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 Lini⯑ment; 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: un⯑leſs their Diſorder proceeded from a Vene⯑real Taint.

Several Years after I had been in Poſſeſſion of this Secret, in turning over ſome Manu⯑ſcripts of Sir Theodore Mayerne, I found he had known the ſame Ointment, or Lini⯑ment, and had entered it in his Pharma⯑copoea, under his own Name: though I af⯑terwards diſcovered, that it was not origi⯑nally his, but had been communicated to him by Sir Matthew Liſter, a Member of the College of Phyſicians; who had per⯑formed a Cure with it on a Lady Savile, which Sir Theodore thought a very extraor⯑dinary one. And 'tis very probable, that he afterwards communicated it to Dr. Tho⯑mas [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 Roſe⯑mary Flowers; Antiepileptic Powders, ſuch as Pulvis ad Guttetam; Betony, Sage, Roſemary, Eyebright, wild Valerian Root, [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: where⯑fore upon taking off the Fever by a proper [7]Uſe of the Bark, the Cure has been ef⯑fectually performed.

This Medicine has cured many, whoſe Eyes were covered with opake Films, and Cicatrices left by Inflammations and Apoſ⯑tems 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 [8]her, taken about fifty Drops of Lau⯑danum 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. Where⯑upon he aſſured me, that he would pro⯑cure 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 [9]I was then bound by a Promiſe to conceal it.

It is to be obſerved (contrary to the com⯑mon 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 Peo⯑ple 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 [10]ſoon as they could poſſibly bear the Light.

I was intimately acquainted with Dr. William Stokeham, a very ingenious Gen⯑tleman, Phyſician to King William III. who had formerly ſpent ſome Years at Pa⯑dua, 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 Diſ⯑caſes 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 [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 re⯑peated Trials of that Fat alone on ſore Eyes, had ſo high an Opinion of its Vir⯑tues, that he looked on it as equally bene⯑ficial 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 Na⯑turaliſts, that thoſe Serpents caſt their Skins every Year, and with them the Coverings of their Eyes: but how far, or whether [12]at all, their Fat is concerned in this Phae⯑nomenon, 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 Diſ⯑caſes of the Eyes: by which, I ſuppoſe, he meant Olive-Oil. Agreeable to this Cau⯑tion, 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 dry⯑ing; for the Liniment, in that State, has [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, pro⯑miſed Secrecy with regard to this Medi⯑cine: which I have religiouſly kept 'till now, that I think myſelf, for many Rea⯑ſons, abundantly abſolved. I have had ſome other Medicines of the like Nature com⯑municated to me under the ſame Reſtric⯑tion: and excluſive of theſe few Caſes, [14]I cannot charge myſelf with making the leaſt Myſtery of my Practice. For in Con⯑ſultations, in a Number of Caſes of Im⯑portance, I have been always very free, and open; far from following the Exam⯑ple of ſome Phyſicians of good Morals and great Reputation, who have on many Oc⯑caſions 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 a⯑mong others to Captain Dampier, told me, that the Captain in Converſation let [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 entreat⯑ed Sir Robert to uſe his Intereſt with the Captain, to procure, if poſſible, a full Ac⯑count of it, as a Matter of great Conſe⯑quence 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 after⯑wards omitted by the Abridgers of that Paper. But ſoon after the ſaid Account had been put into my Hands, having aſſur⯑ed Sir Robert, that Jews-Ears, mentioned therein as a principal Ingredient of the [16]Medicine, muſt be a Miſtake, inaſmuch as that Vegetable is pernicious, taken inward⯑ly; 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 Quan⯑tity 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 Obſer⯑vation 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 [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 Con⯑ſequence. 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 pro⯑vide a Quantity of this Lichen, ſufficient to anſwer all Occaſions. It was accord⯑ingly made uſe of with the ſame Succeſs, with which it has ever ſince been attended.