Approved medicines of little cost, to preserve health and also to cure those that are sick provided for the souldiers knap-sack and the country mans closet / written by Richard Elkes, Gent. ...

15 Of Wounds.

VVOunds in generall are according to the severall Members, as wounds in the head, face, neck, shoulders, and armes, &c. but Wounds chiefly to be observed are two, that is, Mortall, and Curable; also wounds curable may be made mortall by ignorant Chirurgions, therefore I wish all men to hasten to an able Chirurgion. As wounds that are mortall is in the Braine, the Heart, the stomack, the small Guts and the Bladder, neverthelesse I wish all Chi∣rurgions not to neglect the meanes, for I have seen Gods mercy wonderfully shewn in giving strength to Nature when the judgement of man faileth; As touching wounds superficiall or deep after the Flux

of bloud is stopped as before directed, and that your Chirurgion cannot be had; first consider whether there be any dislocation of bones or fractures, or whether any veines, Arteries, sinews, ligaments, tendons, or Muscels be wounded, if you finde any of these you must proceed to the Cure very carefully, or else you may make that wound gangred or rotten, which at the first might be cured; this I have seen by ignorant people, applying hot Medicines to hot and chollerick wounds, and cold Medicines to the cold causes, as Hemlock, Henbane, and such others, which I omit, and come to show you whether there be any Dislocation or Fracture; First, com∣pare one member with the other, as if the shoulder be depressed it will be lower then the other, neither can the party lift it to his head; if the elbow be out of joynt, the hand cannot be turned about, neither wil it be like the other, for the reducing of such a member, hasten to your Bone-set∣ter, but in his absence if such a thing hap∣pen in the fingers, toes, or the elbow, two men grasping the member very fast, a third

man directing them to pull in the joynt, and the said third man with his right thumbe upon the place, the left hand turning the member into his right place, which the Patient will soone finde ease, if rightly performed. Further, if the shoul∣der be out, let that man put his arme over the round of a Ladder, or over the head of another man that is higher then he that is dislocated, the Chirurgion, or he that setteth the joynt put both his thumbs to the place, a second minister or two holding fast the lame Arme over the Lad∣der, or over the same mans head, so the sick may be above the ground, and the weight of his body with this help may re∣duce this joynt into his proper place; ma∣ny other wayes there are, but I omit, and come to Fractures, which must be very di∣ligently placed, if in the thigh, or above the elbow where is but one bone it may be broke short off, so the member wil be shor∣ter then the other; this must be drawn in∣to his proper place as before is shewed, if riven or shaken into splinters, they must be all placed and bound up in some frame or

spleets, past-board, or Iron made accor∣ding to the form of the member, if wound∣ed through the flesh, there must be a place left for the dressing of the wound, and an implaister made with Bolearmonick, Terra sigilata, Gum Dragagante, Dragons bloud, whites of Eggs laid upon Flax, and ap∣plyed round the member grieved, put in∣to the wound Oyle of Elder, and Oyle of Hipericon, also make Tents with Lint rowled in the same Oyle (but be sure make them so, that you leave none of them behind when you take them out of the wound;) above all be sure that no dust nor haires fall in the wound, nor Lint left be∣hind that commeth off the Tent; also there must be care had of wounds of dry bodies, and of moyst bodies, as tender bo∣dies are more moyst then those that la∣bour and travell, if you finde them to be moyst bodies, you may use drying powders, as Bolearmoniack, if proud flesh, or dead flesh, then use burnt Allum, or Precipitat, or you may make this powder: Rec. Sarco∣colle, ℥j. Oliban. ℥ij. Aloes Epatick ℥iij. Ma∣stick ℥j. Frankinsence, ℥ij. Dragons bloud ℥j ss.

Balaustia ℥j make this into fine powder and it will incarn wounds, if you finde the wound to be dry you may use the said oyle of Hipericon, oyle of Lillies; if the sinews be wounded, oyle of Elder is very good. To preserve a wound from Imposthumati∣on, Rec: of Mallowes, Beets, Violet leaves, and Landebeef, of each a handful, boyle them until they be soft, then put in oyle of Roses, and white Lillies, make a Cata∣plasme or Poultis, with Roses, Rye meale or Barley meale, adding some Hoglard, apply this warme until the Impostume be removed, for no wound can heale until the Impostume be cured.

