generated upon a Tree and if it continue long and increase it hinders the speech and therefore ought to be timely remedied wherefore the tumour is to be removed by the application of Salt and Frankincense mixed or with powder of Sage mixed with honey of Roses and a drop or two of spirit of Vitriol Or Take of Cuttle bone Sal Gemma and Pepper each one dram of burnt spunge three drams make a powder wherewith rub the tumour or with the foregoing powder and honey make a Linement and anoint the tumour with it and apply under the chin a Plaister made with equal parts of Goose-dung and honey boyled in Wine to the consumption of the Wine CHAP. XIX Of a Catarrh Cough and Difficulty of breaking CAtarrhs arise in Children from their natural constitution and moist temper of their brains whereby many excrements are heapt up there for too great a quantity of milk burdening the stomach sends vapours to the head and sill the brain and Children being unaccustomed in the Womb too cold the extream coldness of the air or too much heat or much Cloaths upon their heads pour the matter upon the Nostrils Jaws or Lungs and if the excrementitious humours cannot be evacuated by the Nostrils they fall upon the Aspera Arteria and cause a Cough but if they fall upon the Bronchia of the Lungs they cause difficulty of breathing These Symptoms are easily discovered but whether the humour be cold or hot may be known in the following manner if the humour be hot the Catarrh is thin the Children often sneeze the face is florid and the jaws look red and a hot vapour exhales from their mouths and the Nurses perceive it when the Children suck If the humour be cold it is thick and the Children do not sneeze nor is there any redness in the face or jaws nor heat in their mouth But whether the difficulty of breathing arise from matter coming from the head or from phlcgmatick blood may be known as follows If it come from the head there is a Catarrh and also a Cough and in breathing a noise is perceived the air not passing freely through the obstructed Bronchia But if it be occasioned by a phlegmatick humour arising from the hypochonders there is no Catarrh nor Cough and the hypochonders appear inflated and tumid Catarrhs Coughs and difficulty of breathing are not to be neglected in Children for Coughs do not only occasion Watchings and frequent Vomitings but also ruptures and Catarrhs occasion suffocations and sometimes kill They are not easily cured because children cannot bear all sorts of Remedies and besides they do not know how to spit up the matter We must principally endeavour that the intempers which occasions the matter be rectified and the fluxion of the humour to the breast hindered But because children cannot take or bear many Medicines and nature it self without the help of Medicines does most commonly concoct the cause of the Catarrh and so stop it if a good diet be observed therefore great care must be taken that neither the Child or Nurse commit any errour in diet wherefore the Infants stomach must not be filled with milk or any other meat and the nurse must abstain from Acid Salt and acid things and all other things which send many vapours to the head and it is useful to give a Pectoral decoction to the nurse Take of figs and jujubs each number ten Sebestins number thirty raisins stoned ten drams Liquorish two drams Maiden Hair Hyssop and Violets each half an ounce boyl them in three pints of Fountain water to the Comsumption of a third part Care must be taken to keep the belly loose with honey Syrup of Roses Solutive Cassia Manna or with Glisters it is alâ— convenient to give a Spoonful of oyl of sweet Almonds fresh drawn and mixed with Sugar Candy for it loosens the belly and eases the cough or vomiting may be provoked by putting a finger in the childs mouth But you must take a special care to keep the belly loose if difficulty of breathing arise from an repletion of the stomach or Hypochondres then it is also proper to give flax-seed with honey and a little cummin-seed afterwards give the juice of Fennel with milk or Syrup of Jujubes and Maiden-Hair and if the matter be thick Syrup of Hyssop or an emulsion of sweet Almonds and Pine Nuts made in Scabious water or some other convenient water and sweetened with Sugar Candy or a Linctus may be made of the species Diaireos or Diatragacanth Frigid Penidiat Sugar and with Syrup of Jujubes or with honey oyl of sweet Almonds and the juice of Liquorish and Fennel But if the Catarrh be hot an emulsion of the four greater cold seeds may be prepared in Mallow-water and the species of Diatragacanth frigid may be added to it and to dry up the Matter of the Catarrh hot linnen stups sprinkled with red Roses and Frankincense may be applied outwardly and the Childrens feet may be washed with Beer wherein Cephalick Herbs have been boiled afterwards anoint the soles of the Feet with Deers-suet or the Oâ—l of Laurel And because the Catarrh sometimes falls upon the Jaws and Aspera Arteria because the Nostrils are stopt anoint them with Butter or with the Oil of Bitter or sweet Almonds often in a day Or Take of the Juice of Beets and Majoram each two drams of Chickweed half an ounce of Oyl of sweet Almonds one ounce mingle them and anoint the Nostrils therewith Or put up the Nostrils Butter to the bigness of a Pea or you may apply Marjoram to the Nostrils that sneezing may be provoked to evacuate through the Nostrils the matter which flows upon the Aspera Arteria To conclude some anoint the Breast with Butter Hens-fat or Oyl of Camomile and Oyl of Almonds to render Respiration more easie Chap. XX. Of the Hickops THe Hickops happen to Children by reason of the coruption of Meat in the Stomach or by the repletion of the stomach with Milk or because of the refrigeration of the stomach by external Air whereby the expulsive faculty of the stomach is so much offended and irritated to expel that which troubles it The Hickops for the most part are not dangerous in Children but if the câuse of it be so great as to be communicated to the rest of the Nerves and to occasion other Convulsions it is most commonly deâdly If the Hickops be occasioned by a corruption of the Meat it ought to be cast up by Vomitting to which end put your Finger in the Childs mouth or a feather dipt in Oyl afterwards strengthen the stomach with things that heat and lessen the Childs diet If the Hickops are occasioned by a corruption and fault of the Milk it must be amended with proper Remedies and the corrupted Milk must be carried off from the Childs stomach with syrup or Honey of Roses solutive and afterwards Conserve of Red Roses with Powder of Coral and Bole-armonick must be given
Constitution Leaches must be applyed to the jugular Veins and Linements must be used to the temples nostrils and neck and to the soles of the feet and glisters which empty the belly plentifully must be injected and every sixth or eighth hour specifick Remedies must be given Take of oyl of Copaiba and Castor each two drams of oyl of Ambar half a dram make a Liniment Apply to the soles of the feet the Pâ—â—istâ—r with Euphorbium spread on Leather Take of prepared Pearle of the Powder de Guttita each one dram mingle them for twelve Papers whereof let the Child take one morning and evening in a Spoonfull of the following julep drinking after it one or two Spoonfulls Take of the waters of black Cherries and of Lilly of the Vallies each two ounces of Fennel water and Compound Peony water each two drams of Syrup of red Poppies six drams Take of the powder of the seeds of Rue of Castor and Asasetida each a sufficient quantity mingle them and tye it up in a rag sprinkled with Vinegar and put it often to the nostrils Vnzerus Commends much the gall of a sucking kitling all the juice being taken out out of the bladder and mixed with a little water of Lime-flowers and given to the Child and an excellent Physician says that he knew several Children cured with this Remedy When by reason of breeding Teeth difficultly Convulsions happen this symptom is secondary and less dangerous and therefore does not require the first and chief work of healing in this case we are more solicitous to ease the pain and to take off the Fever and therefore we order a thin cooling diet and the eruption of the Teeth is to be endeavoured either by rubbing or cutting the Gums and things that are annodyne are to be applyed to the swelld and pained parts and blisters and bleeding are to be used often and we ought to procure sleep and to qualifie the fury of the blood But in the mean time temperate Medicines for Convulsions and such as do the least stir the humours are to be used and blisters often do also give relief But Children are sometimes seized with Convulsions from other occasions and accidents the cause most commonly of such is either in the head or in the bowells when the former is suspected as is wont to be known by the signs which shew watery humours heapt up in the brain the Medicines above-mentioned must be used Moreover for those who bear purging well a vomit or gentle purge must be prescribed Wine and Oxymel of Squills also Mercurius Dulcis Rhubarb and Rosin of Jalap are of good use When the cause of the Convulsions seems to be lodged in the bowels or where Worms or sharp humours in the belly are the cause for Worms a purge of Rhubarb or of Mercurius dulcis with the rosin of Jalap must be given and the following Medicines are also of use Take of the roots of Virginia Snake-weed powdered one dram of Coral calcined till it is white half a dram make a powder The dose is half a scruple or a scruple twice a day for three days following drinking upon it the dâ—â—oction of the roots of grass Take of Hiera Piera and of Venice Treacle eachone dram make a plaister for the 〈◊〉 If the Convulsions are thought to proceed from sharp humours disturbing the bowels and stomach purging upward or downward is to be ordered by turns to this end a gentle vomit of Wine of Squills or falt of vitriol is to be given if the Child is inclined to vomiting of its own accord Take of Syrup of Peony three ounces Salt of vitriol two scruples of Compound Lavender-water one dram Mingle them give a Spoonfull three or four times in an hour till the Child has once vomited or went to stool once But if evacation downward seem most proper give the infusion of Rhubarb or the powder of it or Syrup of Succory with Rhubarb or Syrup of roses with Agarick and with these remedies seasonably used Convulsion fits have been often cured in Children and moreover Glisters are to be used