Choice and rare experiments in physick and chirurgery, or, A discovery of most approved medicines for the curing of most diseases incident to the body of men, women, and of children together with an antidotary of experiments never before published / found out by the studie and experience of Thomas Collins, student in physick neer the city of Gloucester.

A diet drink for the Scorbutum or scurvy, and to put away the malum habitum corporis. Pr••∣batum.

Take seven gallons of good middle ale wort and put it into a pan, with seven handfus of Scurvy grass, or for want thereof take three handfuls of pepper, three handfuls of water Cresses, and three handfulls of Brooklime, boyl these, being fair washed and pulled in pie∣ces, in the water until six gallons remain, then order it as you would order beer, and tunne it up in a barrel having ready a fine linnen bag, wherein put a stone or plum with three ounces of Sena and one ounce of fine Rubarbe cut in small slices, with the powder of grains, long pepper, anniseeds, fennel seeds, and Liquorice scraped and bruised flat, one half ounce of spicknard and galingal vera beaten small, one two ounces of the wood and rinde of pure sas∣safras, half an ounce or one ounce, if the wood be not v••ry good, cut in smal pieces, then sow them all in the bag, and fasten a long double strong thread to the bagge, and hang it so in the barrel near the tunning hole, see that it touch not the bottom by two inches, fasten the thread to the top of the barrel, then put barme to your said ale, and after purging, stop it up close, and after three dayes s••tling drink

continually of this drink, and no other so long as it lasteth, and ••at to your breakfast and supper pottage made of water Cresses and brooklime made with veal or mutton, and eat what good meat you best like, see it be rabbe••, Capon, Mutton, or Ve••••l d••y rosted, continue this diet twenty dayes or so long as your drink lasteth good, and this by God•• grace will reco∣ver your health and abate the swelling of the ••p••een, and cure perfectly the scorbutum or Lassitudo in man or woman.

The signs of this disease which comes of Melancholy, are certain s••eckles appearing on the hand the armes and legs, which will go a∣way suddenly and come again, the teeth are as it were eaten with cankers about the gums, apt to bleed and imp••stume, & they wax loose, a weariness of the whole body and werin••ss of the Leggs, with a swelling in them towards night, and the stomack decreaseth by little and little, and the patient, if he have not help in time, falleth into a dropsie or con∣sumption.