On the 17th of this month Thomas Ditmar, the cook from Hamburg, complained to me about chest pains and a bad cough. He had problems breathing. I found out that he had acquired this illness by not giving enough care to his body during day and night. He was young and generally healthy, and I gave him a large bloodletting of about twelve ounces. This gave him much relief. After that I gave him a mixture (Prescription 6) of which he was to take a warm teacup every three hours. I also boiled him an extract (Prescription 7) and let him drink from it warm. On his painful side I put a geroon of the plaster with cumin and resin. He took his shift again on the 20th of November.
This person had a suffered a severe blow on the coast at the end of July, 1762. He complained about pain in his arm, shoulder and upper leg. I lined him many times with the life balsam (prescription 8) and purged him many times.
Prescription 8: in apoplexia
R/ Misce fac litus vel balzamum vita [mix and make a life balsam]
- Oleum therebinthi [oil from the turpentine tree]: ℥ I
- Sapo Venetiana [Venetian soap, with olive oil as a base]
- Gummi camphoratus [camphor gum]: ana ℥ I ß
- Spiritus salis armoneaci [salty liquorice]: ℥ I
- ℥ 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