The second of this month Jan Evard, the sailor from Veere, came to me with complaints. He had pain in his head as well as in his limbs and from time to time he had to vomit. I found out that he had a febris intermittens, sporadic fever. I prescribed as three scruples of pulverized mirabilis jalapa as a laxative and also a pulverized anti-fever (prescription 2). It went reasonably well. But on the fifth of this month his head started bleeding severely, which was very hard to stop. I gave him a bleeding of about eight ounces, and also a big pill (prescription 23).
Prescription 23
R/ Misce fac bolus [mix and make a fatty substance].
- Diascordium Fracastorii [mixture of herbs containing opium to lick, according to Or Hieronymus Fracastoriusdoctor in Trent in the 15th/16th centuryGirolamo Fracastoro]: ʒ I
- Laudanum liquidum Sijdenhami [spice mixture with opium as a base; used in cases of vomiting, diarhea, stomach ache, improved by English doctor in the 17thcenturyThomas Sydenham]: guttae XII
- Sanguis draconis [dragon’s blood; a bright red resin that is obtained from the probably the Dracaena draco is meant by thisdaemonorops propinquus]: ℈ ß
- ℈ 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
