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.
Preservative Fumigations are largely talked of by all on those Occasions,
and they with good Reason deserve to be practised. And of the great Number
of Aromatick Roots and Woods, I should chiefly prefer Storax, Benjamin,
Frankinsense, Myrrh, and Amber, the Wood of Juniper, Cypress and Cedar,
the Leaves of Bays and Rosemary, and the Smell of Tarr and Pitch is no
ways inferior to any of the rest, where its Scent is not particularly
offensive, observing the burning of any or more of those Ingredients at
such proper Distances of Time from each other, that the Air may always be
sensibly impregnated therewith.
Amongst the Simples of the Vegitable Kind, _Virginian_ Snake-Root cannot
be too much admired, and is deservedly accounted the most Diaphoretick and
Alexipharmick for expelling the pestilential Poison; its Dose, finely
powder'd, is from four or six Grains to two Scruples, in a proper
Vehicle; due Regard being had to the Strength and Age of the Patient.
The next is generally given to the Contrayerva Root, (from which also a
Compound Medicine is admirably contrived, and made famous by its Success
in the last Plague;) the Dose of this in fine Powder is from one Scruple
to a Dram, in Angelica or Scordium Water, or in Wine, _&c._
There are other Roots likewise of which many valuable Compounds are form'd
in order to effect that with an united Force which they could not do
singly; in this Class are the Roots of Angelica, Scorzonera, Butterbur,
Masterwort, Tormentil, Zedoary, Garlick, Elicampane, Valerian, Birthwort,
Gentian, Bitany, and many others, which may be found in other Writings.
Ginger, whether in the Root, powder'd, and candy'd deserve our Regard; for
it is very powerful both to raise a breathing Sweat and defend the
Spirits against the pestilential Impression.
From these Roots may be made Extracts, either with Spirit of Wine or
Vinegar, for it is agreed by all, that the most subtil Particles collected
together, and divested of their grosser and unprofitable Parts, become
more efficacious in Medicinal Cases.
The Leaves of Vegetables most us'd in Practice are Scordiam, Rue, Sage,
Veronica, the lesser Cataury, Scabious, Pimpinel, Marygolds, and Baum,
from which, on Occasion, several _Formulae_ are contrived.
Good Vehicles to wash down and to facilitate the taking of many other
Medicines, should be made of the Waters distilled from those Herbs while
they are fresh and fragrant (having not yet lost their volatile Salt) for
those which are commonly kept in the Shop, are insipid and of little Use.
_FINIS._
Footnotes:
[1] _An_ AEgyptian, _and the first Inventor of Physick_;
[2] _The Son of_ Apollo, _begotten upon_ Coronis, _the Daughter of_
Phlegia.
[3] _The two eldest Daughters of_ AEsculapius.
[4] _See_ _Hodges of the Plague_, _reprinted_ per Qincey, p. 19.
[5] _Vid._ Gockelius de peste, p. 25.
[6] _Vid._ Gockelius de peste, p. 25.
[7] Lib. 1. de differ. Feb. Cap. 3. & de cibis mali & boni succi.
[8] Lib. 6. Obser. 9. 26.
[9] _Liomologia_, p. 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 42, 44, 52, 53, 54, 75.
[10] _Short Discourse_, p. 11, 17.
[11] _Different Causes_, p. 266.
[12] _Plague_, Marseilles, p. 17, 30, 31, 36, 41.
[13] Hodges'_s Limologia_, p. 64.
[14] Hodges'_s Limilogia_, p. 32.
[15] _Short Discourse_, p. 16.
[16] _Short Discourse_, p. 10.
[17] _Plague_, Marseilles, p. 31, 32, 33.
[18] _Loimologia_, p. 20.
[19] _Short Discourse_, p. 46.
[20] _Liomologia Causes and Cures_, p. 281.
[21] _Plague_, Marseilles, p. 9.
[22] _Short Discourse_, p, 46.
[23] _Loimologia_, p. 283.
[24] _Loimologia_, p. 218.
[25] _Plague_, Marseilles, p. 40.
[26] _Short Discourse_, p. 24.
[27] _Loimologia, Causes and Cures_, p. 255.
[28] De Morbis Contag. Lib. II. Cap. 7.
Transcriber's Notes:
Passages in italics are indicated by _italics_.
In the Preface, non-italicized words are indicated by =not italics=.
The original text includes Greek characters. For this text version these
letters have been replaced with transliterations.
The following misprints have been corrected:
"Gratiude" corrected to "Gratitude" (page 5)
"togegether" corrected to "together" (page 31)
"Phsick" corrected to "Physick" (page 63)
"Apothecacaries" corrected to "Apothecaries" (page 64)
"Medicince" corrected to "Medicine" (page 65)
"Strengh" corrected to "Strength" (page 120)
"Humous" corrected to "Humours" (page 131)
"snch" corrected to "such" (page 157)
"nnless" corrected to "unless" (page 158)
"Weeek" corrected to "Week" (page 187)
"Aristole" corrected to "Aristotle" (page 189)
Other than the corrections listed above, printing is retained from the
original.