Approved Medicines OF Little cost to preserve health and also to cure those that are SICK Provided For the Souldiers Knap-sack and the Country mans Closet Written by RICHARD ELKES Gent. Student in the Art of Physick living at Bagshot in the County of Surry Medicos Chirurgos subinde mutare aegris taedium non levamen est Eccles. 38. 4. The Lord hath created Medicines out of the earth and he that is wise will not abhorre them LONDON Printed for Robert Ibbitson and are to be sold by Tho Vere at the Angel in the Old-Baily 1651. TO THE High and Honourable Court of Parliament Rich. Elkes wisheth health peace and tranquility Right Honourable FOR as much as all men ought in their severall places and callings to endeavour to doe good in that Common-wealth wherein they live your poor Subject hath seen many men both Souldiers and others loose their lives by a carelesse demeanour sometimes ignorantly some times wilfully sometimes for want of a Physitian and Chyrurgeon sometimes neglecting the means when it may be had for the prevention thereof I do here make bold to present unto your view some Defensives and Remedies for all that desire Health In the absence of a Learned Physitian and Chyrurgion these easie Medicines may both cure and preserve health as the learned saith the Physitians duty consisteth in two principall points First To preserve health Secondly To cure the sick which I have and will indeavour to doe according to that Tallent that Almighty God hath bestowed upon me and rest your obedient Servant To Command in all submission and diligence RICHARD ELKES The Directions of an old Souldier in Ireland about forty years since which became a Physitian there AS I travelled through the Countie of Clare I heard of an excellent Physitian which had accomplished manie rare cures but especially the Bloody Flux After some time spent I found the man and conferred with him touching his Art which he seemed willing to impart requesting the like of me and said about fortie years before that time he came out of England a Souldier into that Country which was in Queen Elizabeths daies before a month was expired the Bloodie Flux seized upon him and as he suppofed it came by eating of fresh meat fresh fish lying upon the ground being hot and such like he remembred some directions that was given to him before he came out of England That when you eate give over with an appetite drinke no more but to quench thirst if you drink when you are hot march after it or stirre your body when you rest at your fires sit not upon the cold ground but upon wood straw or such like put off your wet cloathes and especially your Stockings and dry them c. And carrie in your Knap-sacke a peece of steele to heat red hot and quench it in your beer water or milke and as you travel gather the leaves and bark of the Oake and the leaves of the black-Thorn a bagge of Salt and Oatmeale that if the Flux should take you you might helpe your selfe So this old Souldier remembred his directions and observed it diligently when he came to their fires to dry his cloathes and sit upon wood or such like and he cast his peece of steele into the fire to warme his drink and when they had fish or flesh boiled he would cast into the boiler a handfull of Oaken leaves or bark of the Oak or a handful of leaves of Black-Thorn Salt and Oatmeale and grated into his beer some of the Oake bark this being observed cured himselfe and many of his fellow Souldiers The Wars being ended he became a Physitian and gained both monie and credit by curing the Flux and some other infirmities Thus may any Souldier observe and do for their healths in England Ireland and Scotland if need require Also the Souldiers may provide in their Knap-sacks three sorts of Earth that is Terra Lemnia it is called in the Apothecaries shops Terra Sigillata Bolarmonicke and Chalke this Terra Lemnia commeth out of the Island of Lemnos in the Turkes Dominion the quantity of a Bullet swallowed whole or beaten topowder and taken in Broth or other liquor fasting it cureth the Flux and preserveth from the Pestilence the best Bolarmonick commeth out of Spaine and may be taken fasting in like quantity or in some broth the quantity of two Bullets to cure a Flux the common Chalke which we have in England may be beaten to powder and boiled in milke or broth and taken fasting it cureth a Flux if it be often taken the quantity of a spoonfull twice in the day Thus much of medicines with little cost 2 To proceed to the cure of the Flux methodically according to Art YOu must consider what kinds of Flux the parties are grieved with and the complexion that doth predominate first whether it be the Flux Diarrhea Lienteria or Dysenteria if it be Dysenteria which is most dangerous I have read of foure kinds but it requires a long discourse concerning al the sorts but I omit that because the cure differeth but little only this if you find the exhulceration to be in the upper smal guts you must minister medicines at the mouth but if it be at the bigger or lower bowells you must cast in glisters often if the party be without a Feavour give him milke newly milked wherein a gad of steele hath been quenched you may make Suppings or Broth with Quinces Knot-grasse Plantain-leaves Willow-leaves Cumfreyroots and such like you may make Rice-Milke or boile white Starch in Milke eate no flesh but Partridges Culvers or Birds of the mountaine Goates and Hares flesh may be permitted a good diet wel observed the cure is halfe accomplished If strength doe permit you may purge down the vicious humors with two drams of Rubarb infused in halfe a pint of white wine with Currans and sweet Fennell seeds and drink it fasting to purge the vicious humors after purging take a dram of Diascordium thus may you purge every other day for in a week after this make a drink with running water of two quarts put seeds of Sorrell Pumgranat rindes Knot-grasse Cumfery roots Bryer roots Plantain leaves Cinamon Bolarmonicke Dragons blood and Sugar drinke this as an ordinary drinke Likewise you may make a drink with red wine Cinamon Sugar Knotgrasse and Cumfery roots to drink three times a day four spoonfuls at a time 2 To make a Glister glutinous REc three pints of water quench steel in it untill one third part be wasted then boile in it Cumfery roots Knotgrasse Bryer leaves red Rose leaves and Plantain leaves of each a little handfull of Acatia hypocischidis ana ℈ij. Bolarmonack Sanguis Dragonis ana ℈j. the juyce of Quinces ʒj Goates Tallow ℥j. if it may be had and yolkes of three eggs commixe this together and make a Glister administer this as often as you shall see cause 3 For an Implaister REc. of the Oyles of Quinces Roses
meale adding some Hoglard apply this warme until the Impostume be removed for no wound can heale until the Impostume be cured Likewise a Member may Cancern if not speedily removed that Member must be taken off to prevent this you must observe whether the Member about the wound do alter in coulour glissen and of a blew colour the member doth not quite rot but the spirits being hindred from comming to that place it doth mortifie which commeth by applying venomous Medicines sometimes by overtying of a member when a bone is broken sometimes by applying things that are cold stipticke and sharpe these and such others may cause Cancerna now to preserve the Member wounded from cancerna Rec. oyle of Roses Umphacin oyle of Mirtive ana ℥ iij the juice of Plantaine and Nightshad ana ℥ ij ss. let them seeth all together until the juice be wasted then put to white Wax ℥ j. ss. Flower of Beanes Lintiles and Barley ana ℥ ij ss. of all the n pulverised ana ℥ j. ss. Bolarmenacke ℥ j. graines and mirtiles a Dram make this into a Plaister with oyle of Elder labour it in a morter into a plaister besides all these there happneth Feavors Cramps Convulsions and many other by applying evil Medicines to a wound which must be removed before the cure wil be ended if there be a Feavor you must give cooling Glisters and purge with Potions following make a decoction with Cordiall flowers in a ciate ful of that decoction dissolve of Diacatholicon of Diaprunis ana ℥ ss. surrup of Roses ℥ ss. take this fasting as a potion if pained in the head take Pilule chochie or Pilule aure and such like if the Crampe assaile the body rub the member with warm clothes or oyle of Hedghog if a Convulsion rub the pole and the member with oyle of Castoreum and Sage These impediments being removed I proceed with the Cure as followeth If the wound be large or dangerous let his dyet be good Broths and meats of easie digestion as Birds of the Hils Mutton Veale Chickins and Rabbits he must avoid salt meates Beefe Poulse Cabbig and windy meates as fruits nor drink no inflaming drink The next intention is to keep the body soluble with potions Pils or Glisters then you must wash the wound with this lotion take Plantain water Buglosse or Burrage water odoriserous Wine Pomgranet flowers Plantain leaves the flowers of St. Johns wort boyle this together and wash the wound then make Tents and roule them in oyle of Hipericon and fill the hollow places with them then make Plaisters to mundisie Rec. of clear Turpentine ℥ ij Hony of Roses ℥ j. Smallege ℥ j. let them boyle together a little time adde thereto the yolke of an egge Saffron a little Myrrh ℥ ij of Alloes ℥ j. make this into a stiffe Plaister with oyle of Roses and flower of Barley this wil mundifie and clear a wound in two daies if not very foule after the wound is clear you may proceed again with healing Medicines if not mundified you may use Unguentum Egiptiacum or unguentum Basilicum and for a healing-Plaister the wound being mundified take of Clownes all-heale falilly Archangell ana one handful pound them and boile it in Hoglard then straine it let it stand to be cold take the top of it poure away the bottome and boile it with wax and Rosen so much as is sufficient to make a Plaister this or one of these Hearbs made in a Salve will heale a green wound or you may have this Implaister made at any Apothecaries Rec. Salet oyle ℥ iiij white Wax ℥ j. Turpentine ℥ ss. Greek Pitch ℥ j. Frankinsence and Mastick ana ℥ j Saffron ℈ j. mingle these and boile them upon a gentle fire and make Plaisters So I end for old Ulcers you may mundifie the Soare with White wine and Aquavitae