mours to the skin, and, filling the blood with flatulent fpirits, difpofe it more to fermentation and ebullition. Their body must be opened, if there be occasion, with the juice of prunes and fugar, or with whey and fugar. If the air be putrid and pestilential, their face may be continually sprinkled with the water of fanders and camphire; which, if it pleases God, will have a good effect.

As to fucking infants; if they are fat and ruddy, and above five months old, let them be cupped; and let the nurse, as far as poffible, be managed in the manner we have mentioned.

I come now to thofe medicines which thicken and cool the blood, and check its ebullition and putrefaction.

All acid things are proper for this purpose, especially the water called al-raib, that is, the four, bitter water which swims upon butter-milk exposed to the fun; and the acid juice of citrons.

The fame intention is very well anfwered by many things, which have an aftringency joined with their acidity, and thereby condense the blood. Such are, four grapes, fumack, rob ribas, or the infpiffated juice of currants, apples, quinces, and pomegranates; ju jubes, lentils, coleworts, coriander, lettuce, poppies, endive, night-fhade, fugar called bambu*, the feedof fleawort, and camphire.

The following compofition is good to cool the blood, and restrain the heat of the liver, and effervefcence of the bile.

Take of red rofes beaten, ten drachms; bambu-fu* The Indian name for a concreted juice, like fugar, in an Indian reed.

gar,

gar, twenty drachms; fumack, the feeds of wild forrel, lentils peeled, barberries, the feeds of purilain, feeds of white lettuce, of each five drachms; red fanders, two drachms and a half; camphire, one drachm.

Let these be mixed, and give three drachms of this powder to the patient every morning in his drink, together with an ounce of the juice of wild forrel, or of ribas, pomegranates, or unripe grapes, and the like.

The medicine al-facang jabin, that is, oxymel with fugar, is likewife good, which is thus prepared.

Take one part of red, fharp vinegar, depurated; two parts of rofe-water; mix, and infufe in the cold mixture, one ounce of red rofes; half an ounce of balaustines; two ounces of pomegranate-peel, for the space of three days. Then strain the liquor, adding to it, according to the quantity of the vinegar, twice or thrice as much of the fugar tabarzad, that is, white fugar-candy. Boil it fufficiently, and use it."

It will also be of ufe to take of rofes and bambufugar, of each ten drachms; white fanders, three drachms; camphire, one drachm; and moiften them with the mucilage of the feeds of fleawort; then make the mafs into pills, or troches. Of thefe, at proper times, three drachms may be given in the patient's drink, together with one ounce of the aforefaid al-facangjabin.

Besides these, the following fyrup is excellent, and wonderfully exceeds in virtue all others, which I have feen tried; though perhaps the fyrup of pearls, which the Indians defcribe, and of which they boast more than they can have experienced, may be more powerFor they fay, that if any one drinks of that VOL. II.

ful.

Ꮓ

fyrup,

fyrup, though nine puftules have already appeared, there will not come out a tenth.

Now, the compofition of mine is this.

Take of red vinegar depurated, old, and fharp, three pounds; of the juice of acid pomegranates, the acid juice of citrons, the juice of unripe grapes, of ribas, of the Syrian mulberries, the expreffion of Syrian fumack, and barberries, of each one pound; the juices of lettuce and tarragon, of each a quarter of a pound; of the decoction of red jujubes, and the infusion of lentils, each a pound and half. Mix all together, and add three pounds of fugar; boil the whole, and put to it fome of the syrup already made, hot, working it with a pestle, till it is diffolved : then mix it with the whole, firring it continually with a stick of camphire-wood; throw it into a mortar of ftone, or willow-tree wood, taking out the cleareft part all the while; having added and mixed bambu-fugar, and camphire. Ufe this before the fmall pox appears, and alfo after the appearance, as we shall direct anon. It is alfo proper in all diftempers, which arife from a bilious blood, in peftilential ulcers, boils, quinfeys, and the like.

What I have faid may in general fuffice concerning prefervation from the fmall-pox, before the fever, which attends their figns, comes on.

The laft-mentioned fyrup repels the disease from one, who is in fuch a condition, that it can be repelled; fo that what comes out will be very moderate. It also effects, that the change of the blood from the firft ftate to the fecond, fhould not be done too haftily, and at once, with too great ebullition, and frightful and dangerous fymptoms; but by de

grees,

grees, and in a longer time; in the way of maturation, not putrefaction, without terrible and dangerous fevers,

But when the fever, which accompanies the eruption, arises, this regimen is no longer to be used, unless with great caution and prudence; for a mistake here is very dangerous, for this reafon, that while the blood is rarefied, and nature, according to the temperament of the patient, is endeavouring to expel the morbific matter; if then the refrigeration and condenfation, which you intend, does not exceed the cool ftate the patient was in before, it will happen, that the ebullition will break out a fecond or third time; and thus nature will be disturbed in her work. Neither can that ebullition be checked, without great danger for thofe remedies must be ufed for this purpose, which do in a manner congeal and coagulate the blood; fuch are, opium, hemlock, a great quantity of juice of lettuce, night-fhade, and the like. And the congelation of the blood, and extinction of natural heat, by all thefe, is not fafe; because of the excefs, which is eafily committed: for it will be hard, at the fame time to reprefs the effervefcence, and preferve the due natural heat. In one word, care must be taken, not to extinguish preternatural and natural heat together

:

Now I fhall communicate a practice, which physicians, either through ignorance or avarice, that they only may receive profit from it, ufually conceal; and it is this. When you obferve, upon the signs of the disease, a diftenfion of the belly, pain in the back, redness of the face and eyes, a violent headach, with a full pulfe, and alfo a ftraitness of breath, a red and turbid

Z 2

turbid urine, and fuch a heat of the body, as a man feels, who has been for fome time in a hot bath; efpecially, if the body be fleshy; there is then all the reafon in the world to take away blood. Wherefore, draw away a good quantity, even till the patient faints away. It will be beft to do it from the bafilic vein, or fome of its branches; but if that cannot be found, from the cephalic vein. Sometimes, when the bafilic does not appear, it may be taken away from the vein in the ancle; but better from the bafilic or its branches, because they draw from the greater veins in the abdomen more than the cephalic does.

If the fymptoms do not run very high, although they are manifeft, draw blood but fparingly; and when they are lefs, take away very little. Then proceed in the cure with repelling medicines, as has been mentioned.

If by these the feverish heat is removed, and the pulfe and breath are come to their natural state; ftill infift on the use of them, till the heat of the difeafe is perfectly abated, which will be done in a fhort

time.

In order more effectually to perform this extinction, let the patient drink water, made cold in fnow to the highest degree, very plentifully and often; fo that he may feel the coldnefs of it in his bowels. If, after this, the fever and burning return, give this water, a fecond time, two or three pints, or more, in the fpace of half an hour.

If still the heat return, and the belly be full of water, make him vomit it up, and then give it again. And if the water finds a paffage, either by fweats or urine, you may be affured the patient is in a good way.

But