Flowers, Wild Time, Spearmint, of each, one handful, Organs or wild Marjoram, Bugeloss, Pimpinel, of each two handfuls, and a pottle of new milk from a red Cow. Distill these with a soft fire, put in the Receiver a quarter of a pound of brown Sugar candy beaten small, four grains of Amber-greece, forty grains of prepared Pearl, and half a book of leaf gold cut very small; you must mingle the strong water with the small, and let the Patient take two spoonfuls of it in the morning and as much at going to bed."
Although this precious Pearl of Practice was published more than fifty years before Mark Twain's Majestic Literary Fossil, the virtues of "Aqua Limacum" (in this treasure called "A Special Water for a Consumption") were well known even at that early age. Delicious compound! most truly strengthening and reviving, with its "peck of garden shell snails" bruised in a mortar, shells and all, quart of earth-worms "ripped up" and "scoured with salt," combined and distilled with herbs too numerous to give here. Horrors!
One would surely prefer some of the greatly advertised "emulsions" of the present century. We can not believe that such, slow creatures as snails were ever very common in the "rapid" life of America. So we trust that our beloved forebears were not dosed with many snail elixirs. One might consent to their use in "anointing," but draw the line at drinking their juices.
"To Anoint the Ricketed Child's Limbs, and to recover it in a short time, though the Child be so lame as to go upon Crutches.—Take a peck of Garden Snails and bruise them, put them in a coarse Canvas Bag, and hang it up, and set a dish under it to receive the liquor that droppeth from them, therewith anoint the Child in every joynt which you perceive to be weak, before the fire every morning and evening. This I have known make a Child that was extream weak to go alone, using it only a weeks time."
By the many receipts given for curious oyls, plaisters, oyntments, and salves, one judges that the efficacy of "outward applications" was seldom called in question.
"Oyl of Swallows" attracts one's attention; it would be very hard to "make." What kind of swallows? where could one find them, and how catch them? "Take Swallows as many as you can get, ten or twelve at least, and put them quick into a Mortar." Alive or dead? feathers and all? we query. Unto these "pounded" swallows are added many herbs and spices. "Neat's-foot Oyl or May butter," much "wax and a pint of Sellet-Oyl," the whole mess strained through a canvas cloth. Truly a fine oil for divers complaints. From the salves we of course choose the "chief," and one we must believe used by nobility if not royalty:
