Chronicles of Pharmacy, Vol. 1 (of 2)Wootton, A. C.
History
Chronicles of Pharmacy, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Wootton, A. C.
Pharmacy -- History
Nouffer was a surgeon living at Morat, in Switzerland. He had practised
his special worm cure treatment for many years, and by it he had
acquired a considerable local fame. After his death his widow, who
knew all about the secret, continued to receive patients. Among those
who came to her was a Russian, Prince Baryantinski, who was staying in
the neighbourhood and had heard of the cure. He had been troubled for
years with tapeworm, and Madame Nouffer’s remedy cured him. The Prince
reported the facts to his regular physician at Paris, and consequently
cases were sent from that city to the Swiss lady. She was so successful
that the king was induced to give her the sum named for the revelation
of her method, which was briefly as follows:--
For a day or two the patient was fed on buttered toast only. Meanwhile
enemas of mallow and marshmallow with a little salt and olive oil were
administered. Then, early in the morning, 3 drachms of powder of male
fern in a teacupful of water was taken. Candied lemon was chewed after
the dose to relieve the nauseousness, and the mouth was washed out with
an aromatic water. If the patient vomited the medicine another dose
was given. Two hours after the male fern a bolus containing 12 grains
each of calomel and resin of scammony, with 5 grains of gamboge, and
with confection of hyacinth as the excipient, had to be taken. A cup
of warm tea was recommended shortly after the bolus. The doses quoted
were regarded as average ones. They might be modified according to the
strength of the patient. Generally the treatment narrated sufficed to
expel the worm. If it did not, the whole proceeding was repeated.
Male fern was a remedy mentioned by Dioscorides and other ancient
writers, but it had been forgotten for centuries until Madame Nouffer’s
system brought it to the recollection of medical practitioners. It
again fell out of use, but a French physician named Jobert revived its
popularity in 1869. He was assisted in the preparation of the remedy by
Mr. Hepp, pharmacien of the Civil Hospital of Strasburg.
_Bestucheff’s Tincture and La Mothe’s Golden Drops._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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