Treatment of Mania

Abstract

Sometimes the head is filled with raging blood, or black humour, or excess of burning yellow bile: hence this frenzy. First give an enema, that the mind should not be finally overwhelmed and perish from excessive fervour of the blood: then open the median, next the cephalic vein. And then expel the humour with lettuce, tamarind, manna and senna: but this horrid frenzy will always yield to syrup of violet and borage, to which add fumitory and endive: but if these avail nothing, then give cassia, senna, hop and diaprune, made into a syrup with white roses. But rarely renew the opening in the vein, and soften the body often in a tepid bath. The diet used for melancholy serves also for the frenzy: and in the latter one should take but little wine, or none at all, but drink tisane or water boiled with sugar.