THE COUNTRY-MANS Physician WHERE Is shew'd by a most plain and easie manner how those that live far from Cities or Market Towns and cannot have the advice of Physicians may be able of themselves by the help of this Book to Cure most Diseases happening to the Body of Man A Work very useful and necessary for all that understand not the Learned Languages LONDON Printed for Richard Chiswel at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-yard 1680. TO THE READER I Am not Ignorant that there are several Practices of Physick already Published in the English Tongue but truly they are almost all of them so stuft either with hard terms of Art and difficult Descriptions and Definitions or the Receipts the chief thing design'd indeed for the Buyer all in the Latine Tongue that I cannot at all perceive any or very little difference from their being continued in the Learned Languages they were written in so that they must necessarily be something of Scholars to understand those Books and so of little or no use to those that are none Whereupon taking the Premises into serious Consideration I thought I should do a very acceptable piece of Service to my dear Country-folks that understand no more than their Mother-Tongue if I should write a very plain method for them whereby they might be able by the help thereof to Counsel and Administer to themselves and their friends and neighbours fitting and pertinent Remedies for all manner of Curable Diseases when and where they cannot conveniently have the advice of the Learned Physician or Chyrurgion living perhaps remote from any Market Town or City where such commonly inhabit For the Book it self I can say that as the old Proverb is good Wine needs no Bush so I am confident thou wilt find it will be able to commend it self it being a choice Collection of almost infallible experiments from the most Famous Printed Authors and curious Manuscripts and I have for the Reasons before specified made it so plain and easie that any though no Scholars nor at all vers'd in the Learned Languages cannot erre in following these directions in this Book A TABLE OF THE DISEASES CURES Treated of in this BOOK CHAP. I. OF the Diseases of the Head whether caused from Heat or Cold where likewise of the inveterate pain of the Head Page 1. CHAP. II. Of the Diseases and Pains of the Eyes where of the Chataract p. 2. CHAP. III. Of the Diseases of the Nose as stinking Vlcers thereof where of the bleeding at the Nose p. 13. CHAP. IV. Of the Diseases of the Ears viz. Vlcers Wormes noise in the Ears and Deafness where also how to Cure the Pain in the Ears p. 19. CHAP. V. Of the Diseases of the Mouth as the Vlcers thereof where of a stinking breath of too much and too little spitting likewise of the Diseases and Pains of the Teeth and of the Cure of the Quinsey p. 22. CHAP. VI. Of the Diseases of the Breast as the Coughs shortness of Breath Spitting of Blood and of the Ptysick p. 27. CHAP. VII Of the Diseases of the Side as the Plurisie and of the Pains of the Side p. 33. CHAP. VIII Of the Diseases of the Heart as the feebleness thereof and the beating of the Heart and swooning away p. 35. CHAP. IX Of the Diseases of the Stomack and first of the weakness thereof whether from a hot or cold cause of nauseating meats and loss of taste and appetite where of the Wind in the Stomack whether before or after eating and of the Hiccop Of staying Vomiting whether from an hot or a cold cause and of provoking Vomit if there be occasion and to comfort the Stomack after Vomiting and lastly of the pains of the Stomack p. 37. CHAP. X. Of the Diseases of the Belly and first of the Diseases of the Liver whether from hot or cold causes viz. from Choler or Phlegm c. Where of its obstruction 2. Of the Spleen of the Diseases where of its obstruction likewise and also of the Cure of the three sorts of Jaundies that is yellow green and Black 3. Of the Cholick and Iliac passions 4. Of the pain in the Kidneys and difference between that and the Colick as also of the Cure of their Gravel and Stone and likewise of the Cure of the Stone in the Bladder and difficulty and heat in voiding of Vrine 5. Of the Cure of the Three sorts of Fluxes of the Belly viz. Lientery Diarrhaea and Dissentery 6. Of the Dropsie and Wind and Gripings of the Belly 7. Of the both sorts of Hemorrhoids viz. inward and outward p. 42. CHAP. XI Of the Diseases belonging to Women as of the stopping and provoking their Monthly Courses and of the Curing of the Fits of the Mother as also of the falling down of the Womb Of their Barrenness likewise and of how to prevent miscarriage and how to cause easie Delivery of Women in Child-birth and to ease their Pains after Travel and lastly how to cause plenty and scarcity of Milk in Women that give Suck p. 52. CHAP. XII Of breeding of Wormes and Teeth in Children p. 59. CHAP. XIII Of the Cure of Feavers whether continued Quotidian Tertian or Quartane p. 61. CHAP. XIV Of the Cure of the Pestilence and its Symptoms p 64. CHAP. XV. Of the Cure of the Gout whether in the Hands or Feet or Knees or Hipps p. 66. CHAP. XVI Of the Cure of outward pains in any part of the Body p. 68. CHAP. XVII Of the Cure of bruises in any part of the Body p. 70. CHAP. XVIII Of the Cure of Green Wounds and old Vlcers in any part of the Body p. 71. CHAP. XIX Of the Cure of all sorts of swellings in any part of the Body whether they be hot or cold hard or foft p. 78. by excessive heat or cold and often from the infirmities of other Members in which is contained the Cause of the pain in the head as the Stomach the Kidneys Liver Spleen Womb c. Now the pain is greater in the forehead than elsewhere when it proceeds from Blood behind when from Flegm when from Choler the pain is most on the right side the head and on the left when from Melancholy whereupon Medicines are to be imploy'd to the purpose by opposing hot Remedies to the cold as Flegm and Melancholy and cold to the hot Causes as Blood and Choler The manner to cure the pain from a hot Cause is first to let Blood in the Arm then to apply Linnen Cloaths dipt in Plantain and Rose Water and Vineger or in the Juice of Lettice with Rose-water and Vineger Or Oil of Roses and Poppies and make a Pultis of Bole-Armenac white of Eggs a Roasted Apple and Vineager and apply it to the head and forehead and temples and wash the head with warm water wherein have been boiled Sage Leaves Roses and water Lilly-Flowers and wash the feet with the same if he have no motion of the rheum or a
spoonful of Sugar-Candy Poudred and as much of Diaireos and a quarter of an Ounce of Liquorice and drink three Ounces of Hysop or Scabious water after Or Syrup of Liquorice and Hysop taken Night and Morning with Ptisane adding a few Anise and Fenel-seeds and Nettle Seeds when the Cough presses 't is good to take Teasels confected with Sugar Conserve of Roses and taking often one or other or Lohoc Sanans or de Pino taken with a Liquorice stick swallowing them by little and little or take two or three hours in the Morning before Eating the juice of Quinces boil'd half away with Honey or Sugar sweating after it or an Ounce of this drink two or three hours before Eating take Cassia newly drawn two Ounces and an half Diacarthamus six drams new Penids and Diaireos simplex of each half an Ounce Conserve of Violets three Ounces sweet Almonds and Liquorice Pouder of each half an Ounce Syrup of Violets two Ounces dissolve these in Pullit Broth and you must remember that you must Eat no sharp or salt things c. Against shortness of Breath call'd Asthma these Remedies are good besides those for the Cough a Lohoc made of an Ounce of Raisins stoned two great Figs one Date dryed Hysop Venus hair Liquorice Fox Lungs prepar'd Scabious water of each one dram Penids two Ounces and Syrup of Liquorice as much as will thicken it the which take with a Liquorice stick two or three hours before or after meats And as the Asthma surpasses the Cough in malice so you must be more observant in your diet Eating not Sharp or Salt or Spices but Eating Barly boil'd in Almond Milk and Sugar Eating Pullets and Pidgeons and rosted Fowls Figgs and Raisins Dates Almonds Against Spitting Blood give the Pouder of red Coral in Distill'd water of the tops of Oak or Terra sigillata with Plantain or Knotgrass water Ambar in the Decoction of Consound Harts and Goats horn in one of the Waters For the Ptisick let the sick drink every Morning four hours before Eating two or three quarts of Asses Milk or red Cows newly drawn putting in each time a Spoonful of Sugar of Roses in Pouder Taking often Conserve or Sugar of Roses or Diatragacanth 't is good to drink each Morning fasting a good Glass of this Distillation of the Herb asshoof the great Consound Venus hair Hysop equal parts with Snails discharg'd of their shels and well washt The water if alone is as good and for all lean and dry Bodies use Tablets made of two Ounces of Pimpernel in Pouder and Sugar every Morning dissolv'd in three Ounces of Pimpernel water This Pouder is very salutary taken two drams in the Morning and two Spoonfuls of Syrup of Jujubs after it or Coltsfoot water or Ptisane Take three Drams and a half of each of the four cold seeds which are Gourges Citruls Melons Cucumers and as much of Quince seeds five drams of white Pepper seeds Juice of Liquorice Hysop Starch Gum-Arabick Diatragacanth of each one Dram and an half Penids the weight of them all Pouder all apart then mingle them CHAP. VII Of the Diseases of the Sides THe most dangerous of all is the Pleurisy and most difficult to Cure for it will soon kill if not soon cur'd To know it the Patient hath a burning Fever a great Cough and short Breath and a great pain in his side by reason of fiery Blood hath inflam'd the membrane that covers the Rib inwardly which is mighty sensible now without delay let him be let Blood on the same side and give to drink a dram of Bores tooth prepar'd with some Pectoral Syrup as Violets Coltsfoot Hysop c. If he find no abatement and full of Blood Bleed again Then give this Take three Ounces of Carduus water a Spoonful of white-Wine six sperms of new lay'd Eggs a dram of Bores-tooth a scruple of red Coral Poudred give all together warm To open the Aposteme if there be occasion take an Apple cut in two and the Kernels taken out fill it with Frankincense or Mastich tye it with a Thred Rost it under the Cinders and give it to Eat and to void the matter Drink of the decoction of red Poppies or a dram Poudred with Scabius and Pimpernel water and Syrup of Hysop if the Fever be not great else Violets CHAP. VIII Of the diseases of the Heart FOr these your Remedies must be according to the causes the weakness of the Heart coming from heat give every Morning some Wine and water and Sugar with Troches of Camphire one dram or Diamargariton Frigidum and Eat often Conserve of Borage Bugloss Violets alone or with water of Wood-sorrel If the cause be cold with sadness and fear take every Morning the Electuary call'd Diamosch one dram in good Wine and keep his Breast warm and once a week take a dram of Venice Treacle in Wine or half a dram of Confectio Alchermes and to have Cloves and Mace and Nutmeg boil'd in his drink and diet For the beating of the Heart advise with the Physician about Bleeding and Purging if he have a Fever drink Syrup of Limons Violets Sorrel with Rose or Borage or Bugloss-water or the Syrup with Purslain-water c. 't is good to smell oft of Roses Violets and Rose Vineger if without Fever give Aqua-Mirabilis Caelestis or so or good Wine let him smell to Benizon Storax Musk c. For Swounding first of all throw cold water in the Face tie the Legs Arms and Thighs very hard and rub them hard pull by the Hair then give Wine to drink and hold Vineger to his Nose But if from the Womb let her smell stinking things as Assa Faetida Castor Partridge Feathers burnt c. and contrarily Perfumes below with Benzoin Storax Musk Ambar Civet c. but if it come from loss of Blood sweating Flux c. then nothing like good Wine and comfortable nourishment as Gellies c. CHAP. IX Of the Diseases of the Stomach WEakness of the Stomach proceeds oft from Flegm descending from the Head like Rheum and being cold Digests not meat but with great difficulty to that the first Remedy must be moderate abstinence but if Pain press you must Vomit with an Ounce of Crocus Metallorum if a woman and never above ten drams to a man and after drink Wine or Hippocras c. and sometime Purge the Stomach with Pilulae Hierae cum Agarico or Stomachicae cum gummi and taking two or three Night and Morning keep his Stomach warm with Cloaths or Emplasters If from an hot cause they will be dry and little appetite Head-ach sowr Belchings and offers to Vomit then give Syrup of Roses Sorrel c. or Quinces in Endive or Cichory water c. The Disdaining of diet comes from too many Cholerick or gross and clammy Phlegmatick humors always dry sometimes Vomiting yellow Choler first let Blood and Purge the Choler with Diaprunes Catholicon c. then give two or three spoonfuls
for a cure if possest therewith The most assured way of preservation is not to communicate with the infected but dwell in a sound place the air cold and dry rather than moist and hot and to remember the commands of our Ancestors citò longè tardè that is to go quickly from the place infected and to go a long way to a healthful place from whence to be slow in returning till all danger be past But if they must remain in an infected place then to prevent if possible the Disease you must Bleed and Purge and Sweat and keep all things sweet and clean and good Diet keep Fires by night if in Summer and all day in Winter burn Frankincense and Benjoin and Storax never go out fasting Take Pill Ruffi 3 or 4 or 6 Pills going to Bed for cure and prevention and Mitridates his Remedy composed only of one Figg and Walnuts and Rue six Leaves and a little Salt beaten together comfortable Wines and Waters and Brandy are good having a care there be not a great Feaver then you must give Juice or Syrrup of Lemmons with Barley-water c. in Bleeding you must have a care not to Let Women Blood in their last Moneth or newly Delivered or weak and decrepid Folks or those that have Swellings In lieu of Bleeding may be used Cupping-glasses to the Shoulders and Thighs after Bleeding give Cassia or Manna the next day Now for outward applications you must here use no repercussive Medicines After Bleeding apply to the Bunch a Pultis made of Figgs Raisins stoned and Leven beaten together with Oyl of Camomil or Bread and Milk and Lilly Roots boiled together or Diachilum cum Gummi or Paracelsus Plaister