Medicina Flagellata; Or, The Doctor Scarify'dAnonymous
Science
Medicina Flagellata; Or, The Doctor Scarify'd
Anonymous
Hygiene; Medicine -- Practice -- Early works to 1800; Plague -- Early works to 1800; Quacks and quackery
The Custom that prevails now of drinking Coffee, Bohea-Tea, or Chocolate,
with Bread and Butter, is very good; at their going abroad 'tis proper to
carry Rue, Angelica, Masterwort, Myrtle, _Scordianum_ or Water-Germander,
Wormwood, Valerian or Setwal-Root, _Virginian_ Snake-Root, or Zedoary in
their Hands to smell to, or of Rue one Handful stampt in a Mortar, put
thereto Vinegar enough to moisten it, mix them well, then strain out the
Juice, wet a Piece of Sponge or a Toast of brown Bread therein, tie it in
a Bit of thin Cloth to smell to.
But there is nothing more grateful and efficacious than the volatile _Sal
Armoniac_, well impregnated with the essential Oils of aromatick
Ingredients, which may be procured dry, and kept in small Bottles, from a
careful Distillation of the common _Sal Volatile Oleosum_.
Sometimes more foetid Substances agree better with some Persons than the
more grateful Scents, of which the most useful Compositions may be made of
Rue, Featherfew, _Galbanum_, _Assafoetida_, and the like, with the Oil
of Wormwood, the Spirit or Oil drawn and dropt upon Cotton, so kept in a
close Ivory Box, though with Caution to be used, the often smelling to,
dilating the Pores of the Olfactory Organs, which may give greater Liberty
for the pestilential Air to go along with it. A Piece of Orris Root kept
in the Mouth in passing along the Streets, or of Garlick, Orange or Lemon
Peel, or Clove, are of very great Service. As also Lozenges of the
following Composition, which are always profitable to be used fasting; of
Citron Peel two Drams, Zedoary, Angelica, of each, prepar'd in Rose
Vinegar, half a Dram, Citron Seeds, Wood of Aloes, Orris, of each two
Scruples, Saffron, Cloves, Nutmeg, one Scruple, Myrrh, Ambergrease, of
each six Grains, Sugarcandy one Ounce; make into Lozenges with Gum
Traganth and Rose-water.
I know not indeed a greater Neglect than not keeping the Body clean, and
the keeping at a distance any thing superfluous and offensive, to keep the
House airy and fresh, and moderately cool, and to strew it with Herbs,
Rushes, and Boughs, which yield refreshing Scents, and contribute much to
the purifying of the Air, and resisting the Infection; of this kind all
Sorts of Rushes and Water Flags, Mint, Balm, Camomil Grass, Hyssop, Thyme,
Pennyroyal, Rue, Wormwood, Southernwood, Tansy, Costmary, Lime-tree, Oak,
Beech, Walnut, Poplar, Ash, Willow, _&c._ A frequent Change of Clothes,
and a careful drying or airing them abroad, with whisking and cleaning of
them from all Manner of Filth and Dust, which may harbour Infection, as it
is likewise to keep the Windows open at Sun-Rise till the Setting,
especially to the North and East, for the cold Blasts from those Quarters
temper the Malignity of pestilential Airs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account