DIET DRINK.

TAKE six or eight ounces of sarsaparilla, the same quan­tity of dried China root split and chiped fine, to which add an ounce and an half, or two ounces of gum guiacum: Put the sarsaparilla into an iron pot, to which add eight or ten quarts of water; if the patient is strong put eight, if weak put ten quarts. If the disorder is hard to be cured, I add half a pound of antimony grosly powdered, and put into a linen bag tied loosely, and hang it in the pot (if the patient is weak add a handful or two of buckshorn shavings) co­vering the pot very close, and pasted tight round the brim that no steam can come out, setting it over a gentle fire of coals, so that it may stew or simmer for twelve hours; then take it off the fire, and let it cool before you open it; then bottle it for use.

Give the patient a gill and an half first in the morning, and the same quantity going to bed, at night.

The patient must take particular care to keep to a strict diet, such as, wheat bread well raised, or good bisk [...]t; their common drunk must be, small beer brewed with molasses.

The above directions to be strictly observed 'till the patient is well, if strength will permit: If the patient is unable to bear the diet drink, he must quit it, and live upon the afore­mentioned bread and beer for three days, and then he may with safety take nourishment.

For an old POX.

TAKE eight ounces of sarsaparilla, eight ounces of dried china root chipt or split fine, two ounces of gum guiacum, four ounces of the root of a plant or bush known by the name of queen's-delight, or pock-root, to be put in a pot as before directed, with eight quarts of water: And the above directions to be observed in every particular, not forgetting to bleed and purge as before directed.

To cure the CANKER.

TAKE Holly-Leaves a good quantity, and burn them to ashes, pulverise them very fine, and add as much allum pul­verised as there is ashes: Take a piece of rag, and rub the ashes on the sore twice a day; then take an ounce of salt, and an ounce of allum, put in one pint and an half of wa­ter, put it over the fire 'till it is dissolved, and wash the ashes and allum out of the sore with the water, a quarter of an hour after it is dressed.

The Negro CAESAR's cure for poison, for discovering which, the assembly of this province purchased his free­d [...]m, and gave him an annuity of one hundred pounds.

TAKE the roots of plantane and wild hoarhound, fresh or dried, three ounces, boil them together in two quarts of water to one quart, and strain it; of this decoction let the patient take one third part three mornings fasting suc­cessively, from which, if he finds any relief, it must be continued till he is perfectly recovered: On the contrary, if he finds no alteration after the third dose, it is a sign that the patient has not been poisoned at all, or that it has been with such poison as Caesar's antidote will not [...], so may leave off the decoction.

During the cure the patient must live on spare diet, and abstain from eating mutton, pork, butter, or any other fat or oily food.

N. B. The plantane or hoarhound, will either of them cure alone, but they are most efficacious together.

[Page]In summer you may take one handful of the roo [...]s and branches of each, in place of three ounces of the roots of each.

For drink, during the cure, let them take the following.

TAKE of the roots of golden rod, six ounces, or in sum­mer two large handfuls of the roots and branches together, and boil them in two quarts of water to one quart, to which also may be added, a little hoarhound and sassafras; to this decoction, after it is strained, add a glass of rum or brandy, and sweeten it with sugar for ordinary drink.

Sometimes an inward f [...]ver attends such as are poisoned, for which he orders the following.

TAKE one pint of wood ashes, and three pints of water, stir and mix them well together, let them stand all nig [...]t, and strain or decant the lye off in the morning, of which ten ounces may be taken six mornings following, warmed or cold, according to the weather.

These medicines have no sensible operation, though some­times they work in the bowels, and give a gentle stool.

The symptoms attending such as ar [...] poisoned are as follows.

A PAIN of the breast, difficulty of breathing, a load at the pit of the stomach, an irregular pulse, burning and vio­lent pains of the viscera above and below the navel, very restless at night, sometimes wandering pains over the whole body, a reaching inclination to vomit, profuse sweats (which prove always serviceable) slimy stools, both when costive and loose, the face of a pale yellow colour, sometimes a pain and inflammation of the throat, the appetite is generally weak, and some cannot eat any; those who have been long poisoned, are generally very feeble, and weak in their limbs, sometimes spit a great deal, the whole skin peels, and like­wise the hair falls off.

CAESAR's cure for the bite of a RATTLE-SNAKE.

TAKE of the roots of plantane or hoarhound (in summer roots and branches together) a sufficient quantity; bruize them in a mortar, and squeeze out the juice, of which give, as soon as possible, one large spoonful; if he is swelled, you must force it down his throat: This generally will cure; but if the patient finds no relief in an hour after, you may give another spoonful, which never has failed.

