THE RECEIPT.

TAKE of prepared Tutty, one Ounce; of Lapis Haematites prepared, two Scruples; of the best Aloes prepared, twelve Grains; of prepared Pearl, four Grains. Put them into a Porphyry, or Marble Mortar, and rub them with a Pestle of the same Stone very carefully, with a sufficient Quantity of Viper's Grease, or Fat, to make a Lini­ment; to be used daily, Morning or Evening, or both, according to the Conveniency of the Patient: as hereafter directed.

This Medicine I soon tried, and, though a Composition, found it so surprizingly beneficial, that by the right Use of it not one in five Hundred missed of a Cure: un­less their Disorder proceeded from a Vene­real Taint.

Several Years after I had been in Possession of this Secret, in turning over some Manu­scripts of Sir Theodore Mayerne, I found he had known the same Ointment, or Lini­ment, and had entered it in his Pharma­copoea, under his own Name: though I af­terwards discovered, that it was not origi­nally his, but had been communicated to him by Sir Matthew Lister, a Member of the College of Physicians; who had per­formed a Cure with it on a Lady Savile, which Sir Theodore thought a very extraor­dinary one. And 'tis very probable, that he afterwards communicated it to Dr. Tho­mas [Page 5]Rugeley, Father of Dr. Luke Rugeley: as I find they were Cotemporaries, and Friends.

The Method, which has best succeeded with me in facilitating the efficacious Use of this Liniment, is to bleed, and blister in the Neck and behind the Ears, in order to draw off the Humors from the Eyes; and afterwards, according to the Degree of the Inflammation, or Acrimony of the Juices, to make a Drain by Issues between the Shoulders, or a perpetual Blister. And for washing the Eyes, I generally recommend Spring Water: which I think preferable to any spirituous Lotion, whether simple or compound. And the best inward Medicines I have experienced to be Conserve of Rose­mary Flowers; Antiepileptic Powders, such as Pulvis ad Guttetam; Betony, Sage, Rosemary, Eyebright, wild Valerian Root, [Page 6]Castor, &c. washed down with a Tea made of some of the same Ingredients: as also Drops of Spirit. Lavendulae composit. and Sal volat. oleos.

If the Inflammation returns, drawing about six Ounces of Blood from the Temples by Leaches, or Cupping on the Shoulders, is very proper.

The Liniment is to be applied with a small Hair Pencil, the Eye winking or a little opened.

In prosecuting the Cure of sore Eyes, I have been sometimes surprized by want of Success; 'till at length I found, that the Cause was a lurking intermitting Fever, every Fit of which affected the Eyes, and rendered their Disorder obstinate: where­fore upon taking off the Fever by a proper [Page 7]Use of the Bark, the Cure has been ef­fectually performed.

This Medicine has cured many, whose Eyes were covered with opake Films, and Cicatrices left by Inflammations and Apos­tems of the Cornea; which, though they happen to Persons of all Conditions, yet are more common among the poorer Sort of People: many of whom were so totally deprived of Sight, as to be under a Necessity of being led to me; and after some time could perfectly well find their Way without a Guide, to my great Satisfaction. And it is not only very beneficial in such Cases, but also where there is an excessive Pain in the Eyes, shooting thence up into the Head: as I particularly remember in a great Lady, who had such Pains in her sore Eyes, and Head, that she had, when I first saw [Page 8]her, taken about fifty Drops of Lau­danum thrice in twenty four Hours, if I remember right; of which Complaints she and many others have been relieved by this Medicine, without the Help of any Opiate.

Monsieur Anisson, who was sent hither with the Duke d'Aumont, Commissioner for settling a Treaty of Commerce with England, brought me recommendatory Letters from some Friends in France. I observed a great Soreness and Weakness in his Eyes: of which the Application of my Medicine very soon cured him. Where­upon he assured me, that he would pro­cure me from the King his Master any Reward I should think fit to ask for the Secret; he being accustomed to oblige his Subjects that way: but I answered him, that [Page 9]I was then bound by a Promise to conceal it.

It is to be observed (contrary to the com­mon Practice, and to the Opinion which I myself entertained in my earlier Days, and communicated to the Public in the Introduction to my Natural History of Jamaica) that Cathartics, especially with the Addition of Mercury, are prejudicial in the Diseases of the Eyes, which are cured by this Medicine.

It is also worthy of Remark, that Peo­ple afflicted with weak Eyes are over-fond of Hoodwinking, or covering them from the Light; which sometimes retards the Cure, by keeping their Eyes too warm: and therefore I have constantly advised them to throw away these Coverings, as [Page 10]soon as they could possibly bear the Light.

