Part 49 (2/2)
But alkermes many except against; in some cases it may help, if it be good and of the best, such as that of Montpelier in France, which [4329]Iodocus Sincerus, _Itinerario Galliae_, so much magnifies, and would have no traveller omit to see it made. But it is not so general a medicine as the other. Fernelius, _consil. 49_, suspects alkermes, by reason of its heat, [4330]”nothing” (saith he) ”sooner exasperates this disease, than the use of hot working meats and medicines, and would have them for that cause warily taken.” I conclude, therefore, of this and all other medicines, as Thucydides of the plague at Athens, no remedy could be prescribed for it, _Nam quod uni profuit, hoc aliis erat exitio_: there is no Catholic medicine to be had: that which helps one, is pernicious to another.
_Diamargaritum frigidum, diambra, diaboraginatum, electuarium laetificans Galeni et Rhasis, de gemmis, dianthos, diamosc.u.m dulce et amarum, electuarium conciliatoris, syrup. Cidoniorum de pomis_, conserves of roses, violets, fumitory, enula campana, satyrion, lemons, orange-pills, condite, &c., have their good use.
[4331] ”[Symbol: Rx]. Diamoschi dulcis et amari ana [Symbol: Dram]jj.
Diabuglossati, Diaboraginati, sacchari violacei ana j. misce c.u.m syrupo de pomis.”
Every physician is full of such receipts: one only I will add for the rareness of it, which I find recorded by many learned authors, as an approved medicine against dotage, head-melancholy, and such diseases of the brain. Take a [4332]ram's head that never meddled with an ewe, cut off at a blow, and the horns only take away, boil it well, skin and wool together; after it is well sod, take out the brains, and put these spices to it, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, mace, cloves, _ana_ [Symbol: Ounce], mingle the powder of these spices with it, and heat them in a platter upon a chafing-dish of coals together, stirring them well, that they do not burn; take heed it be not overmuch dried, or drier than a calf's brains ready to be eaten. Keep it so prepared, and for three days give it the patient fasting, so that he fast two hours after it. It may be eaten with bread in an egg or broth, or any way, so it be taken. For fourteen days let him use this diet, drink no wine, &c. Gesner, _hist. animal. lib. 1. pag. 917._ Caricterius, _pract. 13. in Nich. de metri. pag. 129._ Iatro: _Wittenberg.
edit. Tubing. pag. 62_, mention this medicine, though with some variation; he that list may try it, [4333]and many such.
Odoraments to smell to, of rosewater, violet flowers, balm, rose-cakes, vinegar, &c., do much recreate the brains and spirits, according to Solomon. Prov. xxvii. 9. ”They rejoice the heart,” and as some say, nourish; 'tis a question commonly controverted in our schools, _an odores nutriant_; let Ficinus, _lib. 2. cap. 18._ decide it; [4334]many arguments he brings to prove it; as of Democritus, that lived by the smell of bread alone, applied to his nostrils, for some few days, when for old age he could eat no meat. Ferrerius, _lib. 2. meth._ speaks of an excellent confection of his making, of wine, saffron, &c., which he prescribed to dull, weak, feeble, and dying men to smell to, and by it to have done very much good, _aeque fere profuisse olfactu, et potu_, as if he had given them drink. Our n.o.ble and learned Lord [4335]Verulam, in his book _de vita et morte_, commends, therefore, all such cold smells as any way serve to refrigerate the spirits. Monta.n.u.s, _consil. 31_, prescribes a form which he would have his melancholy patient never to have out of his hands. If you will have them spagirically prepared, look in Oswaldus Crollius, _basil.
Chymica_.
Irrigations of the head shaven, [4336]”of the flowers of water lilies, lettuce, violets, camomile, wild mallows, wether's-head, &c.,” must be used many mornings together. Montan. _consil. 31_, would have the head so washed once a week. Laelius a Fonte Eugubinus _consult. 44_, for an Italian count, troubled with head-melancholy, repeats many medicines which he tried, [4337]”but two alone which did the cure; use of whey made of goat's milk, with the extract of h.e.l.lebore, and irrigations of the head with water lilies, lettuce, violets, camomile, &c., upon the suture of the crown.”
Piso commends a ram's lungs applied hot to the fore part of the head, [4338]or a young lamb divided in the back, exenterated, &c.; all acknowledge the chief cure in moistening throughout. Some, saith Laurentius, use powders and caps to the brain; but forasmuch as such aromatical things are hot and dry, they must be sparingly administered.
Unto the heart we may do well to apply bags, epithems, ointments, of which Laurentius, _c. 9. de melan._ gives examples. Bruel prescribes an epithem for the heart, of bugloss, borage, water-lily, violet waters, sweet-wine, balm leaves, nutmegs, cloves, &c.
For the belly, make a fomentation of oil, [4339]in which the seeds of c.u.min, rue, carrots, dill, have been boiled.
Baths are of wonderful great force in this malady, much admired by [4340]
Galen, [4341]Aetius, Rhasis, &c., of sweet water, in which is boiled the leaves of mallows, roses, violets, water-lilies, wether's-head, flowers of bugloss, camomile, melilot, &c. Guianer, _cap. 8. tract. 15_, would have them used twice a day, and when they came forth of the baths, their back bones to be anointed with oil of almonds, violets, nymphea, fresh capon grease, &c.