or with the Mundificatives before written as Egiptiacum or unguentum apostolorum and finish the Cure with the above named Medicines 16 To cure a Gun-shot THe Chyrurgeons first intention must be to stop the Flux of blood next to search diligently whether the bullet do remain in the member wounded or whether the bullet have carryed any thing before it into the wound as Paper cloath or such like if so the next intention is with a Terra-bellum or other Instrument to take it out Make this Digestive Rec Turpentine washed in Aquaviter ℥ iv Vitelorum ovorum number ij oyle of Roses ℥ ss. Precipitat twice calcined ʒj Saffron ℈ j. commix this and make a Plaister after this you may wash the wound with Plantain water red Rose water with oyle of Roses and oyle of Elder after mundific the wound with this Rec Venice Turpentine washed in Aquaviter ℥ iij oyle of Egges ℥ j. or Yolkes of Egges number ij Hony of Roses and surrup of Roses ana ℥ ij the bran of Fetches Frankinsence Mastick of each ℥ ss. cover your Tents and make Plaisters until the wound bee cleane then you may proceed to end the cure with the forcnamed oyle of Hipericon and healing Salves 17 To cure Burning with Gun-Powder or burning with fire and scalding IF it happen that any part of the body be burned with Gunpowder or fire take the Juyce of Onyons ℥ iv and common salt ℥ ss. beat them well together and if the burn blistered anoint it three or four times in a day for three dayes then you shall proceed as followeth but if the skin be burnt and made raw you must cover it all over with the finest Lawn and anoynt it with the Juice of Onyons and Salt letting the Lawn lye upon the wound untill it is whole but if deeply burned use this following Rec. the finest Hoglard livre. iv Linseed oyle li ij oyle of Roses li. ss. of Mallow-Leaves Violet leaves the Brood of Bees Plantain leaves Burnet Peny-wort Tulson Live-ever ana Mj. infuse these 6 dayes upon a gentle fire adde thereto white Wax li ss white Niter ℥ vj also you may put to Shoomakers peece-greace this being used will cure it chipping off the Lawne as it health if there be Blisters you must not cut them it wil be painefull you may make part of this Medicine if you need not the whole Receipt Also if the burn or scald be not much you may pound Onyons and a little Salt or Leeks with a little Salt so much as will cover the soare and let it lye 24 houres in the interim take a handfull of House-Leek and the inner bark of the Elder bruise it and boyle it in a quart of Creame into an oyle scum off the cleare oyle as it ariseth keep it and anoynt the soare place twice or thrice in the day and it wil be whole this I have often proved You may beate into the Cream the white of an Egge if your eyes or eye-lids should be burned Rec Rose water ℥ iij Womans Milke ℥ ij the oyle of whites of two Eggs Sugar Candy halfe a quartern mingle these and make an oyntment and annoynt about the eye-lids and about the eyes or you may make this Rec oyle of Roses ℥ vj white Lead washed in Red Rose water ℥ ij white Wax oyle of the Whites of four Egges the Gum called Campher make this into an Unguent to take away the spots and scarres take oyle of Egges and oyle of Almonds and wash the face it cleareth the skin Courteous Reader Seeing many people as wel Souldiers as others have neglected the means in time of danger to preserve their health I thought good to show you briefly some easie medicines which may be had most of them with little cost other Medicines may be made for you at the Apothecarys to keep in your Closets or Knap-sacks untill time of need to make use of them in the absence of your Physitian or Chyrurgion which I wish you to hasten unto for advice FINIS A Table of the Weights used by Physitians A Scruple ℈ A Dram. ʒ An Ounce ℥ A Pound li A Quarter q. A Halfe ss. A Handfull M. Of every one ana
doe breed this and many other dangerous diseases for drink made of such water the venome doth purge by the Barme and is in it of which bread is made and he that eateth such bread especially in Cities and Townes may have the Scurvie and Feavers of all sorts for if there be any venome in the drinke it will be in the Barme therefore I wish all men to eate leavened bread if he can have it and drinke made of cleare water ten dayes old at least 9 For the Cure of the Scurvie THe first intention is to keep a good dyet and exercise the body moderately his meat must be meates of the best nourishment as Birds of the Field Mutton or Veale Rabbets and Chickings broath made with Agremony Avins Scabius or Bitony and such like all salt meats must be avoyded the first three dayes let him take a draught of Oximell in the morning fasting and last at night which is to be made in this manner Rec. a quart of cleane water a root or two of Fennell three or foure roots of Parsley a sprigge of Rosemary a little Fumotery if it be to be had Fennell-seeds and Parsley-seeds of each a Dram three spoonfuls of the best Honey let this boyle gently and scum it and in the boyling put into it two spoonfuls of Vinegar after this hath been taken three dayes take of Rubarbe 3ij of Sena 3j 40 Raysons of the Sun stoned a race of Ginger sliced