Little Venus unmask'd, or, A perfect discovery of the French pox comprising the opinions of most ancient and modern physicians, with the author's judgement and observations upon the rise, nature, subject, causes, kinds, signs, and prognosticks of the said disease : together, with several nice questions, and twelve different ways and methods of curing that disease, and the running of the reins by Gideon Harvey.

The Cure of an Hectick Pox.

SInce the degrees of an He∣ctict Pox are not easily dis∣cerned, and that some, namely in the beginning and growth; admit of a cure, as besides the records of several Treatises, my self can produce some instances of Pockie Hecticks restored to

their health, it's a sufficient ar∣gument, to encourage Physici∣ans, to attempt some course or other to recover their disastered patients, or at least to advise something to palliate, and pro∣long their dayes. In this case the generality of Authors frame two indications, the one, and which in the cure is preferred, is▪ to moisten the wither'd and tabefied parts; the other is, to expel and extinguish the viru∣lent venom of the Pox. The for••••ost of these is accomplisht, or at least endeavoured, by a nutritive and humecting diet, and other medicines of the same faculty; namely by Cock-broath wherein is boiled French B••rley, Bugloss or Borrage roots, liquo∣rish, the four cordial flowers, Dates, Jujubees, Sebesten, Cur∣rants, the four greater cold Seeds,

and sometimes a small propor∣tion of Poppie-seeds, all which besides the liquorish is to be sweetned with Rose sugar, if the partie be Rhumatick, or if not, with sugar of Marsh-mallows. From a fortnights continuance hereof, three or four times a day, it's expected the Patient should be somewhat incarn'd, moistned, and strengthned, which commemorates the Phy∣sician of his latter indication of resisting and oppugning the ve∣nom, to which purpose he pre∣scrib••s a proportion of C••ina r••ot and Sa••, to be added to the broath forementioned. I•• upon another fortnights use of this the Patient seems to mend, and appears less cada∣verous in his aspect; he begins to think of steering another course▪ and so either wholy

casts off the broth, or at least diminishes the use of it, and prescribes a formal decoction of Gu••••••acum, Salsa, and Chini, others omit the former of these three, being suspicious it's too h••t and drying, and so might precipitate the Gallican to his form••r emaciated habit. This is to be diligently drunk for six weeks or two months, the length of time being supposed to re∣compence the omission of those violent sweats, which are ordi∣narily enjoyned upon an anti∣venereal decoction; though in this method some short gentle sweats are advised. That the r••sult of this sort of cure hath been a perfect recovery of con∣firmed pockie Hecticks, many Autho••s do confidently assert in their Volumes, as Poterius, R••verius, F••nseca and others,

though I am more than certain, that their patients were onely emacerated, but not Hectically. However it's apparent by the testimonies of these so reputed Physicians, C••in•• root obtains a most energick vertue, for re∣storing Emaciated pocky He∣cticks, which the Reader possi∣bly may observe, I have more than once contradicted in this Treatize. Besides, that its ver∣tue is not exhaled, though trans∣ported through such hot climes, and kept seven, eight, or ten years before it's called into use, seems evidently demonstrated by the sanguine tincture it con∣tributes to the liquor in a de∣coction or broath, which doubt∣less must be derived from a po∣tent Sulphur that is deeply la∣tent in the ro••t, and by a long continuated ••bullition is only

extracted, and consequently is not exposed to exhalation. Moreover it might be argued, that the chief energy of op∣pugning this virulent venom, is not inherent in the volatile parts of antivenereal drugs, but rather in their fixt salts, which a long ebullition doth melt and extract, as may be instanced in Guaiacum, which its age is uni∣versally imagined doth render fitter for use and exalted to a more puissant faculty, as if length of time were requisite to concoct its parts, and per∣duce its l••t••nt Sulphur to ma∣turity. My answer to th••se ob∣jections imports, that the anti∣vener••••l vertue, which is at∣tributed to C••in•• and Sa••s••, is chiefly lodged in its volatile saline particles, the I••di••ns sca••ce reposing any confidence

