Page:In defense of Harriet Shelley, and other essays.djvu/357

 A MAJESTIC LITERARY FOSSIL

of the Lips, together with the other Symptoms not likely to arise from simple Heat, I was inclin d to believe a real Poison in the Case; and therefore not daring to let her Blood in the Arm [If a man s throat were cut in those old days, the doctor would come and bleed the other end of him], I did, however, with good Success, set Leeches to her Temples, which took off much of the Inflammation; and her Pain was likewise abated, by instilling into her Eyes a thin Mucilage of the Seeds of Quinces and white Poppies extracted with Rose-water; yet the Swelling on the Lips increased; upon which, in the Night, she wore a Cataplasm prepared by boiling the Leaves of Scordium, Rue, and Elder-flowers, and afterwards thicken d with the Meal of Vetches. In the mean time, her Vomiting having left her, she had given her, between whiles, a little Draught of Distill d Water of Carduus Benedictus and Scordium, with some of the Theriaca dissolved; and upon going off of the Symptoms, an old Woman came luckily in, who, with Assurance suitable to those People, (whose Ignorance and Poverty is their Safety and Pro tection,) took off the Dressings, promising to cure her in two Days time, altho she made it as many Weeks, yet had the Reputation of the Cure; applying only Plantain Leaves bruis d and mixed with Cobwebs, dropping the Juice into her Eye, and giving some Spoonfuls of the same inwardly, two or three times a day.

So ends the wonderful affair. Whereupon the sage gives Mr. Turner the following shot strengthening it with italics and passes calmly on :

1 must remark upon this History, that the Plantain, as a Cooler, was much more likely to cure this Disorder than warmer Applications and Medicines.

How strange that narrative sounds to-day, and how grotesque, when one reflects that it was a grave contribution to medical &quot; science&quot; by an old and reputable physician! Here was all this to-do two weeks of it over a woman who had scorched her eye and her lips with candle grease. The poor wench

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