The store-house of physical practice being a general treatise of the causes and signs of all diseases afflicting human bodies : together with the shortest, plainest and safest way of curing them, by method, medicine and diet : to which is added, for the benefit of young practicers, several choice forms of medicines used by the London physicians / by John Pechey ...

CHAP. LXIII. Of Appetite depraved, diminished, and abolished.

THE Cause of an excessive Appetite, is a sharp Juice abounding in the Body, and especially brought from the Pancreas to the Intestine; and sending thence Vapors that are sharper than usual to the Stomach. This Acid is increased in the whole Body by sharp Meats, and Drinks, Cold and Serene Air, immoderate Grief continued long, violent Motion, and long Watching.

The Appetite is diminished by Fat Choler, and by Fat and Viscid Meat, by Hot or Rainy Weather, by too much Sleep, Sloath and great Cares.

The Causes that diminish Appetite will wholly abolish it, if they are extream.

Depraved Appetite is usual in the Green-sickness, and in Women with Child, and sometimes, but rarely, Men are troubled with it: It most frequently happens before the Flux of the Courses, or when they are suppressed.

In the Green-sickness they crave for Meats that are im∣proper and unusual, or they eat Chalk, Ashes, Coals, Pitch, Dirt, Leather, and many other things.

Appetite increased, is to be cured with such things as temperate the acid Juice, as Coral, Pearls, Crabs-eyes,

Filings of Steel, and the like; also Fat and Oily things, and Volatile Spirits.

Take of Coral prepared, and Pearls prepared, each one scruple; of white Chalk half a scruple, of white Sugar three drams; make a Powder to be divided into six Doses. Take two Papers in a day, three or four hours after eating, in a Spoonful of strong Wine.

If a Liquid Medicine be more pleasing, let him take a Spoonful of the following Mixture now and then.

Take of the Waters of Mint two ounces, and of Scurvy-grass-water, and of the Tincture of Cinnamon made by Infusion in rectified Spirit of Wine, each half an ounce; of Syrup of Wormwood one ounce; mingle them. Or,

Take of Oyl of Mace by Distillation, and of the Oyl of Juniper-berries, each one scruple; mingle them in a Glass: Let the Sick take two or three drops of this Oyl in a Spoonful of Malago Sack, or in any other ge∣nerous Wine, or in the foregoing mixture, and let him eat fat Broths.

Appetite diminished or abolished must be cured by Me∣dicines that evacuate, and correct Flegmatick and Viscid Humours: Acids and Spices correct them, Coloquintida, Turbith, Hermodactiles, evacuate them.

Take of Mint-water two ounces, of Cinnamon-water half an ounce, of Syrup of Fennel one ounce, of Spirit of Salt a sufficient quantity to make it pleasantly Acid. Or,

Take of Tartar vitriolated half a dram, of Cream of Tartar one dram; of white Sugar-candy two drams; mingle them; make a Powder to be divided into three Doses. Let him take one or two in a day in Rhenish-wine, or in the preceding mixture; and if he please, instead of Spirit of Salt, he may add half a dram of Elixir pro∣prietatis to be taken by Spoonfuls

They that dislike Acids, may take the following mix∣ture by Spoonfuls.

Take of the Waters of Mint, and of Fennel, each one ounce and an half; of Aqua vitae Matthioli six drams, of Oyl of Mace by Distillation three drops, of Syrup of Mint one ounce.

They that had rather take a medicated Wine, may use the following.

Take of the Roots of Elecampane, and of Acorus, each two drams; of the leaves of Sage, Marjoram, Garden-rue, each one handful; of the Seeds of sweet Fennel two drams, of Orange-peel dried one dram; being cut, and grossly bruised, put them into a Bag, and hang it in a Glass, and pour on it twenty ounces of Whitewine; after it has stood a night in a Cellar, three, four or five ounces may be taken in a Morning Fasting, or at Dinner or Supper, as every one pleases, or as they find it agrees best with them. And fresh Wine may be put on as long as the Aromatick Vertue remains in the Ingre∣dients.

When Purging is necessary,

Take of the greater Faetid Pills half a dram, of Coche one scruple, Extractum Catholicon ten grains, Oyl of Cloves two drops; mix them, make fifteen Pills, gild them, or cover them with Powder of Liquorish or Cinnamon.

Let the Sick take five of these Pills, or more, if he be hard, to Purge.

But if you design to add Chymical Medicines in form of Pills, you may prescribe in the following manner:

Take of Gum-ammoniacum, or Opoponax, or the like, cleansed by Vinegar, and afterwards thickned, half a dram; of the Troches Alhandal, Mercurius dulcis, each one scruple; mix them, make fifteen Pills, and gild them: Let the Sick, take five or more of them.

But if the form of an Apozem seem more convenient for the Sick, he having no great Aversion to bitter things, the following is convenient.

