Two enslaved die

N. 14

The 13th of this month a female slaved died. Se had been beaten about four weeks before she passed away, and blood had been running from her ear. This was followed by a severe tumor so I gave her a geroon of the protective band aid according to Vigo. Twice a day I give her an injection of an elixir of aloe and myrrh, as a result of which the tumor disappeared. However this was followed by an abscess right above the ossa tempora which I, after I had made it ready, cut open pretty far. From there, and from the ear, flowed many liquids. I kept giving her the injection twice a day and she did not get any seizures that I feared she would have. She would have seizures later, but she stayed reasonably healthy now and she ate and drank well. On the aforementioned date, however, she threw up a lot of bile while she was eating at the trough. I give her the opium with herb mixture of Giralomo Fracastoro and peppermint water. She fainted but she also woke up again. After that she tried to go to the water barrel to drink, but she could not get up without throwing up. She went back upstairs after this but right after she left the cabin she had again a stroke and she died on the spot. I asked the captain if I could perform an autopsy on her to discover the cause of her quick death, and he allowed me. Assisted by my mate I made a large incision to the ossa tempora. When I reached that I found some blood and water on the place where the abscess had first been seen. I continued and investigated the auditory channel, in which I found many grains like the spawn of a fish under a severe putrefaction. I could not conclude otherwise than that the cerebrum had been infected, but I could not find any inpressio or crane fissure fissure cranii.

N. 15

A male slave died on the 13th. For about ten days he had fever sporadically. I purged him and, because the fever was getting worse, I gave him two scruples of pulverized anti-fever (prescription 6) twice a day as well as a teacup of anti-fever mixture (prescription 3). He ate and drank reasonably well, but when at 10 o’clock in the evening of the 13th he went downstairs to urinate, he fell down and was dead.

Prescription 6

R/ Misce fac pulvis antifebrilis [mix and make a powder against fever] Den dosis ℈ II

Antimonium diaphoreticum [diaphoretic antimony], cornu cervi usti [burnt cornu-cervi], corallum rubric [Red coral; antipyretic]
Oculi cancri [gastro stones of the crayfish] ana: ℥ I
[Dorstenia] contrajervae [contrajerva; the root and scaly rhizome of various tropical American species of Dorstenia, a South American plant, the aromatic root of which is sometimes used in medicine as a gentle stimulant and tonic]
Sal cardui benedicti [salt with the extract of a blessed thisle]
[Sal] nitri [saltpetre]: ana ℥ II
Croci optimi [saffron]: ana ʒ I

℈ scruple = 20 grain, so approximately 1,3 g
ʒ drachma = 3 scruple, so approximately 4 g
℥ uncia = ounce = 8 drachmae, so approximately 31 g
ß = ½ of the given amount
āā en ān: and ānn = ana (Gr.) take an equal amount of all

Prescription 3: Every three hours a tea cup in case of longlasting fevers

R/ Misce fac mixture [mix and make a mixture]

Cornu cervi usti [burnt cornu-cervi]
Oculi cancri [gastro stones of the crayfish, koortsdempend]
Sal tartari vitriolati [Potassium carbonate; against fever]: ana ʒß
Succus [de] limonibus [lemon juice]: ʒ I
Aqua menthae [mint tea]: ℥ I
[Aqua] communis [normal water]: ℥ VII
Spiritus nitri dulcis [spiritus aetheris nitrox, ethyl nitrite]: gutta, plural guttaedropguttae XX