Likewise a Member may Cancern if not speedily removed, that Member must be taken off; to prevent this you must ob∣serve, whether the Member about the wound, do alter in coulour, glissen and of a blew colour, the member doth not quite rot, but the spirits being hindred from comming to that place, it doth mor∣tifie; which commeth by applying veno∣mous Medicines, sometimes by over∣tying of a member when a bone is broken;

sometimes by applying things that are cold, stipticke, and sharpe, these and such others may cause Cancerna, now to preserve the Member wounded from can∣cerna; Rec. oyle of Roses, Umphacin, oyle of Mirtive ana: ℥iij. the juice of Plantaine and Nightshad, ana: ℥ij. ss. let them seeth all together until the juice be wasted, then put to white Wax ℥j. ss. Flower of Beanes, Lintiles, and Barley ana: ℥ij. ss. of all the Sanders pulverised ana: ℥j. ss. Bolarmenacke ℥j. graines and mirtiles a Dram, make this into a Plaister, with oyle of Elder, labour it in a morter into a plaister, besides all these, there happneth Feavors, Cramps, Convulsi∣ons, and many other by applying evil Me∣dicines to a wound which must be remo∣ved, before the cure wil be ended; if there be a Feavor, you must give cooling Glisters and purge with Potions following, make a decoction with Cordiall flowers, in a ciate ful of that decoction, dissolve of Diacatholicon of Diaprunis, ana: ℥ss. sur∣rup of Roses ℥ss. take this fasting as a poti∣on, if pained in the head, take Pilule cho∣chie or Pilule aure, and such like; if the

Crampe assaile the body, rub the mem∣ber with warm clothes, or oyle of Hedg∣hog; if a Convulsion, rub the pole and the member with oyle of Castoreum and Sage. These impediments being removed, I pro∣ceed with the Cure as followeth; If the wound be large or dangerous, let his dyet be good Broths, and meats of easie dige∣stion, as Birds of the Hils, Mutton, Veale, Chickins and Rabbits; he must avoid salt meates, Beefe, Poulse, Cabbig, and windy meates, as fruits, nor drink no inflaming drink: The next intention is to keep the body soluble, with potions, Pils, or Glist∣ers, then you must wash the wound with this lotion, take Plantain water, Buglosse, or Burrage water, odoriserous Wine, Pomgra∣net flowers, Plantain leaves, the flowers of St. Johns wort, boyle this together and wash the wound, then make Tents and roule them in oyle of Hipericon, and fill the hollow places with them, then make Plaisters to mundisie: Rec. of clear Tur∣pentine ℥ij. Hony of Roses ℥j. Smallege ℥j. let them boyle together a little time, adde thereto the yolke of an egge, Saffron, a

little Myrrh ℥ij. of Alloes ℥j. make this into a stiffe Plaister, with oyle of Ro∣ses, and flower of Barley, this wil mundifie and clear a wound in two daies, if not very foule; after the wound is clear, you may proceed again with healing Medicines; if not mundified, you may use Unguentum E∣giptiacum, or unguentum Basilicum; and for a healing-Plaister, the wound being mun∣dified take of Clownes all-heale, falilly, Archangell, ana: one handful, pound them, and boile it in Hoglard, then straine it, let it stand to be cold, take the top of it, poure away the bottome, and boile it with wax and Rosen, so much as is sufficient to make a Plaister, this, or one of these Hearbs made in a Salve, will heale a green wound, or you may have this Implaister made at any Apothecaries, Rec. Salet oyle ℥iiij. white Wax ℥j. Turpentine ℥ss. Greek Pitch, ℥j. Frankin∣sence, and Mastick ana: ℥j Saffron ℈j. mingle these and boile them upon a gentle fire, and make Plaisters: So I end for old Ul∣cers, you may mundifie the Soare with White wine, and Aquavitae, or with the Mun∣dificatives before written, as Egiptiacum,

or unguentum apostolorum, and finish the Cure with the above named Medicines.