The Apothecaries Prices.
The pound four shillings.
The ounce three pence.
In imitation of this Unguent, Felix Wurtz prepared his brown Oyntment, that is so much famed among most forreign Surgeons, thus:
Page 90 1. Take Ground-Ivie, Speedwell, and Figwort, of each one handful; being bruised in a Mortar, put them into a glass Retort-Receiver, and pour on them as much sharp Vinegar as will cover them, and two inches over; let them stand in digestion in the Sun in the Summer, or in warm water in the Winter, for seven days; then strain and press the Vinegar hard from them.
2. Take of the best green Coppe∣ras two pound, put it into a thick blackish earthen Melting-pipkin, of no greater bigness than will just con∣tain the Vitriol. This place between Bricks laid so as to make a square Tower, about two inches larger than the Pipkin, and two inches higher. Fill this kind of open Furnace with Charcoal up to the top, and kindle it gradually, which in less than half an hour will make the Pipkin red-hot; continue this heat until the Copperas Page 91 be calcined, or burned into a deep red. Then take out the Pipkin, and being grown cold, break it, and take out the red Copperas, or Colchothar, which beat to powder, and put into a new Pipkin; pour on it one quart of River or Spring-water, and one pint of Vinegar; boil them until half be consumed away; then after it is setled pour off the tinctured Liquor into a flat earthen pan: This done, pour another quart of Spring-water upon the same red Vitriol; boil it away half, and after it is setled, pour off the tinctured Liquor to the other Li∣quor in the earthen pan; this repeat with fresh water, until the red Cop∣peras will colour the water no longer. Place the earthen pan between two Bricks set edge-wise, and kindle a very moderate fire under it, and let the water evaporate, or dry away, until the red Vitriol that was dissol∣ved in the said water, be left dry in Page 92 the bottom of the pan. This red dried Vitriol put into a new Pipkin, and calcine or burn it over again, as you did at first; that put in into ano∣ther Pipkin, and pour fresh water on it, and boil it as you did before, to extract the tincture, or dissolve the purest of the red Vitriol; then pour it off into your earthen pan, and pour more fresh water on the red Vitriol or Copperas in the Pipkin, and boil it to extract more of the tincture: thus continue until all is extracted, throw∣ing away the remaining dregs on the bottom; the tinctured Liquors eva∣porate again to a driness, and then calcine or burn the red Copperas re∣maining on the bottom a third time, and extract and evaporate it over again, in the same manner as before; which done, then the Copperas is prepared.
3. Take Verdigriese one ounce and half, powder it and put it into a glass; Page 93 pour on it half a pint of sharp distill'd Vinegar; let it stand in the Sun four or five days, or 24 hours in warm water; then pour off the Vinegar, be∣ing tinctured green, and evaporate it in an earthen pan, until it be dry.
The proportion of these prepa∣red Ingredients for to make the foresaid Brown Oyntment, is as fol∣loweth:
Take of the above-mentioned pre∣pared Copperas powdered, two ounces; of the prepared Verdigriese, one ounce and a quarter; clarified Honey, six ounces; of the Vinegar that was pressed from the Herbs, three ounces; of the Flegm of Vitriol, two ounces: boil them to the thickness of an Oyntment, in the same manner as was told you in the preparation of the Unguentum Aegyptiacum.
This Brown Oyntment, as it is here described, the preparation is Page 94 very tedious and troublesome; which you may make shorter, thus: Calcine the Vitriol six hours, then powder it, and extract the tincture with three quarts of water, and one pint of sharp Vinegar; evaporate it, and then it is sufficiently prepared.
The Verdigriese must be prepa∣red as it is set down before.
The Herbs need not be extracted with Vinegar; only press out their juices, and mix them with the Tin∣cture of Verdigriese.
The Honey need not be clarifi∣ed, only take off the scum, as it is boiling with the juices; then put in the other Ingredients, according as you have been informed be∣fore.
But far beyond this, I have for∣merly prescribed an Oyntment, that in malignant or sordid Ulcers, Joynt-waters, Fistula's, and other desperate cases, doth the greatest Page 95 Effects imaginable; which I here impart to you.
Take of the Vitriol of Venus, of the Vitriol of Mars, of each half an ounce; Sugar of Lead, two drams; Honey boiled up to a consistency, three ounces and half; Mithridate half an ounce; mix them together in the Mortar, without putting them over the fire. If your Oyntment happen to be too thick, either by over-boiling the Honey, or by driness of the wea∣ther drying the Oyntment after it is made, you may soften it with a little Honey of Roses, or rather Iuice of Celandine.
