Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-11
OLD HERBAL.
Wealth of Cosmetic Advice and Sug-
gestive for the Ladies.
MEDICINE In THE MIDDLE AGES.
Some Superstition Mixed With Good
Deal of Sound Doctrine.
WHAT SHIRLEY DARE FINDS IN 1T
WRITTEN FOR THE prspArcu.,

WRITTEN roR THE DrsPATcH.l
Few persons feel more fortunate than in
gift the New Year brought. It was none
OF those sweetly inutile things you have to
accept and smile gracefully over, saying
THANK you, my DEAR" aloud, and "What
in the world did she want to give me that
thing for should like to know" to your
truthful self.
You would not think much of the old
book, with its stained leaves and closely
woided, black-letter pages in astonishing
English. But it suits my taste, this antique
herbal, gathered by painstaking hand,
dating so far back that most OF its language
is only to be guessed at. Il had far rather
have it than your lace fan or your yard-wide
honnces, Madam, dearly though love lace
II 1t is fine, choice OF pattern and excellent
lY woven. Rich and curious and quaint Is
the wording OF this black and sallow-paged
book, casket of fine direct phrase and o
mine of derivation.
Traditions Of Medicine.
"Skeat's Dictionary of Old English" is
modern beside this treasure, almost every
line OF which recalls legend or tradition
IL =
here one finds the origin of many kindly
old wife's treatment and wise physicians
practice, and for one who loves plants and
their lore there are pages to pore over for
hours. All the lore of simple and distilled
waters and compounds, of washs for the
face and "griefes of the skin" are here
handed down from prior and leech to wise
woman for centuries. These prescriptions
healed wounds of the Templars in bloody
fights and cleansed plague sores when that
now unknown disease was terror Of every
household.
This quaint, outspoken little book is a
reflection of the life and ways of house.
hold in the middle ages. Constant mention
of wine and saffron, rosewater and goats
milk, fine herbs and distilled waters, reveals
the generous store of such comfortable
things in we'll supplied house. There are
cures for frenzies and bites of scorpions and
venomous things brought by Crusaders from
Orient sands and their dangerous tenantry;
also for poison and snake bite and pricks, as
If it were the commonest thing for any one
to be stung or poisoned or to run thorns into
the flesh daily in those ignorant, rude
times.
First Mention of Inoculation.
Attention is given to ''treacles, mithri-
dates and preservatives against poyson and
the plague" Mithridates is the old name
for medicines which fortified one against
poison, SO called from King Mithridates,
who took small doses of poison daily to
render himself proof against it-primitiye
idea of incubation for disease, for which
neither Mithridates nor his physicians get
any credit now.
They were not all fools nor behind in un.
derRtanding, those old sages and rulers, and
the wisdom they have left is not sweepings
for the broom and dustpan by any meaus.
They were men of observation and penetra-
tive powers, and if they made some mis-
takes, as possibly the thirtieth century may
find in our practice, the cleverest doctors
lind by experience that there is truth in
many OF the sayings which the college boy
laughed at.
An age is ignorant which derides them,
They studied nature at first hand, with
stronger Vision'th we who bring to it ewes
and brains wearied with study of books and
opinions by rote. But you will care very
little for the real learning which lies under
this knowledge of roots and herbs and in
fusions. The quaintness of the wording
will divert you, and the cosmetic waters find
place in those collections of recipes of
which hear from all quarters.
There's Virtue in Weeds.
Too many of these old English herbs are
unknown even to the gardeners of TODAY.
and We must lose much out of ignorance OF
the weeds naturalized by our waysides.
Every weedy bank or hollow or ruined ont |
building is treasure trove to one who |
studies the pharmacy of herbs, for the worst |
favored, ill-smelling varlets OF weeds ha We |
virtues i'll to lose.
Alder we know by name, and our book
tells US it is good against imposthumes and |
oruo inn in ha nd Il II
monds under the tongue-evell (even) as
well as the shales of greene pills (peels) of
walnuts it dieth black colour. The leaves
are good to be put into the shooes of them,
that are surbated and wearie, to mitigate the
heat and pain" Such a hint would be cher
ished in country where all but the knights
and gentry went on foot, and all sorts went
on foot on pilgrimages. "The green leaves
with their dew in the morning are good to be
strewed in chambers to void feas, which in
those days were in kings palaces. ''The wood
never rotteth in water nor in moyst ground,
but rather turneth into stone. The Juice of
the bark is good for burning"-or an in
fammation-"of the skin. The Juice of
blacke alder, which is yellow, being stepped
in wine or beere and drunke, causeth to
vomit vehenently and cleanseth the stom-
axe. The leaves cause kline to give good
store Of mike if they eat them, for they are
good fodder"
The Uses of Almonds,
Droll compound of experience, isn't it.
physic, feas, pilgrims feet and kline fod-
der set down together, just as the worthy
clerk who compiled the book heard or
learned of them? Have you any ideas of
the virtues of almonds? Several pages are
devoted to their uses. "Almonds taken be-
fore meat nourish but little, especially
blaunched. Bitter almonds do open the
stoppings of the lungs, liver, milt, kidneys
and all other inner parts. and are good
against the cough. shortness of winde and
of the lungs. being mixed with
turpentine and licked in. Eat five or six
bitter almonds, fasting to Withstand drunk
ennesse that day. They cleanse the skinne
and face from all spots, pimples and lin
tiles"-if you know what they are.
"Sleepe to cause, take blaunched almonds
one quart, hempseed half pound, thrice
wasn't in faire water; dates, 16. Stamp them
together with one ounce of poppyseed
bruised, and steepe them in good ale three
Or four hours, then seethe and straine it and
drinke thereof. Sweet almonds do increase
the substance of the braine, cause pleasant
sleep and secure the passages, and are good
for lean folke. The oyle of them is good for
q dry crampe. Almonds eaten with figs
,lense the brest and lungs and do helpe
'hortnesse of wind" Runners and singers.