the symptoms can actually mimic the cure.
Fevers, on the other hand, can be instigated. During outbreaks of the Black Plague it's observed those who develop fevers are more likely to survive. Thus many people are exposed to conditions causing malaria, which is believed to be better than getting the plague.
Throughout the Renaissance, various purgatives were employed, often drawn from traditional folk remedies and herbal practices. Some of the notable purgatives included:
Emetics
Emetics are administered to induce vomiting. Common agents like ipecacuanha, a Brazilian plant, and certain vinegar preparations are used to purge the stomach of noxious substances. This technique is believed to alleviate conditions such as nausea, fever, and psychological disturbances linked to “bad humors.”
Laxatives
Laxatives are used to relieve constipation and remove waste from the body. Natural laxatives such as senna (in tea), castor oil, and rhubarb are common. Physicians view regular bowel movements as crucial for overall health. Elimination of waste is thought to improve digestion.
Sudorifics, Diaphoretics or Sweating Medications
These medications prompted sweating and were believed to expel impurities through the skin. Remedies derived from herbs like yarrow and elderflower are used, with the notion that sweating could effectively eliminate toxins, thus treating fevers and other ailments.
Sudorifics and diaphoretics have distinct differences. While both play a role in regulating body temperature through water loss and evaporation, sudorifics specifically trigger noticeable perspiration, unlike diaphoretics which stimulate imperceptible perspiration.
When sudorifics are used, the body detects the sweat being produced. The sweat is released in such abundance it can't evaporate quickly, leaving visible drops on the surface. Sudorific medications affect nerve endings in glands, sweat centers, or sensory nerves, prompting sweat glands to work harder.
Diuretics
Diuretics encourage renal function and increased urination, facilitating the removal of excess liquids and waste from the body. Plants such as dandelion and nettle were popular choices, utilized to treat conditions like edema and urinary tract infections by promoting fluid balance.
Diuretics might also be instrumental in acquiring a urine sample. Uroscopy is highly popular in Islamic and European countries for identifying a disease by the clarity, sediment, color and smell of the urine. Doctors might even taste the urine for excess sweetness.
Other Forms of Purging
Beyond these methods, the Renaissance also recognized bloodletting as a purgative practice. This method involved the withdrawal of blood to reduce the volume of humors. Bleeding with or without leeches is a commonly known treatment practiced by doctors and barber-surgeons.
Tears, crying: can be induced with onions due to the mild sulfuric acid content reacting with the surface of the eyes.
Sneezing: by 1650 the use of snuff is popular to induce sneezing and clear the sinuses
Phlegm-producing: honey, peppermint, steam, ivy leaf and type are some of the natural expectorants used.
Spitting up or coughing up phlegm is considered a key to health in the Renaissance. It makes sense as the phlegmatic humor is possibly causing the illness, with an overproduction of fluids.
Do Purgatives Work for Health?
While some modern medicine acknowledges the potential utility of certain purgative substances in treating specific conditions, many Renaissance practices lack scientific backing.
The effectiveness is often anecdotal and rooted in beliefs of the time.
Risks of dehydration or imbalances are largely overlooked. Nonetheless, the Renaissance laid the groundwork for further exploration into human health, leading to more rigorous standards of evidence in later centuries.
Purgatives were extensively popular from the early 15th to the late 17th centuries. As scientific understanding evolves toward the Age of Enlightenment, the practice of indiscriminate purging starts to wane.
In the Renaissance, diseases such as plague, dysentery, and fevers are rampant. Conditions involving digestive troubles, constipation and bloating are also common.
Purgatives are used not only as treatments for these diseases but as preventative measures for general health and to avoid “miasmas,” the foul air considered to cause illness. In the Imperial period the Romans believe miasmas from swamps cause malaria, and the danger of living near swamps is well known.
Other diseases include syphilis, measles and smallpox. Syphilis then is much worse than now, as people break out in such lesions it seems their skin is sloughing off. Difficult living conditions and lack of sanitation bring a need for quick remedies to health problems.
Facts About Renaissance Purgatives or Purgatories
Cultural Roots: Many purgative practices were derived from ancient Greek and Roman medical texts and folklore.
Philosophical Foundations: The concept of balance is heavily influenced by the philosophy of Aristotle, emphasizing health as a state of equilibrium.
Herbal Knowledge: Renaissance practitioners have a fairly profound understanding of local herbs and plants, often using them in combination for enhanced effects.
Social Perception: Health rituals involve purging are sometimes seen as demonstrating a person's wealth and status, with elaborate recipes, exotic ingredients and mysterious bottles indicating affluence.
Literacy and Medicine: As medical texts became more accessible due to the printing press, individuals began to self-identify their ailments, leading to increased use of purgatives.
Legacy: While the indiscriminate use of purgatives has faded, some herbal remedies and principles of detoxification remain popular in alternative medicine today.
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