The cause is either promiscuously in the whole body, by a cacochymia; or
weakness of it, or in some of its parts, as in the liver, which by a
weakness of the blood producing powers, cause a production of corrupt
blood, which then is reddish. Sometimes, when the fall is sluggish in
its action, and does not get rid of those superfluities engendered in
the liver, the matter is yellowish. Sometimes it is in the spleen when
it does not cleanse the blood of the dregs and rejected particles, and
then the matter which flows forth is blackish. It may also come from a
cold in the head, or from any other decayed or corrupted member, but if
the discharge be white, the cause lies either in the stomach or loins.
In the stomach, by some crude substance there, and vitiated by grief,
melancholy or some other mental disturbance; for otherwise, if the
matter were only crude phlegm and noways corrupt, being taken into the
liver it might be converted into the blood; for phlegm in the ventricle
is called nourishment half digested; but being corrupt, though sent into
the liver it cannot be turned into nutriment, for the second decoction
in the stomach cannot correct that which the first corrupted; and
therefore the liver sends it to the womb, which can neither digest nor
reject it, and so it is voided out with the same colour which it had in
the ventricle. The cause may also be in the veins being overheated
whereby the spermatical matter flows out because of its thinness. The
external causes may be moistness of the air, eating bad food, anger,
grief, sloth, too much sleep, costiveness.

The signs are bodily disturbances, shortness of breathing, and foul
breath, a distaste for food, swollen eyes and feet, and low spirits;
discharges of different colours, as red, black, green, yellow and white
from the womb. It differs from the flowing of the courses and from too
abundant menstruation, in so far as it keeps no certain period, and is
of many colours, all of which spring from blood.