frequently and external Medicines namely Fomentations Linements or Emplasters must be applyed to the belly Take of the leaves of Camomile cut small two handfulls put them into two bags made of fine Cloath or of Silk which being dipt in hot milk and pressed out are to be applyed successively to the Belly CHAP. XIV Of Squinting SQuinting belongs to animal Actions hurt wherewith new born babes are seized This Disease is either natural by reason of an ill conformation of the eye or is co tracted by custom the Infant turning its eye often in the Cradle to a Candle or the light ill placed or it is occasioned by a Disease when after frequent sits the muscles of the eyes are distorted If it be from the very birth it is hardly cured or when it proceeds from sits but if it arise from an ill custom it may be cured if it be taken in time but when it is let alone a long while it is in a manner incurable It is cured by placing a Candle opposite to the part whereunto the Eye is preternaturally inclined or fine Pictures or the like may be offered to the sight in the same manner and by constant and daily use the eye may be reduced to a right position or a mask may be so made that the sight may be directed right CHAP. XV. Of the Pain Inflamation Moisture Vlcers and Worms of the Ears AMongst Childrens Diseases Hippocrates reckons the moisture of the ears for the brain of Children being very moist part of the humidity is sometimes evacuated by the ears And this is seldom done without an inflamation for most Commonly if superfluous humours flow plentifully to the ears an inflamation is occasioned and pain arises from thence and when it is not discussed by reason of the moisture of Childrens bodies but turned to matter afterwards blood matter and senies flow out and sometimes Worms are bred in the ear These Dâ—seases are not to be neglected for the pain which is most commonly joined with them may kill a grown person in seven days sayes Hippocrates and much easier a Child or may occasion fits or great watchings besides because Childrens ears are very moist Worms are are apt to be generated in them and sometimes by a continual flux of humours and by foul Ulcers the bones of the ear are at length corrupted and if the Ulcer is not cured in time an incurable deafness arises and therefore the cure must be begun early And first if the pain be very violent care must be taken to quiet it but Childrens bodies cannot bear strong Medicines it is sufficient for them that their ears be fomented with warm milk with oyl of Roses or Violets or with a decoction of poppy heads or you may put into the ear the white of an Egg with a little Saffron And to cleanse the care from moisture it is good to use honey of Roses
Small-Pox and Measles and they also sometimes come from Worms This disease is easily known by the standers by for the Children groan and shake in their sleep and cry out of a sudden and a hot and fetid vapour exhals from their mouth most commonly This disorder must not be contemned for it is often the forerunner of sits wherefore you must endeavour to remedy it in time by removing the vitious humours from the stomach that corrupt the meat In order to which the Nurse ought to be healthy and to eat moderately of meats of good juice and to abstain from all that yeild an ill nourishment that the milk which the Infant sucks may be good The Infant also ought to suck sparingly that the Stomach be not burthened nor must the Infant after sucking or feeding be presently laid asleep but must be kept up a while that the meat may descend to the bottom of the Stomach and be the easier concocted and that the corrupt meat may be removed from the Stomach or vomited up Oyl of Sweet-Almonds may be given to the Child or you may give a spoonful or two of Honey of Roses solutive to carry off the vitious humours by stool The cause of the disease being taken off the Stomach must be strengthened which may conveniently be done with magistery of Coral and consection of Hiacinth given in milk and you may anoint the Stomach with the Oyls of Wormwood Mint Mastick or Nutmegs And before sleep it is good to give the Child a Lozenge of Diamosch dissolved in Milk If this symptom proceed from a Fever you must take care of that if from Worms proper remedies must be used Some in this case use Amulets as Coral or the tooth of a Wolf hung about the neck CHAP. XII Of Watchings ALL the while the Child is in the Womb it is almost perpetually asleep and for some times after it is born if it be well it is always almost asleep for the brain is yet very moist and abounds with a great deal of humedity therefore when it watches much and cannot be brought to rest either by rocking singing or giving the breast nor by any other way it is to be reckoned of a sickly constitution This Disease is very dangerous and especially to children because it is so contrary to the nature of them and occasions Convulsions Fevers and Catarrhs and other Diseases If those acid Vapours that disturb sleep and occasion watchings proceed from the corruption and fault of the milk care must be taken for a Remedy If a Fever or some pain be the cause it must be removed and the child must be cleansed but Medicines that provoke sleep are not so safely used in Children as in grown-persons Some