If the roots are dried they must be moistened with a little water.

To the wound may be applied, a leaf of good tobacco moistened with rum.

The cure for the bite of a RATTLE-SNAKE, as discovere [...] by SAMPSON, a negro: For which discovery the province purchased his freedom, and allows him an annuity.

TAKE heart snake-root, both root and leaves, two hand [...]uls, polypody leaves one handful, bruise them in a mo [...]tar, press out a spoonful of the juice, and give as soon as possible after the bite; then scarify the wound, and take the root of the herb avens, bruise it, pour a little rum over it, and apply to the part, over which is to be put the heart snake-root and polypody after the juice is squeezed out. Th [...]se medicines and applications must be repeated according to the violence of the symptoms, so as in some dangerous cases it must be given to the quantity of eight spoonfuls in an hour, and the wound dressed two or three times in a day.

The above herbs may also be bruised and beat up into a paste with clay, and when necessary may be scraped down to the quantity of half a common spoonful, and given amongst a little rum and water, and repeated as the doses of the juice above mentioned. A little of this paste may be wet with [...]um and rubbed over the wound.

N. B. He always uses this method when he cannot find the green herbs.

Sometimes the cure is entirely performed by the patient's chewing the heart snake-root, and swallowing the juice, and applying some of the same herb bruised to the wound.

When the part is greatly inflamed and swelled, all the herbs in the following list are taken to the quantity of some handfuls of each, and boiled into a strong decoction, with which it is to be fomented several times a day.

• 1. Asarum cyclimini [...]olio, or, heart snake-root of this province.
• 2. Polypodium vulgare, or, common polypody.
• 3. Caryophyllata Virginiana radice inodora, or, Virginian avens, called here five fingers.
• 4. Lonchitis aspera, or, rough spleenwort.
• 5. Hypnum julaceum, or small erect clubmosa.
• 6. Gna [...] [...]alium humile, or, creeping goldy locks.

Said Sampson is the same negro who used frequently to go about with [...]attle-snakes in calabashes, and who would handle them, put them into his pockets or bosom, and sometimes their heads into his mouth, without being bitten.—In proof of the efficacy of his medicines, he several times suffered himself to be bitten by the most venomous snakes, and once his wounds came so near a mortification, that it was doubted [Page] whether he would recover, and cured himself with them.— It is said, he disarms any snake of its venom with some one of the herbs; and that chewing the heart snak [...]-root, and spitting the juice upon a snake will instantly kill it.

Some account of the Seneka-Rattle Snake Root, with direc­tions for curing the pleurisy with it: Published in the Virginia Gazette, by Dr. Iohn Tenn [...]ni, when he first discovered the properties and uses of that certain and valuable remedy.

FIRST, when the patient is taken, let ten ounces of blood be drawn from the arm of the side opposite to that affected with the disease, and presently give three spoon­fuls of the decoction of rattle-snake root, which must be repeated every six hours, till the symptoms abate in a great degree. But if they should return notwithstanding, which happens sometimes, bleeding is to be repeated in the same quantity as at first, and so in like manner a third and fourth time, or oftener; though it seldom happ [...]ns that it is wanted above twice; which method answers for the cure of pleurisy, generally speaking: But in particular cases, where the pa­tient has a purging attending the disorder, give twenty grains of the root, every three hours, with ten grains of cinamon powdered, and as much hartshorn, observing also to let blood as often as the symptoms recur; by which is meant the pain, fever, cough, and diffiulty in breathing. When the breast is only affected with the pain, or both sides and the breast affected at once, the same method is to be followed as wh [...]n one side is only affected, the disease being the same notwith­standing that difference in the symptoms. For ordinary drink, give hysop decoction, or a tea drawn from marsh­mallow roots, sweetened with honey; but in case of a purg­ing attending the case, let the drink be sweetened with double refined sugar, and the cinamon and hartshorn before pre­scribed, are to be given with the powdered rattle-snake root in a little of it; and it is to be observed, that both the de­coction of the root and tea are given warm. If the patient be troubled with a vomiting, or nausea, give one spoonful and an half of the decoction every three hours, or if that should be immediately thrown up, give half a spoonful of the decoction every hour; observing in such case to bleed as before advised. There is a disease called a pleurisy, wherein bleeding is of ill consequence, which may with great pro­priety be called a latent or spurious peripneumony; yet the above method with the decoction of the root, is a very cer­tain [Page] one, giving instead or [...]ctoral teas, a tea made of thyme or marjoram, or rather rum-punch. This disease personates a pleurisy or peripneumony, to a superficial ob­server, the symptoms being the same, only with this diffe­rence, that the pulse is always low, which in an inflamma­tory pleurisy or peripneumony, is so only upon the first in­vasion, or when the disease is upon terminating in death:— But it is to be noted for a mark of this latent peripneumony, that upon its first approach the patient is cold, convulsed, and very much inclined to sleep, and also that it attacks in autumn after excessive hot summers attended with much rain; and towards February, or sooner, if the winter sets in very cold, translates to an inflammatory pleurisy or perip­neumony. The operation of this root is different according to the circumstances of the constitution and disease; some­times it is by vomit, at other times by sweat, urine and stool, and in some cases, such as a latent peripneumony, it has none of these operations in any degree; yet the patient is surprizingly recovered; which shews that it strongly atte­nuates the blood. The success of the aforesaid method is proved from experience to be so great, that an intermitting fever is not carried off with more certainty with Jesuits bark, than a pleurisy or peripneumony is with the seneka rattle-snake root. And the cure is often effected the third day, if the method be followed up from the first attack of the distemper, and also that the patient will find great relief in the space of an hour after the decoction; though every one may not, yet it has that effect very often: And whether the disease be in the beginning, increase, or last state, the medicine has like effects, and answers to perfection the de­signs of all the methods prescribed by authors of the best note for these different stages.