sweet Fennel-seeds Annis-seeds of each 3j let these be infused all night upon Coales the next morning take halfe a pint of this and dissolve in it a Dram of Diacatholicon take this three mornings after this let Bloud if need require the body being thus prepared make your Scurvye-grasse Drinke in this manner Take a peck of Scurviegrasse and a gallon of Water-cresses and a gallon of Brook-limes one handfull of Egremony one handfull of Tamariske or the buds or barke of the Ashe Raysons of the Sunne stoned a pound of Licorish halfe a pound concused Fennell roots peethed and Parsley roots Annis-seeds and Fennell seeds a quarter of a pound put all these into a thin Bagge in five gallons of Beere or Ale put the Bagge into the Barrell when the drinke is ready to be tunned with a stone in the bottome of the Bagge let it hang within three or foure inches of the bottome of the Barrell let this drinke worke with these ingredients in it then stop it close and at eight or ten dayes drinke of it and none other except a little at meate untill the Party be well most especially in the morning drinke a pint and exercise untill the party is ready to sweat and keep him warme after it the spoon-wort is good for the land Scurvie used as before is directed and taken forty dayes together 10 Of the Flux called the Plague in the Guts THis Flux in England which is called by many the Plague in the Guts is contagious as I conceive a venomous matter cleaving to the neather or great Guts for the most part some seeme to have no Feavor other some have a Feavour and complaine most in the middle Ventricle in briefe I suppose the Cure is accomplished by giving Cordials and sweating and by Glisters if the Flux appeare to be bloudy or like scraping of Guts without a Feavour you may proceed as I directed before in the Chapter of the Flux Dysenteria at the first comming of this Flux take a quart of Milke boyle in it a handfull of Marigold Flowers Sage and Rosemary Bryer leaves and knot grasse this being boyled take one pint of this put into it surrup of Slowes surrup of Gilly-flowers anna ℥j. the yolke of an egge and a dram of Diascordium give this bloud warme the next day if strength permit give the other pint of Milke in a Glister as before is directed but after the first Glister hath done working give a Cordiall thus prepared take of the water fo Burrage Scabius and Marygolds ana ℥j. Diascordium ℥j. Confectio Alcermis ℈j. Mithridates ℈ ss. surrup of Violets surrup of Gillo-flowers ana ℥j. commix all this together and drinke it warme presently after let the sick be covered warme to sweat two houres if strength permit in sweating drinke Posset wherein Saffron is boyled this being used three times may cure it for it hath recovered many of the above named Flux keeping a good dyet without flesh thus briefly of the Pestilence which destroyeth many if meanes be not used to prevent it in time 11. The cure of the Itch and Lice FOr cure thereof Methodically is first to observe a good dyet that is to say you must eate and drinke such things that breed good bloud and to avoyd all things that breeds evill and rotten humours as you may see in the Chapters before going then purge the body with pilule de fumo terrae or pilule Inde haly which you may have at any Apothecaries the second day let bloud in the Basiliske veine then make this water following Rec. A gallon of running water or the water that Smiths use and quench in it a gad of steele red hot untill halfe the water be wasted then boyle in it a quarter of a pound of leafe Tobacco of Dock roots Willow leaves and leaves of the Birch of each a handfull of Brimstone tyed in a Cloath 3 ij wash the sore places twice in the day and you shall be cured except the Itch be incorrigible which with long continuance doth bring it to passe also if you make so much of this water as will wet your shirt twice in the weeke the shirt being cleane washed and dryed then dipped in this liquor and dry it againe it will both kill the Itch and destroy the Lyce that are about you I have read a story of some Souldiers that would boyle Saffron Pepper and Graines in running water and in that liquor dip their shirts twice in the weeke it will make the shirt yellow but it destroyed Lice and Itch others of the inferiour sort would boyle Staveacre and Tobacco in water and dip their shirts in it and cure both Itch and Lice Many more Medicines for the Itch have been used as Brimstone pounded to Powder with Ginger and tyed in a cloath and infused in fallet Oyle nine dayes in the Sun annoynt the sore places with this oyle and be whole but this will smell also Mercury sublimate ℥ ss. beaten to powder and put into a quart of Running water three or four dayes then with a little cloth wet the sore places it may cure the Itch but it is dangerous and must not be used unto raw places for it may poyson the blood therefore I wish that none would use it without the advice of his Chyrurgion So I come to speake of the incorrigible Scab called by some the Naopolitan disease which happen and hardly found out the first cure as Vigo saith of this foul disease is called Morbus Gallicus I wil speak little of