of vertue in the former, unless fresh taken out of the ground, experience convincing them, that few owe their cure to it, after it hath been ex∣posed •• or 10 dais to the air. More∣over the evident manner, which is conceived that drug doth exert its activity through against the Pox is by sweat, which I could never de∣tect in a sole decoction of Chin••. Neither can any manifest qualities be discovered in its fixt particles, which by a long dec••ction are aimed to be extracted, whereby it should melt & attenuate humours, and so profuse a sweat, and with it the ve∣nomous miasms; if so, there is lit∣tle certainty of its antigallick ver∣tue, unless reposed in its hidden powers, which few now a daies can confide in. On the other hand Guaiacum declares its vertue by its manifest qualities, residing in its fixt salin and sulphurous particles,

or an acid salt, and a potent expan∣sive su••phur, as the Anatomy of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 parts by sire doth evidently repre∣sent to you, by the acid spirit, and a strong sulphurous oil it yeilds, through the former attenuating and penetrating into those humors, that harbour the infection, and through the latter deterging, col∣liquating, diffusing and propelling the said humors out at the pores, together with the virulent miasms, Moreover it must not be doubted, but the oldest and longest cut G••••∣acum is most prevalent for a podkie purpose, time seeming to concoct its •• póur and exalt its particles to a greater energie, or rather time opening the pores of that hard wood, & disuniting the sulphurous parts from the salin, (whose ••idum and close connexion is the cause of the hardness of the said wood) whereby it afterwards results more

apt and capable of rendring its sulphurous and salin particles to a∣ny liquor, by a far shorter ebulliti∣on, than if the said wood were ••••wer. That time doth so consi∣derably exalt and sublime the ver∣tues of bodies, will be plainly atte∣sted to you by the volatization of the spirit of Vitriol, which I ima∣gine few can shew besides my self, having the possession of a spirit so volatil, that it diffuses it self to a very great, distance, not without a pleasant scent to the olfactive or∣gan, and a most subtil insinuation into the remotest effuges of the brain, and being dropt into a li∣quor, proves diaphoretick, which is accounted an excellent vertu when accompanying an acidity. The manner it's prepared is thus, calcine your Vitriol to a Colcother, and place it in a Garret, leaving it there 2 or 3 years, afterwards distil it af∣ter

the usual way, and you shal•• collect a deep yellow volatil spir•• of Vitriol, as is here described Which confirms my assertion, tha•• time doth maturate, volatilize, an•• exalt the sulphurous particles, an•• renders them apt for sequestration•• from its more drossie and feculen•• parts. This by the way. And re••¦turning to my former subject, I 〈◊〉〈◊〉 once more assert, Guaiacum the on¦ly certain and manifest vegetabl•• for curing the Pox. The metho•• I have sometimes prescribed is th•• following. Take a young Co•••• and bruise it well, add to it thre•• ounces of the shavings of old Guai∣acum wood, four handfuls of Mal∣low leaves, two ounces of the fo•• greater cold seeds, one ounce •• sweet Almonds blanched, 20 Dates and two ounces of blew Currant•• spring water four quarts, boil i•• gently two hours in a diet pot∣strain

& keep it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 glass cl••s•• stopt. Hereof let the Patient drink a quarter of a pint four times a day. In stead of water in some cases, I have ordained the same quantity of Whey, or water distild of Milk, or Mallow water. After ten daies continuance of this Anti-hectick broath, it's requisite to add two ounces of excellent new Sarsapa∣ril, or if such is scarce to be procur'd, the like quantitie of Burdock roots. If upon twenty daies use hereof, the Patient seem'd somewhat in∣carn'd, I judged it convenient to purge him gently with Di••sen∣•••• and Mercur. subl. ••ulc. and so exhort him to two or three small sweats a week. By degrees I de∣tracted those moistning ingredi∣ents, until I arrived to the use of of my two Magisteria. Further∣more I have now and then obser∣ved some Gallicks surprized with

particular A 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of some o•• their members, in that case I a•• vised three ounces of Red worm•• taken out of a horses dunghil, an•• well-washt in white Wine to b•• added to the nutritive decoction•• Likewise I perceived that a score of well cleansed Vineyard Snails ad∣ded to the broath aforesaid, di•• very much contribute to its nutri¦tive faculty. After that, the Pa∣tient being reduced to a more flo∣rid aspect, and somewhat impin∣guated, you may proceed with such a method, as his present symptoms may indicate, according to those observations I have lately communicated to you.

FINIS.