The decoction of seneka rattle-snake root is made by boil­ing three ounces of it in a quart of water over a slow fire till near one half is evaporated; then strain the liquor thro' a cloth. The root must be reduced to a gross powder, that, the water may fully draw its efficacy. The plant grows plentifully in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, in the freshes and hilly grounds, and affects a light and tolera [...] good soil. The root is of a light yellow colour, resembling ippecacuana in its texture and shape, but it is larger, has a strong pungency without heat, but does not communicate that property upon chewing it immediately. The leaves are something like green tea, and the stalk is commonly from six to twelve inches high, on the top of which are white flowers something like the rattles of a snake, while in bud, [Page] which appear among the first flowers in the woods: And there are no branches from the stalks, but several stalks arise from one root generally, though only one stalk from a root may be seen sometimes.

A Receipt for the Cholick, advised by an eminent Physician in England.

TAKE one Spoonful of Geneva, one of Sweet Oil, and one of Molasses, or brown Sugar, and one of Water. Give this to the Patient, made warm, and apply a warm Cloth to the Part affected. If this does not relieve, repeat the Dose.

How to cure the Cholick, vulgarly called the Dry-Belly-Ach.

1. It is of two Sorts; the one causes a Stoppage of the Urine, a violent Pain in the Back and Bottom of the Belly. In this Case, bleeding should be repeated in the Arm or Foot.

2d. The other Sort commonly causes a vomiting, with a violent Pain in the Stomach and Belly, which if not relieved in Time, causes Convulsions and a Paulsy; by which the Patient looses the Use of his Hands: If there is a Fever with this, it is also proper that Bleeding should be repeated. In either of these Cases, you must give a Clyster, made with an Ounce of Coloquantide (or otherwise called Coloquita) a Quarter of an Ounce of Sena, about half an Handful of Salt, and as much Annis or Finnel Seed; the above Quantity is for three Clysters, adding two Spoonfuls of Honey, and two of Sweet Oil to each Clyster. If this does not operate in about Half an Hour, give another, and if that should ye [...] fail, then let it be repeated a third Time, but made a little stronger.—If after the Operation of this Clyster the Pain should still continue, as it often does; in this Case give a Clyster of Milk, in which put six Grains of Opium, just as you are taking it from the Fire: In Case you have no Opium, boil some Poppy Heads in Milk; prepare some mineral Waters to take the next Morning; to prepare which, take about 15 or 20 Grains of Roman Vitriol, vulgarly called Blue-Stone; put it in a Bottle of clear Water, and in the Morning give a Glass of it▪ which com­monly causes a vomiting: About Half an Hour after give a second, and after the same Space of Time a third Glass. If after this the Patient feels any Pains, he must continue taking this Water for two or three Days. It is very com­mon for this Sickness to leave a Pain in the Stomach; if so, give a Dose of 40 Grains of Rhubarb, and apply a Plaister of Gabbanum to the Stomach.