I was intimately acquainted with Dr. William Stokeham, a very ingenious Gen­tleman, Physician to King William III. who had formerly spent some Years at Pa­dua, and had been acquainted with the most eminent Physicians of that University, and also with Tachenius of Venice, one of the greatest Chemists of the last Age. He told me, he had learnt the great Virtue of Viper's Grease or Fat, in the Cure of Dis­cases of the Eyes; which is recommended for that Purpose by Daniel Ludovicus, in his Book De Pharmacia moderno seculo applicanda, Gothae, 1671. 12 ^o. And this, indeed, I judged so very reasonable, that I substituted that Grease, or Fat, in the Place of the Hog's Lard, which was in the original [Page 11]Receipt; and found, that it added so much to the Efficacy of the Medicine, as to make it do, what I thought, Wonders. And as I was not bound to Secrecy, with regard to this Improvement, I communicated it to the late Dr. Arbuthnot: who, after re­peated Trials of that Fat alone on sore Eyes, had so high an Opinion of its Vir­tues, that he looked on it as equally bene­ficial with the whole Medicine.

I have since read in some Missionary Letters, that Serpent's Fat is used by the East-Indians, for the same Purpose.

It is an Observation made by many Na­turalists, that those Serpents cast their Skins every Year, and with them the Coverings of their Eyes: but how far, or whether [Page 12]at all, their Fat is concerned in this Phae­nomenon, I leave to others to determine.

One of the most eminent and learned Chirurgical Authors, to whom I had a particular Regard in my Practice, cautions his Readers against the Use of Oil in Dis­cases of the Eyes: by which, I suppose, he meant Olive-Oil. Agreeable to this Cau­tion, I confess, I never used any Oil, either alone, or mixed with other Medicines, for the Eyes; being unwilling to try Remedies, whose Effects were doubtful, and may possibly be pernicious: which I afterwards observed to be the Case with regard to Olive-Oil, when used by some People (to whom I had given the Liniment) in order to make it more liquid, upon dry­ing; for the Liniment, in that State, has [Page 13]caused very considerable Complaints. This, in my Opinion, proceeds from some hot, sharp Particles, contained in the Oil; though it is generally reckoned very soft and mild in outward and inward Use: for I remember, when at Montpellier, I was informed by Monsieur Magnol, and others of my Acquaintance there, that the feeding of tame Rabbits with Olive Leaves, in want of other Food, has caused their making bloody Urine.

I had formerly, as already said, pro­mised Secrecy with regard to this Medi­cine: which I have religiously kept 'till now, that I think myself, for many Rea­sons, abundantly absolved. I have had some other Medicines of the like Nature com­municated to me under the same Restric­tion: and exclusive of these few Cases, [Page 14]I cannot charge myself with making the least Mystery of my Practice. For in Con­sultations, in a Number of Cases of Im­portance, I have been always very free, and open; far from following the Exam­ple of some Physicians of good Morals and great Reputation, who have on many Oc­casions thought proper to conceal Part of their own acquired Knowledge, alledging the Maxim: Artis est celare Artem. And that I have not been inclined to conceal or monopolize Medicines of great Use, the following Instance will sufficiently shew.

Sir Robert Southwell, a very worthy President of the Royal Society, who was a Patron to many Persons of Merit, and a­mong others to Captain Dampier, told me, that the Captain in Conversation let [Page 15]him know, that his Family, at Exmouth in Devonshire, had a secret Medicine, whereby they infallibly cured all Men and Beasts, bit by mad Dogs and other Creatures. Whereupon I earnestly entreat­ed Sir Robert to use his Interest with the Captain, to procure, if possible, a full Ac­count of it, as a Matter of great Conse­quence to the Public. Sir Robert readily complied, and at his Request Captain Dampier obtained from his Relations the Account thereof, which I published entire in the Philosophical Transactions N ^o. 237, with all the necessary Circumstances to be observed: several of which were after­wards omitted by the Abridgers of that Paper. But soon after the said Account had been put into my Hands, having assur­ed Sir Robert, that Jews-Ears, mentioned therein as a principal Ingredient of the [Page 16]Medicine, must be a Mistake, inasmuch as that Vegetable is pernicious, taken inward­ly; I desired him to procure a Sample of the Herb so named in the Account, in order to examine what it was, and likewise a Dose of the Medicine, to know the Quan­tity to be taken. This occasioned both the one and the other to be sent up from the Family; by which means I discovered, that it really was, not Jews-Ears, but, the Lichen cinereus terrestris of Mr. Ray, who had first publicly taken notice of it, in his Catalogue of English Plants, printed in the Year 1670: He at the same time wondering, that it had escaped the Obser­vation of all former Botanists. And this Instance, by the by, shews the Usefulness of observing non-descript Simples; which may possibly be found, as his since was, to be of great Importance to the Welfare [Page 17]of Mankind. This Point being settled, I accompanied the Publication of the Letter, or Account, with a Remark; without which, as manifestly appears, it either would have had no Effect, or have been of bad Con­sequence. I at the same time acquainted Mr. Petiver, Mr. Doody, Mr. Rand, and other Botanists, with the Discovery of this Matter; and recommended to them to pro­vide a Quantity of this Lichen, sufficient to answer all Occasions. It was accord­ingly made use of with the same Success, with which it has ever since been attended.