Nr. 19

The 18th of this month a male slave complained to me about pain on the chest, coughing. He had a strong pulse and was breathing heavily. I found out that he had pleurisy and pneumonia so I immediately gave him a bleeding. I laid a geroon with cumin and resin on his painful side and every three hours I gave him a teacup of a sudorific mixture (prescription 9).  Every half an hour I gave him a mugful of an extract (prescription 10).

Prescription 9: in pleurisy, peripneumonia, shortness of breath, stiffening of the body

R/ Fac mixtura [make the mixture], every 3 hours a tea cup

• Diascordium Fracastorii [diascord, is a kind of electuary, or opiate, first described by Fracastorius, and denominated from the dried leaves of scordium, which is an ingredient therein]: ℥ I
• Oculi cancri [gastro stones of the crayfish]: ʒ I
• Antimonium diaphoreticum: [diaphoretic antimony]: ℈ II
• Croci optimi [saffron]: ℈ ß
• Laudanum liquidum Sijdenhami [spice mixture with opium as a base improved by the English doctor Thomas Sydenham (17th century); used in cases of vomiting, diarhea, stomach ache]: gutta, plural guttaedropguttae XXX
• Aqua foeniculi [fennel tea]: ℥ III
• [Aqua] theriacalis [theriac: wondermiddel]: ℥ I
• [Aqua] melissae [melissa tea]: ℥ III
• Sijrupus altheae [common marshmellow syrup, used to treat coughing]: ℥ 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
• thee cup = 6 drachmen, so approximately 25 g

Prescription 10: In case of coughing, pleurisy, shortness of breath, drink warm.

R/ Fac aposema [make an aposema]

• Tussilago [butterbur]
• Agrimonia [agrimony]: ana manupulum unam
• Althea [common marshmallow]
• Hijsopi [hyssop]: ana manupulos duos
• Carduus benedictus [blessed thisle]: pugillos duos
• Coque quantitatem secundam aquae communis [boil a second quantity in normal water]

• āā en ān: and ānn = ana (Gr.) take an equal amount of all
• man: = manupulus = a handful
• pug: = pugillus, plural: pugilli = between thumb and index finger