The Family Physician
Being Choice and Approved Remedies for Several Diseases — Incidental to Human Bodies
For the Apoplexy
Take man’s skull prepared, and powder of male peony, of each an ounce and a half, contrayerva, bastard dittany, angelica, zedvary, of each two drachms, mix and make a powder, add thereto two ounces of candied orange and lemon peel, beat all together to a powder, whereof you may take half a drachm or a drachm.
A Powder for the Epilepsy or Falling Sickness
Take of opopanax, crude antimony, castor, dragon’s blood, peony seeds, of each an equal quantity; make a subtle powder; the dose, half a drachm of black cherry water. Before you take it, the stomach must be prepared with some proper vomit, as that of Mynficht’s emetic tartar, from four grains to six; if for children, salts of vitrol, from a scruple to half a drachm.
For a Headache of Long Standing
Take the juice or powder in distilled water of hog lice and continue it.
For Spitting of Blood
Take conserve of comfrey and of hips, of each an ounce and a half; conserve of red roses, three ounces; dragon’s blood, a drachm; spices of hyacinths, two scruples; red coral, a drachm; mix and with syrup of poppies make a soft electuary. Take the quantity of a walnut, night and morning.
For a Looseness
Take Venice treacle and diascordium, of each half a drachm, in warm ale or water gruel, or what you like best, at night, going to bed.
For the Bloody Flux
First take a drachm of powder of rhubarb in a sufficient quantity of conserve of red roses, in the morning early; then at night, take of tornified or roasted rhubarb, half a drachm; diascordium, a drachm and a half; liquid laudanum cyclomated, a scruple: mix and make into a bolus.
For an Inflammation of the Lungs
Take of cherious water, ten ounces; water of red poppies, three ounces; syrup of poppies, an ounce; pearl prepared, a drachm; make julep, and take six spoonfuls every fourth hour.
An Ointment for the Pleurisy
Take oil of violets or sweet almonds, an ounce of each, with wax and a little saffron, make an ointment, warm it and bathe it upon the parts affected.
An Ointment for the Itch
Take sulphur vive in powder, half an ounce, oil of tartar per deliquim, a sufficient quantity, ointment of roses, four ounces; make a liniment, to which add a scruple of rhodium to aromatize, and rub the parts affected with it.
For Running Scab
Take two pounds of tar, incorporate it into a thick mass with well-sifted ashes; boil the mass in fountain-water, adding leaves of ground-ivy, white horehound, fumitory roots, sharp-pointed dock and of flocan pan, of each four handfuls; make a bath to be used with care of taking cold.
For Worms in Children
Take wormseed, half a drachm, flour of sulphur, a drachm; mix and make a powder. Give as much as will lie on a silver threepence, night and morning, in grocer’s treacle or honey, or to grown up people, you may add a sufficient quantity of aloe rosatum and so make them up into pills; three or four may be taken every morning.
For Fevers in Children
Take crab-eyes, a drachm, cream of tartar, half a drachm; white sugar-candy finely powdered, weight of both; mix all well together and give as much as will lie on a silver threepence, in a spoonful of barley-water or sack whey.
A Quieting Night-Draught, When the Cough Is Violent
Take water of green wheat, six ounces, syrup diascordium, three ounces, take two or three spoonfuls going to bed every night or every other night.
An Electuary for the Dropsy
Take best rhubarb, one drachm, gum lac, prepared, two drachms, zyloaloes, cinnamon, long birthwort, half an ounce each, best English saffron, half a scruple; with syrup of chicory and rhubarb make an electuary. Take the quantity of a nutmeg or small walnut every morning fasting.
For a Tympany Dropsy
Take roots of chervil and candied eringo roots, half an ounce of each, roots of butcher-broom, two ounces, grass-roots, three ounces, shavings of ivory and hartshorn, two drachms and a half each; boil them in two or three pounds of spring water. Whilst the strained liquor is hot, pour it upon the leaves of watercresses and goose-grass bruised, of each a handful, adding a pint of Rhenish wine. Make a close infusion for two hours, then strain out the liquor again, and add to it three ounces of magirtral water and earth worms and an ounce and a half of the syrup of the five opening roots. Make an apozen, whereof take four ounces twice a day.
For an Inward Bleeding
Take leaves of plantain and stinging nettles, of each three handfuls, bruise them well and pour on them six ounces of plantain water, afterwards make a strong expression and drink the whole off. Probatum est.