Take of Liquorish rasped half an ounce, of the Roots of Smalage one ounce, of the Shavings of Guajacum three ounces, of Laurel-berries, and Seeds of Annise, each two drams; of the Pulp of Coloquintida half a dram; boil them in a sufficient quantity of Rain-water, in thirty ounces of the strained Decoction, dissolve of Syrup of Roses solutive, with Senna of Diacnicum, each one ounce and an half; of the Salt of Tartar vitriolated two Scruples▪ Tincture of Cinnamon one ounce; mix them.

Let the Sick take three, four or five ounces of this De∣coction once or twice a day, by which the Flegmatick and viscid Humours, are both corrected and evacuated per Epicrasin. In the mean time let the Sick abstain from fat and viscid Meats: Let him use a clear Air that is hot and dry: Let Sleeping be diminished if it be too long: Let the Mind be chearful: Let the Motion and Exercise of the Body be moderate. Evacuation by Stool and Urine, daily ought to be proportionable to what is taken in by the Mouth, if it can be conveniently.

Appetite diminished by fat Choler is presently cured by correcting of it, if it abound too much it must be evacuated either by Stool or Vomit,

For correcting of this Choler, there is nothing more effe∣ctual than Elixir Proprietatis given in Wine, or any other convenient Mixture, five or six drops at a time, especially before Eating.

Those who do not love Acids, may take in place of it sweet Spirit of Salt, prepared with rectified Spirit of Wine by several Cohobations.

The same Choler is corrected by Wormwood, and Wormwood-wine; in the place of which also, other Aro∣matick Plants may be likewise infused in Wine, which may be drank in a small Quantity at Dinner and Supper.

Such Plants are Mountain-calamint, Marjoram, Rose∣mary, Garden-rue, Hyssop, Thym, Sage, and the like.

Choler is very conveniently evacuated by Vomit, by several Medicines prepared of Antimony, as Crocus Me∣tallorum, Glass of Antimony, and the Sapa Vomitoria that is made of it, Oxysarcharum, or Oxymel Vomito∣rium, Mercurius Vitae, or the like.

Rhubarb, Scammony, Tamarinds, and the like, evacu∣ate Choler by Stool.

Scammony may be prepared presently and well, if a con∣venient Dose of it, twelve or fifteen Grains, more or less, according to the Age and Constitution of the Sick, be pow∣dered in a Mortar, and a little Baulm-water, Succory-water, or the like, be poured upon it, and rubbed with it till it becomes of a milky Colour; pour it off and put more Water on, that all the Vertue of the Scammony may be extracted leaving the black Faeces at the Bottom; then add to the Liquor of Cinnamon-water, or Fennel-water, or some other Aromatick-water, two drams; of Syrup of Roses solutive, or the like, two or three drams; and so you will have a very pleasant Purging Draught; and that it may work the easier, a Scruple or half a dram of Cream of Tartar may be drank in Broth half an Hour after taking the Purging Draught.

Pleasant Tablets may be also made of Scammony in the following manner.

Take of Christals of Tartar one ounce and an half, of Dia∣gridium three drams, of Oyl of Cinnamon six drops, of white Sugar dissolved in Rose-water eight ounces; mingle them, make Tablets.

These Tablets may be conveniently prescribed for In∣fants, Children, and delicate People; the highest Dose of them is from three drams to half an ounce; an Infant must take but half a dram, or a dram, a Youth may take two drams.

They who are afraid to use Scammony or Medicines made of Scammony, though it be a kind, safe, and pow∣erful Medicine, may use Rhubarb in the following manner.

Take of choice Rhubarb rasped two drams, of the best crude Tartar half a dram, of Succory-water a sufficient quan∣tity;

infuse them all Night over ashes or in a Bath, to the Liquor strained, gently add of Syrup of Roses solutive, or of Succory with Rhubarb, half an ounce, of Cinnamon water two drams, and to take off the nauseous Smell of the Rhubarb, and to expel Wind, add of Oyl of Annise-seeds two or three drops; make a Draught.

To evacuate the over abounding Choler, those that had rather use an Electuary may take of the following.

Take of the Pulp of sharp and sweetish Prunes ten ounces, of Cream of Tartar, and the best Scammony, each two ounces; of choice Rhubarb ten drams, of sharp Cinnamon half an ounce, of Yellow Sanders two drams, of clarified Sugar a Pound; mingle them, make an Electuary. The Dose is from three drams to half an ounce; It may also be dissolved in some convenient Water, and so you may make a Potion of it.

The Cure of a depraved Appetite, depends on the Purifi∣cation of the Blood and Humours: But Volatile Salts are more successful in this case than any other Medicines, a few grains of them being taken twice or thrice in a day in Wine or some other Liquor, especially at Dinner or Supper; and to evacuate the vicious Humours, Purging and Vomiting must be used.