Introduction - Uppsala Monitoring Centre

all manner of creatures of God created, practised by many expert
and wise masters, as Avicenna and others. Also it gives full perfect
understanding of the book lately printed by me (Peter Trevris) named
the noble experience of the virtuous handwork of surgery. Imprinted
at London in Southwark: By me Peter Treueris, dwelling in the sign of
the wodows (woodhouses). In the year of our Lorde God. M.D.xxvi.
the xxvii. day of Iuly].’ This is a copy of the French ‘Grand Herbier’.
No mention of ADRs.
1527 The first description of a chronic mercurialism in Idrija (Mercury
mining town in Slovenia started in 1490) was from Theophrastus
Paracelsus in his book ‘Von der Bergsucht und anderen Krankheiten’
(On the Miners’ Sickness and Other Miners’ Diseases). He had
published ‘De morbi gallici curandi ratione, dialogus’ [A dialogue
about an account of the French disease] (Bologna, 1530), a
traditional examination of the origins and treatment of syphilis (in
which he was either the first or one of the first to recommend
mercury as a cure).
‘A fume to cleanse the body of foul and filthy scabs proceeding of
the pox. Recipe. Cinabrij {ounce}.j. mercuric. sublimati {dram}.j.
myrrhae, masticis, thuris, styracis calamine. ana 58 .{scruple}.v. gummi
iuniperi, terebint. laudani ana.q.s 59 . Fiant trochisci.’ (Banister, 1589).
Paracelsus burnt the works of Galen and Avicenna on the 27 th June
1527, St John’s Day, because he opposed the theories put forward
by the ancients and preferred the use of chemicals (see 1541).
1530 Girolamo Francastoro (1478–1553), who was born in Verona, wrote
of the topical mercurial treatments for syphilis, ‘Patients, a truce to
the disgust which may be caused by this remedy! For [if] it is
disgusting, the disease is still more so’. Besides, your cure is at this
price… Very soon you will feel the ferment of the disease dissolve
themselves in your mouth in a disgusting flow of saliva.’ He also
used guaiacum for syphilis (Stratman-Thomas, 1930).
He also wrote ‘Syphilis sive morbus Gallicus’ [Syphilis or the
French Disease].
‘A shepherd once (distrust not ancient fame)
Possest these downs, and Syphilus his name…’
This was the origin of the use of the word ‘Syphilis’ for the
58 ana = of each, one
59 q.s.= quantum sufficiendum= sufficient quantity