Nurses indeed are wont to give Infants at bed time Syâ—up of Poppies or the like but this is very injurious to them but if there be occasion the Nurse ought rather to take things that cause sleep moderately as sweet Almonds Lettice the seeds of white Poppie and the like As to externals the feet may be washed with a Decoction of the tops of Dill of the flowers of Camomile and the heads of Poppies and it is very good to anoint the soles of the feet with the marrow of Stag's bones but strong Narcoticks must not be applyed to the head for the moist and weak brains of Infants will be thereby offended It is safest to use fresh oyl of Dill for anointing the Temples or you may anoint them with the oyl of Roses mixed with a little oyl of Nutmegs or you may apply a Cataplasm made of the seeds of white Poppies a little Saffron and Womans milk and the â—ostrils may be anointed with a little â—yl of Violets if the brain be dry a â—ag dipt in Violet or Lettice water and pressed out may be applyed to the head CHAP. XIII Of Childrens Convulsions CHildrens Convulsions are so frequent that they are almost the only species of Convulsions they are chiefly subject to them in the firstâ— months and at the time they breed their Teeth but they also happen at other times and proceed from other causes in such as are disposed to them Sometimes they do not come presently after the Birth but lie hid until the breeding of Teeth or not till a great while after and take their rise from other evident causes as from an unhealthy or big bellied Nurse from milk coagulated or corrupted in the Stomach from a Feverish disposition from Ulcers or Scabs in the head or other parts suddenly disappearing from changes of the air or from the conjunction or opposite aspects of the Sun and Moon We must endeavour to prevent these Convulsions in Children and Infants oâ— to cure them when they are come for if the former Children of the same Parents have been subject to Convulsive Fits this Disease ought to be prevented by the early use of Remedies in such as are born after To this end it is customary to give to new-born Babes as soon as they begin to breath some Medicine proper for Convulsions as some drops of pure honey a Spoonful of Canary Wine sweetned with Sugar oyl of sweeâ— Almonds fresh drawn a drop of oyl of Ambre or half a Spoonful of Epileptick water besides these things used at first which certainly do good some other Remedies ought to be administred For instance give a Spoonful twice a day of the following Liquor Take of the waters of Black Cherries and Rue each one ounce and an half of Langiuses Epileptick water one ounce of Syrup of Coral six drams of prepared Pearl fifteen grains mingle them in the Viâ—l The third or fourth day after the Birth make an Issue in the neck and if the countenance be florid evacuate by bleeding an ounce and an half or two ounces of blood from the ingular Vein But take care that too much blood do not flow out in sleep Rub gently the Temples with the following Linement Take of oyl of Nutmegs by expression two drams of balsam of Copiaba three drams of Ambar one scruple mix them Hang round the neck the roots and seeds of male Peony and Elks-hoof sewed up in a rag Moreover Medicines proper for Convulsions must be given daily to the Nurse Let her take morning and evening a draught of Whey wherein the roots of male Peony or the seeds of sweet Fennel have been boyled Take of the Conserves of the flowers of Bettony Male Peony and Rosemary flowers each two ounces of the roots and flowers of Male Peony each two drams of red Coral prepared and white Ambar each one dram of the the roots of Angelica and Zedoary prepared each half a dram with a suffient quantity of Syrup of Peony Make an electuary let the Nurse take the quantity of a Nutmeg of it morning and evening and be very orderly in her diet But if the Infant be actually seized with Convulsions you must apply a Blister to the neck or behind the ears and if the Infant be of a hot
Camomile Or Take of the Flowers of Camomile and of the tops of Dill each one handful of the Seeds of Flax and Fenâ—greek each half an ounce boil them in Wine and foment the Belly with it twice a day But if the Gripes proceed from corrupted Milk and acid Humours things that cleanse must be used give therefore Syrup of Roses solutive or Honey of Roses solutive or Syrup of Succory with Rhubark or a Glister may be injected made of a decoction of Bran and Pellitory and Syrup of Roses solutive Or Take of Barley-Water three or four ounces of Oyl of Dill one ounce or one ounce and half the Yolk of one Egg make a Glister Outwardly apply Oyl of Roses mixed with the Oyls of Dill and Camomile Chap. XXIII Of the Inflation of the Belly and Hypochondres IT often happens that the Hypochondres and Belly of Children under the short Ribs swell and are as it were inflated These Swellings arise from sucking or eating more than they can well concoct upon which account crude Humours and Wind are heapt up in the Stomach and neighbouring parts and so occasion this inflation of the Hypocondres The Disease is known by the inflation and hardness of the Stomach and the Hypochondres and the Children are afflicted with a narrowness and contraction of the mouth of the Stomach and they breath difficulty