The Hartlib Papers

+++.                 For the Ricketts

Take the heads of foure weathers as black faced as yow can gett, with the hornes and wooll on, wash them cleane and bruise them both hornes and bones, then boyle them in a great boylar, for halfe an houre in spring water, Balme, Sotherwood, Spearemint, with Rosemary, Isope, Red fennell, Tyme, Hartstongue, Liverworte, Camomell, Rew, Red Sage, of each a good handfull, and after halfe an houres boyling cloase vp the boylar, and let it simper foure and twentie houres, vpon a coale fire, then strayne out the broath from the bones flesh and hearbes, and put in as many more hearbes & let it boyle a wallow againe, and when it is <H: something> cooled in a fitt narrow tub, or stand, let the partie be bathed therein as hot as may be indured, the strenght of the Body considered, the bath should reach to the Chinne & the head and body rubbed & washed all over, with the hearbes for halfe an houre or an houre as the partie is able to endure, haveing some good syrupe to <drinke or> to sup on often for fainting, then the partie must be well rubbed or wiped with warme Linnens, & haue a cleane warme shirt put on, & goe to bed very warme well eared, & ly with a fresh houlsome young woman and some must haue a care to give the patient some broth, syrupe, Gelly, or other good cordiall now and then for feare of fainting in the sweate which will continue most part of the night, take care of getting cold & bath not aboue once a weeke, nor more then once, in the same bath for it will stinke, and be vnwholsome, but provide new if need be:/

This did not onely cure one of mine of the disease but recovered the face and body which were growne crooked, & that with one onely bath, A care must be had to purge the stomacke but that gently of such matter as causeth shortnesse of breath, & corrupts the same, but this by the advice of some expert Physitian, the bath should be -5-or-6- gallons when it is made & it will consume one third part in boyling, therefore -5- <.8.> gallons of water is about like./.

The hearbes: Balme, Sotherwood, Spearemint, Rosemary, Isope, Tyme, Red sage, Red fennell, Rew, Camomell, Hartstongue, & Liverwort:/

    ++

          An excellent Receipt for the Rickets.

First purge the childe foure or five dayes with Rhubarb steept in beere all night, as to halfe a pinte of beere yow may infuse three slices of Rhubarb, about the bignesse & thicknesse of a 6^d., this halfe pint will serve to purge the Childe two mornings but if yow find <not> this proportion to purge twice or thrice a day adde a slice more of Rhubarb, when this is done, Let the Childe bloud in the eares; but be sure to doe it when the moone is -5- or -6- dayes old, then let the childe be anoynted with this oyntment following: every night anoynt the breast, & reynes of the backe, the ends of the ribbs if there be knots & vpon the wrests & hands <left margin, H: ancles> hands before a fire chaffing it in well with a warme hand, being carefull that the childe take no cold; His dyet may be what he likes providing it be not salte meate, in his broth boyle a slice of an Asmone roote & let his ordinary Drinke be this that followeth:/

Take two gallons of beere wort, put into it 2 handfuls of Tamaris 1 handfull of the greene barke of a young Ash, halfe a handfull of the barke of Ivie, one handfull & a halfe of Liverwort, one small handfull of hartstongue, a small handfull of raysons of the sun stoned, as many Currins, 1 <H: ounce> of Licorice scrapt and sliced; boyle all these in the wort halfe an houre, & when it is cold tun it up into a vessell with the hearbes, & let them worke together & when it is a weeke or ten dayes old, let the childe begin to drinke it, & soe provide more against that is done:

                   The Oyntment.

   Take Rosemary, Featherfew, Spike, Isope, Time, Suthernwood, Maidenhaire, Bay leaues, Penyriall, of each one handfull, beate them small in a stone morter, with a pound of fresh butter that hath not beene salted at all, then boyle all together till it be very greene strayne it out, & so vse it according to the aboue said direction./

[hand Y:]              For the Rickets