Theses medicae de medicamentis stomachicis, quae ventriculi medentur imbecillitatib

23. Thus, those are called “stomachic” individuals who labor under a weakness of the stomach. In a general sense, those who are troubled by the subversion of the Ventricle—which they call anatrope—or by its supination, which they call hyptiasmos, concerning which see Galen, De Locis Affectis, Book 8.

24. By Avicenna, those are called “stomachic” who possess a rarity of the texture of the Ventricle. For if the lower part of the Ventricle is affected, a great yield of crudities is produced.

25. For it is chiefly in the fundus, where it exists as more fleshy, that food is concocted; the superior orifice of the Ventricle perceives the need for this, possessing a most acute sense due to the significant nerves from the sixth pair of nerves of the brain.

26. From this we take that indication that the stomach, among all other parts, least bears medicines alien to nature and elevated in degree, both on account of the acrimony of its sense and its location. For it perceives the medicine first with full strength, and also because it is joined by great affinity to the principal parts.

27. Therefore, things that are very sharp, and strongly acidic, salty, or in any other way strongly biting, offend the nervous substance of the Ventricle by themselves; yet these same things, if they do not exceed greatly, assist the actions of the Ventricle by accident.

28. Although the forest of Stomachic medicines is vast, as it is easy to know it, so it is difficult to make a selection within it.

29. But experience—first, the mother of observation—and then the mode of rational method, its parent, will teach how to overcome this difficulty.

30. Therefore, through experience, the history of stomachic medicines must first be understood.

31. And by method, it must be investigated which [medicines] are to be administered out of the many, and how much, and how, and where; the nature of the thing itself and the structure of the part will indicate these things most potently.

32. If, therefore, the intemperies is solitary—which rarely happens—then simple alteration to contrary qualities suffices for the cure, which must be induced until you have restored the particle to symmetry and its natural state.

33. But if matter is present, erring in quality or quantity, fostering disease and corrupting the ingested food, then it must be considered whether it lingers there collected through gradual congestion or through descent.

34. The whole body must first be examined: whether it is cacochymic or plethoric, and likewise whether some customary excretion has been retained; the parts from which superfluities descend must also be weighed.

35. For plethora, phlebotomy is the accommodated remedy: for cacochymia