Page:Of the Gout - Stukeley - 1734.djvu/103

Rh blood. Can we doubt that vegetables ought to make a considerable proportion in our meals? all such being of a loosening, diuretic nature. Sprouts, brocoli, borrocole, spinage, mercury, parsley, artichokes, carrots, turneps, parsneps, cabbage, lettice, selery, endive, cucumbers. Areteus in a fragment commends radishes. Ægineta speaks well of a cooling, moistning dyet, flummery and the like. Galen ''de att. vicr rat.'' says many arthritics have been wholly cured, at least much beter'd by an attenuating dyet. Pliny, XX. 9. says the use of brassica coleworts, has kept people free. Beans, pease, all kind of garden stuff is good. Spanish-nuts, filberds and wallnuts among fruit seem useful. In my former letter, I recommended the frequent use of milk, I cannot but repeat it. The notion of its curdling upon stomach is commonly erroneous. It ought to be drank once a day at least.

Next, for drink, water whether simple or medicinal drank in small proportions is exceeding useful. 'Tis the noblest diluent and digester in the World. Zacheus commends a draught of warm water (we may say a glass) before dinner: before him Piso and Alexander. This will usefully blunt the keenness of the stomachic ferment. With like view Baglivi advises tea and milk and the caring of pepons,