Amulets and things to be borne about, I find prescribed, taxed by some, approved by Renodeus, Platerus, (_amuleta inquit non negligenda_) and others; look for them in Mizaldus, Porta, Albertus, &c. Ba.s.sardus Viscontinus, _ant. philos._ commends hypericon, or St. John's wort gathered on a [4342]Friday in the hour of ”Jupiter, when it comes to his effectual operation (that is about the full moon in July); so gathered and borne, or hung about the neck, it mightily helps this affection, and drives away all fantastical spirits.” [4343]Philes, a Greek author that flourished in the time of Michael Paleologus, writes that a sheep or kid's skin, whom a wolf worried, [4344]_Haedus inhumani raptus ab ore lupi_, ought not at all to be worn about a man, ”because it causeth palpitation of the heart,” not for any fear, but a secret virtue which amulets have. A ring made of the hoof of an a.s.s's right fore foot carried about, &c. I say with [4345]Renodeus, they are not altogether to be rejected. Paeony doth cure epilepsy; precious stones most diseases; [4346]a wolf's dung borne with one helps the colic, [4347]a spider an ague, &c. Being in the country in the vacation time not many years since, at Lindley in Leicesters.h.i.+re, my father's house, I first observed this amulet of a spider in a nut-sh.e.l.l lapped in silk, &c., so applied for an ague by [4348]my mother; whom, although I knew to have excellent skill in chirurgery, sore eyes, aches, &c., and such experimental medicines, as all the country where she dwelt can witness, to have done many famous and good cures upon diverse poor folks, that were otherwise dest.i.tute of help: yet among all other experiments, this methought was most absurd and ridiculous, I could see no warrant for it. _Quid aranea c.u.m febre_? For what antipathy? till at length rambling amongst authors (as often I do) I found this very medicine in Dioscorides, approved by Matthiolus, repeated by Alderovandus, _cap. de Aranea, lib. de insectis_, I began to have a better opinion of it, and to give more credit to amulets, when I saw it in some parties answer to experience. Some medicines are to be exploded, that consist of words, characters, spells, and charms, which can do no good at all, but out of a strong conceit, as Pomponatius proves; or the devil's policy, who is the first founder and teacher of them.
SUBSECT. VI.--_Correctors of Accidents to procure Sleep. Against fearful Dreams, Redness, &c._
When you have used all good means and helps of alteratives, averters, diminutives, yet there will be still certain accidents to be corrected and amended, as waking, fearful dreams, flus.h.i.+ng in the face to some ruddiness, &c.
Waking, by reason of their continual cares, fears, sorrows, dry brains, is a symptom that much crucifies melancholy men, and must therefore be speedily helped, and sleep by all means procured, which sometimes is a sufficient [4349]remedy of itself without any other physic. Sckenkius, in his observations, hath an example of a woman that was so cured. The means to procure it, are inward or outward. Inwardly taken, are simples, or compounds; simples, as poppy, nymphea, violets, roses, lettuce, mandrake, henbane, nightshade or solanum, saffron, hemp-seed, nutmegs, willows, with their seeds, juice, decoctions, distilled waters, &c. Compounds are syrups, or opiates, syrup of poppy, violets, verbasco, which are commonly taken with distilled waters.
”[Symbol: Rx] diacodii [Symbol: Ounce]j. diascordii [Symbol: Dram]
aquae lactucae [Symbol: Ounce]iij mista fiat potio ad horam somni sumenda.”
Requies Nicholai, Philonium Romanum, Triphera magna, pilulae, de Cynoglossa, Dioscordium, Laudanum Paracelsi, Opium, are in use, &c. Country folks commonly make a posset of hemp-seed, which Fuchsius in his herbal so much discommends; yet I have seen the good effect, and it may be used where better medicines are not to be had.
Laudanum Paracelsi is prescribed in two or three grains, with a dram of Diascordium, which Oswald. Crollius commends. Opium itself is most part used outwardly, to smell to in a ball, though commonly so taken by the Turks to the same quant.i.ty [4350]for a cordial, and at Goa in, the Indies; the dose 40 or 50 grains.
Rulandus calls Requiem Nicholai _ultimum refugium_, the last refuge; but of this and the rest look for peculiar receipts in Victorius Faventinus, _cap.
de phrensi_. Heurnius _cap. de mania_. Hildesheim _spicel. 4. de somno et vigil_. &c. Outwardly used, as oil of nutmegs by extraction, or expression with rosewater to anoint the temples, oils of poppy, nenuphar, mandrake, purslan, violets, all to the same purpose.
Montan. _consil. 24 & 25._ much commends odoraments of opium, vinegar, and rosewater. Laurentius _cap. 9._ prescribes pomanders and nodules; see the receipts in him; Codronchus [4351]wormwood to smell to.
_Unguentum Alabastritum, populeum_ are used to anoint the temples, nostrils, or if they be too weak, they mix saffron and opium. Take a grain or two of opium, and dissolve it with three or four drops of rosewater in a spoon, and after mingle with it as much _Unguentum populeum_ as a nut, use it as before: or else take half a dram of opium, _Unguentum populeum_, oil of nenuphar, rosewater, rose-vinegar, of each half an ounce, with as much virgin wax as a nut, anoint your temples with some of it, _ad horam somni_.
Sacks of wormwood, [4352]mandrake, [4353]henbane, roses made like pillows and laid under the patient's head, are mentioned by [4354]Cardan and Mizaldus, ”to anoint the soles of the feet with the fat of a dormouse, the teeth with ear wax of a dog, swine's gall, hare's ears:” charms, &c.
Frontlets are well known to every good wife, rosewater and vinegar, with a little woman's milk, and nutmegs grated upon a rose-cake applied to both temples.
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