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 1). 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). This made the bleeding stop, but it began again later that evening. Upon that I gave him styptic water and copper sulfate after which I wetted textile and put that into the nose. Again the bleeding stopped. He used the pulverized anti-fever for another few days, as he was still feverish and weak as a result of the bleeding. He was again recovered the 30th of this month and took his shift.

Nr. 10

The 30th of this month a female slave from the Windward Coast died. After she had been bought, this female slave always appeared to be mourning: she sat very still and talked little. She did eat and drink always, and she was healthy. When we left the coast, however, she weakened from day to day and got very thin. Sometimes I gave her a soft laxative, sometimes a drop of an elixir against hysteria (prescription 4) and sometimes also the infusion (prescription 5), of which I gave her 1,5 ounce. But all was in vain and she died on the abovementioned date. I believe that her melancholy started because she has had a child, and the negroes had kept it on the coast.

Prescription 4

R/ Misce fac tinctura antihijsterica [mix and make a tincture against hysteria]

Doses  gutta, plural: guttaedrupelguttae XXX in the mornings and evenings.

• Elixir proprietatis [alcoholic extraction of saffron, aloe and myrhh according to Paracelsus, amongst others used against scurvy]
• Tinctura succinic [tincture of amber]
• [Tinctura] castoreum [tincture of castoreum]: ana ℈ II
• Spiritus salis armoneaci [salty liquorice]: ℈ I

• ℈ scrupel = 20 grein, so approximately 1,3 g

Prescription 5

R/ Misce fac puppa [mix and make an infusion], in the morning and evening a romer [a type of wine glass, approximately 45 g]

• Radix gentiana [gentiana]: unciam unam
• Centauria minoris [avens]
• Absinthia vulgaris [regular absynthe]: ana manupulus unam
• Salvia [sage]
• Folium cochlearia hortensi [cochlearia (scurvy grass)]: manupulos duos
• Spiritus vino [brandy]: pint II

• āā and ān: and ānn = ana (Gr.) take an equal amount of all
• man: = manupulus = a handful
• romer = 1½ ounce, so approximately 45 g