Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum
The Regimen of Health from the School of Salerno


Part 5. BLOODLETTING

Neue Artznei und Practicierbuchlin, Bock, 1551

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AGAINST these several humors overflowing,
As several kinds of Physic may be good,
As diet, drink, hot baths, whence sweat is growing,
With purging, vomiting, and letting blood:
Which taken in due time, not overflowing,
Each maladies infection is withstood.
The last of these is best, if skill and reason,
Respect age, strength, quantity, and season.
Of seventy from seventeen, if blood abound,
The opening of a vein is healthful found.


OF Bleeding many profits grow and great,
The spirits and senses are renewed thereby;
Tho these men slowly by the strength of meat,
But these with wine restored are by and by.
By bleeding, to the marrow comes heat,
It makes clean your brain, relieves your eye,
It mends your appetite, restores sleep,
Correcting humors that do waking keep:
All inward parts and senses also clearing,
It mends the voice, touch, smell & tail, & hearing


THREE special Months (September, April, May)
There are, in which 'tis good to open a vein;
In these 3 Months the Moon bears greatest sway,
Then old or young that store of blood contain,
May bleed now, though some elder wizards say
Some days are ill in these, I hold it vain:
September, April, May, have days a piece,
That bleeding do forbid, and eating Geese,
And those are they forsooth of May the first,
Of other two, the last of each are worst.


BUT yet those days I grant, and all the rest,
Have in some cases just impediment:
As first, if nature be with cold oppressed,
Or if the Region, Ile, or Continent
Do scorch or freeze, if stomach meat detest:
If Baths or Venus late you did frequent,
Nor old, nor young, nor drinkers great are fit,
Not in long sickness, nor in raging fit,
Or in this case if you will venture bleeding,
The quantity must then be most exceeding.


WHEN you to bleed intend, you must prepare
Some needful things both after and before,
Warm water and sweet oil, both needful are,
And wine, the fainting spirit to restore:
Fine binding clothes of linen, and beware,
That all the morning you do sleep no more:
Some gentle motion helps after bleeding,
And on light meats a spare and temperate feeding,
To bleed does cheer the pensive, and remove
The raging furies bred by burning love.


MAKE your incision large and not too deep,
That blood have speedy issue with the fume,
So that from sinews you all hurt do keep,
Nor may you (as I touched before) presume
In six ensuing hours at all to sleep,
Lest some slight bruise in sleep cause an apostume:
Eat not of milk, nor ought of milk compounded,
Nor let your brain with much drink be confounded
Eat no cold meats, for such the strength impairs,
And shun all misty and unwholesome airs.


BESIDES the former rules for such as pleases,
Of letting blood to take more observation,
Know in beginning of all sharpe diseases,
'Tis counted best to make evacuation:
Too old, too young, both letting blood displeases.
By years and sickness make your computation.
First in the Spring for quantity you shall
Of blood take twice as much as in the Fall:
In Spring and Summer let the right arm blood,
The Fall and Winter for the left are good.


THE Heart and Liver, Spring & Summers bleeding,
The Fall and Winter, hand and foot doth mend,
One vein cut in the hand, doth help exceeding
Unto the Spleen, voice, breast, and entrails
And swages griefs that in the heart are
But here the Salerne School doth make an end:
And here I cease to write, but will not cease
To wish you live in health, and die in peace:
And ye our Physick rules that friendly read,
God grant that Physick you may never need.

Commentary

Purging or Draining is indicated in any excess of the Humors.





Treatment must always respect age, strength and season.
Bloodletting may be beneficially used from 17 to 70 in excess of Blood.


'Spirits' refers to Qi in this instance.


A clear reference that Bleeding 'warms' the marrow, thereby stimulating fresh Blood.
Bleeding benefits digestion, creates good sleep, clears all inward parts including the Brain and Senses.




These Months represent Autumn and Spring, with two months of Spring advantageous for Bleeding.
A reference to the effect of the Moon on the Humors

As noted, Astrologers would ascertain certain days to be unfit for Bleeding. Others only bled in certain times of the Moon. In general, any time may be used in urgent and symptoms of Blood excess or Heat are present.






Contraindications for Bloodletting include excess Cold or if the environment to Cold or Hot; if just bathed or have had sex; drinkers, too young or old and in chronic sickness (chronic Fever). 






Things required when bleeding.











After bleeding, it was forbidden to sleep for 6 hours, but gentle motion such as walking a little is good. Avoid Milk, alcohol, Cold foods and Cold or Damp air.











Spring is the best Month to Bleed in and it may be performed more regularly drawing more Blood. Half or less the amount is taken in Autumn. Note that as Heat rises in Spring and Summer, the Right arm is Bled which drains the Liver. As Heat falls in Fall and Winter, the Left arm is Bled, draining Melancholy from the Spleen.




The Vein on the Back of the hand was widely praised as excellent to drain the Spleen from Melancholy and to remove bad blood, being useful for various diseases.

Part 4. HUMORS

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