Every Day Life in the Massachusetts Bay ColonyDow, George Francis
History
Every Day Life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Dow, George Francis
Massachusetts -- Social life and customs -- To 1775
"The Chyrurgical Instruments with which the Artist ought to be
furnished, are chiefly these: A Plaister Box; an Uvula Spoon; a
Levatory; a Director; a pair of Forceps; a Spatula Lingua; an
Incision Knife; a pair of Scizzors; a Flame; a small Razour; a
stitching Quill; three square Needles; with a Case of good Launcets;
and a Salvatory; letting all be kept very sharp, clean and bright."
* * * * *
The following medical recipes are copied from a manuscript left by
Dr. Zerobabel Endecott of Salem and formerly in the possession of
the late Dr. Frederick Lewis Gay of Brookline.
_For y^e Bloudy Flux_
Stone horses Liuers[72] dried in an ouen being heat for houshould
bread, made into powder & giuen a spoonfull at a time in milk.
[72] "Fox Lungs for the mending of human lungs hardly able to
respire, and Bone of a Stag's Heart" are mentioned in the English
Dispensatory (Quincy), London, 1742.
_For a Spraine_
Take stronge bere este & honye, of equall quantyty & boyle them to
the Consistanty of honye & so apply it hott to ye place greeued.
_For Extreme Thirst & Vomiting in a Malignant Feauer_
Take salt of wormwood [scruple]i and a spoonfull of the Juce of
Lemonds mix them in a spoon & giue it the patient
_For Stone in the Kidnes and Blader Or To Prouent It_
Take wild Carret seeds & boyle in Ale & drinke Dose [dram]ii euery
Night.
_An Other_
Take 3 Drops of oyle of Fenill once a day.
_For ye Dropsie Often Prou^d & Espetially Vpon One Man, Other Meanes
Vsed By Men of Skill Fayled This Was Affectuall_
Tak good store of Elder roots wash them & make them very Cleane then
splitt & steepe them in strong ale wort & Lett them stand together
while ye Ale is working then when it is 2 days old drinke of it
morning Noone & at night till health be obtained Lett there be as
many of ye Roots as Can well be steeped in the Ale The flowers are
of the same vse & more powerfull
_An Other_
Take Rie flower make past with water Role it thin and with ye greene
Leaues of Sage & a Littl Rosemary fill it as pye bake it very dry
beat altogether & take halfe a spoonefull at a time in a wine
Cupfull of your beere
_For a Sore Throte[73] or Kings Euell_
[73] _Quinsey._ First bleed, and purge with _Dincassia_, after vomit
with _Vinum Antimonii_; rub the tongue with the juyce of Crabfish
and Housleek, taking a little inwardly; ... ashes of burnt Crabs,
of Swallows, and Tincture of Corals, are excellent in the bastard
Quinsey; the ashes of an owl (feathers and all) blown into the
throat, opens and breaks the Imposthume wonderfully.--_Compendium of
Physick_ (_Salmon_), London, 1671.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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