Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
A Treatise on Fevers (Author: [unknown])
Section 13
{TCD 1299 page and line 31b27} Let it be asked here which is more profitable in fevers, the humour-cure or phlebotomy. It seems the humour-cure is more profitable, for the humour-cure expels only the offending matter, and it is not so of phlebotomy, for it evacuates offending and harmless matter, so the humour-cure is more profitable in fevers than phlebotomy. Than Galenus says the evacuation caused by the humour-cure is natural
p.76
and scientific (vide H, 2. 12), and evacuation caused by bloodletting is scientific only, so the evacuation due to nature and science is more beneficial than phlebotomy. Then Galenus says the evacuation which least expels natural heat and spirits is most beneficial in fevers, and it is clear that heat and spirits are less expelled by the humour-cure than by evacuating the blood, so the humour-cure is more profitable in fevers than evacuation of the vein. Then Galenus says the evacuation which most frees the constrictions is most profitable in fevers, and the humour-cure frees the constrictions more than phlebotomy, so the humour cure is more beneficial in fevers than phlebotomy. This is opposed according to Galenus who says bloodletting evacuates only the amount the physician wishes, and it is not so of the humour-cure, for it evacuates the humours excessively at times against the physician's wish, so bloodletting is more beneficial in fevers than humour-cure. Then Galenus says all humour-cures are in the nature of poison and inimical to nature, and that is not so of evacuation of the vein according to Galenus, so phlebotomy is more profitable in fevers than the humour-cure. We answer that and say that the humours offend in two ways, i.e. sometimes in quality and sometimes in quantity, and when they offend in quantity blood should then be let, and when they offend in quality the humour-cure should then be used.