or Ammoniacum or Galbanum and open the Aposteme before it be quite ripe then dress it with Vnguentum Basilicum with Tents from first to last CHAP. XV. Of the Gout FOr the Gout whether in the Hands or Feet or Knees or Hips the chief remedy is to Let blood in a hot cause more than once if occasion be purge gently as you have been taught before if they be Feaverish and give Clysters and then cool drinks as in Fevers then use Ointments to appease the pain and Cataplasms and Plaisters and Oyl of Roses and Lillies a Pultis of Whitebread and Milk and Oyl of Roses and to boil Hemlock and Henbane in Milk and make a Pultis with Whitebread and Vnguentum Populeon Vnguentum Anodynum and bathe with Milk and warm Water and apply Diapalma Plaister softned with Oyl of Lillies or Roses and Emplastrum de Ranis or if from a cold cause use Paracelsus Plaister and Oxycroceum Diachylon cum gummi cicuta Ointments and Plaisters of Tobacco are excellent in all Gouts and Sciatica's so is Oyl of Exeter and Oyl of Spike and Turpentine CHAP. XVI Of the Cure of outward pains in any part of the Body FOr pain o' th Members the Oyl of Dwarf-elder is very proper anointing the place first therewith if it be from a cold cause and then apply hot Emplaisters as Paracelsus c. as before in the Gout Also Brandy and fresh Butter or Porkgrease never forgetting if the Patient have need to Let blood i' th Arm more than once if there be occasion and to purge gently two or three times together as you have been taught before sufficiently if you be ingenious The Oyl of Elder-flowers and Earth Worms mixt together are excellent good and this following take Pitch and Rosin new Wax of each half an Ounce fresh Butter half a Pound melt them gently over the Fire in an Earthen Glazed Vessel all but the Rozin which is to be cast in in small pieces when the other have boiled a little or begin to boil then stir them well with a Wooden stick to incorporate them with this composition being warm anoint your parts pained and rub them as long as they can endure it then lay an Emplaister of the same thereon and so roul it up if it be in a place that may be rouled after it hath lain on twenty four hours take the Plaister off and anoint and rub it again and lay it on again and do so every twenty four hours till they be well The Ointment and Plaister of Tobacco hath done great good to many CHAP. XVII Of Bruises in any part of the Body FOr Bruises whether from blows or falls or any other cause these remedies following are very good Lupine-meal boil'd a little in Wine to the consistence of a Pultis Bean-meal boil'd in Vinegar Radishes beat with Hony takes away the marks of the Bruise The leaves of Consound mixt with Oyl of Saint-Johns-worth dissolves the clotted Blood in any part of the Body that comes from Bruises This Oyl following is excellent good for all Bruises and shrunk Sinews also Take a young fat Fox take off his Skin then open him and take ouâ— his Garbage then boil him whoâ—… in common Oyl with Bay-berries and Sage-leaves and Marsh-mallow-roots till the Flesh part from the Bones and after you have broke the Bones put them into the Vessel again to boil the Marrow out and let them boil a little then press all hard out and keep it in Earthen Glazed Vessels for your use CHAP. XVIII Of green Wounds and old Sores FOr Wounds from what cause soever you have several cheating Mountebanks that go up and down the Country promising you Infallible Cures by their Balsomes forsooth But if the Wound be of any moment you 'll find them most commonly deceive you and so you have work made for the Chirurgion and that which perhaps if at first artificially handled might with ease have been Cured becomes it may be desperate or difficult with hazard of Life or Limb So that I thought good to give you this caution and withal to give you the most approved way of Curing green Wounds and Ulcers and old Sores First Then if any one happen to be wounded be sure to have in a readiness always i' th house that most incomparable Balsom called by the name of Linimentum Arcei to be had at the Apothecaries and if the wound be not hallow spread some of it upon Lint and apply to the wound and bind it up but if it be hollow you must melt it in a Spoon and pour it warm into the wound or dissolve some in Oyl of Turpentine and pour it in or inject it in with a Syringe or you may make this Sovereign Balsome your self thus Take Gum Elemi and Turpentine of each an Ounce and a half Rams Suet old and tried two Ounces old Hogs Fat tried one Ounce the manner of making this Liniment is this dissolve the Gum in Sack and let the Sack cimmer away gently over the fire then put in the Fat 's and lastly the Turpentine Others make great esteem of Tobacco in the Cure of green Wounds and old Sores either boiling the Leaves or Juice alone thereof in Wine and Oyl or by adding Turpentine Wax and Gum and