This Disease is easily cured if a good Diet be observed wherefore the Children must feed sparingly that the Crudiâ—ies may be concocted nor should they suck or eat till that which was eaten before is concocted and it is good to purge off the crude Humours with Honey of Roses solutive and the Powder of the Roots of Paeony Orris and the Seeds may be given or a Linctus may be made of the Powders with Honey or the Oyl of Sweet-Almonds and Sugar and the Hypochondres may be fomented with a decoction of the Flowers of Camomile and the Seeds of Cummin or they may be anointed with the Oyls of Camomile Rue or Lawrel Chap. XXIV Of a Loosness A Loosness is very common to Children and it most commonly happens about the time they are breeding their Teeth but sometimes also when they are not breeding their Teeth when either their Stomach or Bowels are cooled by the external Air and so a due concoction is hindred or it may happen though the Stomach be very well when it is over-burthened with too large a quantity of Meat or Drink which breeds Crudities and corrupts the Meat and Meat that is crude unconcocted and corrupted if it be not rejected by Vomit causes a Loosness A Loosness may also happen by a fault in the Milk or Meat from whence ill chyle is generated in the Stomach which provokes Nature to frequent Evacuations the humidity and loosness of the Bowels may be also a cause A Loosness appears of it self but whether it be occasioned by breeding of Teeth or from some other cause may be known by the signs of breeding Teeth If it proceed from an Intemperies of the Stomach and Bowels some external causes went before which might occasion a cold or moist Intemperies in the Stomach or Bowels If this Flux proceed from an Humour falling from the Head it may be known by a Catarrh being present and what the matter is which is evacuated may be easily known for if the Humours are crude the Meat is evacuated Unconcocted the Child is troubled with belching and the Excrements are slegmatick and white but if the Humours are hot and the Meat is corrupted those things which are evacuated are yellow or green and stink and the Child is much griped What Celfus says in general of Fluxes in the Belly is also true as to Children viz. That a Loosness for a day or more is often good for the health if no Fever accompany it and if it go off within seven days and therefore a Loosness in Children if they bear it well must not be presently stopt for corrupted Humours in the Stomach are often commodiously evacuated thereby whereas if they were retained many grievous symptoms would arise and therefore Hippocrates says in his Book of breeding Teeth that those Children that have a loosness in breeding Teeth are least subject to Convulsions But if Children do not well bear their Loosness and it takes away their Stomach and makes them weak it must be stopt and a Loosness is dangerous in Children if it come upon an acute Fever and if that which is evacuated be black In the Cure we must first consider whether the Child sucks or not and next whether it be breeding the Teeth or not for if the Child yet suck the cure must not be directed to the Child but to the Mother or Nurse and we must consider whether the Milk be good or not for if the Milk be bad it must be amended or if that cannot presently be done the Nurse must be changed The Nurse must use an astringent Diet and must abstain from Fruits and crude Meats and such as are of difficult concoction But if the Infant does not suck the cure must be directed to it but whether it suck or not the vitious Humours that are evacuated must not be unseasonably stopt especially when Children are breeding their Teeth for that which would otherwise occasion a Fever and other mischief is thereby evacuated and therefore the business must be left to Nature especially if the Flux be not large and if the Child bear it well but if it does not bear it well the cause on which it depends must be removed and the Humours must be carried off by such Medicines as afterwards bind as by Syrup or Honey of Roses solutive or with Conserve of Roses made with Manna Or Take of the decoction of the Seeds of Millium and all the Myrobalans each two or three ounces of the Simple Syrup of Roses one or two ounces make a Glister when the Humours are cleansed away if the cause be hot give the Syrups of dry'd Roses of Quinces Myrtles or Coral or the Powders of Pearl Coral Mastichs Harts-horn and Red Roses or the Powder of Myrtles with a little Dragons Blood Or Take of Nutmeg and Mastich each one scruple give them mixed with Syrup of Quinces Let the Belly be anointed with the Oyls of Myrtle Roses and Mastich As Take of Oyls of Myrtle one ounce of Oyls of Mastich and Roses each half an ounce wax a little and mingle them Or foment the Belly with a decoction of Red Roses Mullein and Plantain made in Red Wine Or Take of Red Roses and Mullein each one handful of the Roots of Cyperus two drams of Mastich half an ounce make a Linnen Bag put these Ingredients into it and boil it in red astringent Wine and apply the Bag to the Belly Or Take of Quinces boiled in Red Wine and pulped through a Sive four ounces of a Toast sprinkled with Vinegar one ounce and an half with a sufficient quantity of Oyl of Mastich make a Cataplasm Or Take of