The Charitable Pestmaster; Or, The Cure of the Plague: Conteining a few short and necessary instructions how to preserve the body from infection of the plagve, as also to cure those that are infected. Together with a little treatise concerning the cure of the small pox.Sherwood, Thomas, Practitioner in physick
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The Charitable Pestmaster; Or, The Cure of the Plague: Conteining a few short and necessary instructions how to preserve the body from infection of the plagve, as also to cure those that are infected. Together with a little treatise concerning the cure of the small pox.
Sherwood, Thomas, Practitioner in physick
Plague -- Early works to 1800; Smallpox -- Early works to 1800
The diſeaſe continuing unto the ſecond and third day, the heate
breaketh outwardly, ſtronger, and ſtronger, ſo that there followeth a
great paine in the head, and a difficulty of breathing, ſuperfluous
ſleeps, and ſometimes ſuperfluous watchings, they grow frantike and
light-headed, and they looke very ſtaringly: And if there doth any
ſwelling appear under the eares, armes, cheeks, or groines, and that
theſe ſignes aforenamed doe begin to ceaſe, Then ſhall the ſick
recover immediatly without any medicine, onely give him a plaſter or
pulteſſe to ripen the tumour, which muſt be applyed the next day after
the ſwelling appeareth; but give him nothing inwardly, except it be a
warme Caudle, or Ale-brue, or Broth; for if you give him a vomit or
purge, you ſhall ſtrike the ſwelling into the noble parts, and the
ſick ſhall be in danger of his life: and if you let him bloud, you
ſhall draw the venemous humour from the Soare into the veins, and
diſperſe it with the bloud through the whole body, and thereby deſtroy
the health of the patient, and ſhorten his life; as it came to paſſe
with a good friend of mine. Alſo if you give him any medicine to
provoke ſweat, you ſhall reſtore the Fever again, and ſo the ſicke
ſhall die without redemption; yea, and more miſerably, then thoſe that
never amended, unleſſe God be more mercifull unto him; whereof I have
had a ſorrowfull experience.
Therefore bee carefull that you doe not tamper with thoſe that do
begin to amend: for thoſe very Medicines that are excellently
available againſt any Fevers in the beginning or encreaſe of them,
being given in the declination or recovery, will bring the patient
into a Relapſe, which is worſe then the former diſeaſe, and which
ſhall greatly endanger life. For how many have died by the
unſeaſonable taking of Treacle, Mithridate, and other good Medicines?
Wherefore I have often ſaid, that a skilfull Phyſician by watching his
time ſhall doe more with a cup of warme drinke in the cure of the
Plague, or any Fever, then the ignorant ſhall do with all the
excellent Medicines that are in the Apothecaries Shop.
Now if the riſing doe appear, & that the ſymptoms or ſignes aforenamed
doe not begin to ceaſe, but rather encreaſe, Then ſhortly after there
will appeare ſome blains or ſpots, & ſo death enſueth, unleſſe you
draw ten or twelve ounces of bloud (according to the ſtrength of the
ſick) from the liver or middle vein of the arme, on that ſide where
the riſing is.
But if ſo be that the ſickneſſe continueth unto the third and fourth
day, and the ſymptomes remaine in their full vigour, then ſhortly will
the ſpots come forth; and then I know no medicine that can deliver
from death, except God be more mercifull to the ſick: But only on the
third day before the ſpots appear it ſhall be greatly available to
give him one of the cordial ſweats preſcribed in the enſuing Chapter.
CHAP. 3.
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