Saunders on Finding the Humoral Balance of the Liver

1
Humoral medicine clearly emphasizes the importance of the liver to the patient's continuing health. In every decumbiture chart, we are taught to examine the condition of the liver whether the liver is a stated site of symptoms or not.

Modern medicine tells us that even if the liver is diseased, patients rarely if ever experience liver pain. Doctors tell us there are no significant nerve networks in the liver. Due to the myriad functions of the liver in manufacturing chemicals necessary to our survival, symptoms of liver disease show up instead in many ambiguous and variable symptoms.

Which is why we have tests for liver function. And why we look at the condition of the liver on every decumbiture chart.

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Richard Saunders, AJP Vol. 1, P 82-86

". . . And now to return to our former matter again, to know which of these four Virtues or Faculties is diminished, or which of them doth abound beyond his natural Order, you shall understand, the Virtue Retentive belongeth to Saturn, the virtue digestive to Jupiter, the Virtue Attractive to Venus, and the Virtue Expulsive to the Moon.

Observe diligently therefore, which of these four planets, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus or the Moon have the most diginities in the Sign of the 5th house of the Question, which alwayes signifieth the state of the Liver, that Planet according to his potency or debility in the Figure of Heaven, in the Sign, and the Degree, and the Place where he is, shall signifie the strength of debility of the Liver, and of that Virtue which he governeth.

If Saturn be strongest in the Sign of the 5th House of the Question, then the fault is in the Virtue Retentive, that either it is too strong or too weak, by too much unnatural Melancholy abounding therein, or for want of natural Melancholy to retain the meat in the body, then the muscles of the Stomach being oppressed with too much moisture, the Party remitteth up the meat and drink he taketh, so soon and as often as he doth take it; for that the liver is oppleted with moisture, which weakeneth and overcometh the Virtue Retentive.

If Saturn be strong in an earthly Sign, as Taurus, Virgo, or Capricorn, which are cold and dry, melancholy, then is the Virtue retentive too strong in the Liver, through too much Melancholy abounding in the Liver, causing Oppilations, Faintings, Heaviness, black Jaundies, with the Spleen swelling, Wind and Indegesture, and the Party hath a stomach to eat meat, and when he hath it, he eateth very little, for having eaten it, it is long before it be digested, and lieth hard and heavy in the Stomach.

And if said Melancholy descend into the Bowels, then the Parties are costive, and cannot go to stool; if into the Muscles of the Bladder, then he cannot make water; if into the Milt, then the party becometh Splenetic, and waxeth lean, and sometimes, the Veins being stopped, swelleth in the Body and Members, or consumeth, and somethimes hath much Stitch in the Sides.

If the said Melancholy enter into the Cells of the Heart, the party affecteth Solitude, and avoids talk and noises, shums the light, and delights to be in dark places, and will sometimes incline to rave and curse, and is prone to all mischief, and to mischief himself or some others.

Furthermore, Melancholy is cold and dry, shoure and sharp, of the nature of Earth and of Sturn, dark, pale, and wan, the dregs of all the Humours; for sourness and sharpness are from cold and dry Qualities, as from Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn, and Saturn, and it often-times like allum-water in taste . . .

If Saturn be in Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces, having most Dignities in the 5th House, then is the Retentive Faculty weakned in the liver, by too much cold Flegm, and the Party hath a cold liver and vomiteth much, and hath no lust Party is fearful and timorous; and Saturn in Cancer doth cause the black Plague of Melancholy and Flegm, then must you purge Flegm and Melancholy, and help the digestive Faculty with warm things.

If Saturn have most dignites in the 5th House, and be in Aries, Leo, or Sagiattarius, which are hot and dry, Cholerick, then is the Liver oppressed with too much Choler and Melancholy, mixed with a very dry, hot, bitter, sharp, hard, and yellowish humour.

If Saturn be in Aries, it is of slender, thin, yellow Choler and Melancholy: if in Leo, it is of gross, thick, yellow Choler, and reddish, and is hot and burning, and very dry, causing cholerick Passions in the Bowels, and much vomiting, and hot burning agues of long continuance, and the Plague (if the seaseon be infectious) of green Choler, tough Flegm, and Melancholy, with a wonderul drought in the parts, that they can scarcely speak sometimes.

If Saturn be in Sagittarius, then it is of red Choler, strong and potent, burnt, mix'd with melancholy, causing Plagues, lot burning Fevers, with Madness. If Saturn be in Leo retrogarde, and in the 4th House, then this Choler oppresseth the Stomach, and the Party doth vomit much, by reason of that exess of drowth in the Stomach supernatrually.

If Saturn be in Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius, then is the Liver oppressed with Melancholy wixed with Blood, and maketh the blood thick and saeculent, if Melancholy have the uper hand, and be predominant, then it is more dry than moist, and more cold than hot, and more soure and sharp than sweet. And if Blood have the better, it is more hot than cold and more sweet than sharp. . .

. . .If Saturn have most dignities in the 5th, and be in an Angle not remote, although he be Occidental and Retrograde, and in Cancer, yet the Retentive faculty is too strong, and if it be in a Woman, her terms are stop't.

If Jupiter be strong, and have most dignites in the 5th house, or Sign of the 5th, then the Virtue Digestive is to strong, or too weak, according to the strength of Jupiter in the Figure of Heaven at that time.

If Jupiter then be in Airy Signs strong, as in Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, then the Blood aboundeth in the Liver, and the Digestive faculty is swift and quick, by reason of the heat and moisture of Blood which is in the Liver. Blood overmuch abounding causeth Pleurisies and Diseases, and heat of the Lights, and impostumations of the Liver and Lungs; if then the Blood ascend to the Heart, it choaketh the vital spirits, and causeth Syncope and Faintness, Palpitations and Swoonings; if it ascend to the Brain, it causeth Head-ache in the Sineiput, or fore-part of the head, with Junacy oft-times and Frantickness; if it pass out to the extreme parts of the Body, it causeth impostumations; but if Jupiter have no Dignites, but be in a Cadent house, as in the 6th, Combust, or oppressed by Mars by a saure, opposition, or conjunction, then it causeth Sickness, very oft the Dropsie in the Belly. . . "

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And so Saunders continues through Jupiter, the Moon, and Venus in every sign, listed with the conditions that affect the patient when the predominant virtue corresponds to one of those planets in each of the signs.

Note that the placement of the planet (Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, or Moon) that is in greatest dignity on the cusp of the fifth house pinpoints some part of the body that is suffering the effects of the humoral imbalance.

Saunders also gives a chart which shows every part of the body in the houses of the chart. We can use the same techniques above to determine the humoral imbalances in each part of the body, and corresponding parts of the body which are also affected.
"Id rather learn from one bird how to sing than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance"