Introduction - Uppsala Monitoring Centre

mercury is the special best remedy against these diseases....’
‘A hundred and fourteen experiments and cures of the famous
physician Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Paracelsus;’ translated
out of the German tongue into the Latin. Whereunto is added certain
excellent and profitable works by B.G. a Portu Aquitano (Portuguese
in Aquitaine). Also certain secrets of Isacke Hollandus concerning
the vegetable and animal work. Also the spagericke 69 antidotarie for
gun-shot of Iosephus Quirsitanus.’ Collected by Iohn Hester, 1596.
19 ‘One had two Pushes (pustules?) as it were warts upon the
yard 70 , which he got by dealing with an unclean woman, so that for
six months he was forsaken of all Physicians, as uncurable, the
which I cured by giving him Essentia Mercuriale, and then mixed the
oil of vitriol, with Aqua sophiae, and laid it on warm with a suppository
for ten four days.’
53 ‘A certain man being long sick of the pox had two tumours and
an ulcer in his nose, at the which every day there came forth great
quantity of stinking and filthy matter, in whose nose I cast this
decoction with a syringe. R. Hony {ounce} iiij. the juice of Calendine,
Common salt prepared {dram} ij. Aloes washed {ounce} ss. mix them
together. Inwardly he was purged with Oleum Mercurij.’
57 ‘One called Gallenus had lost his speech by means of a hole
that he had in the palate of his mouth coming of the pox, the which I
cured with Mercurius Dulcis diaphoreticus cast in by a syringe, and
so the flesh grew again and was made whole.’
95 ‘One had a hard swelling in the flesh of his leg caused of
Morbus Hispanicus whom I cured with Oleum Antimoni, Ʒ ii. Mercurie
mortified according to our order Ʒ i. mixed into an ointment.’
These are typical examples of his style. He had, it seems, a 100%
success and no adverse effects to report. He earned his name
’Bombastsus’. He also introduced the use of some mineral remedies,
e.g. antimony and he named ‘Tincture of Opium’, ‘Laudanum’.
Later in 1590 there was published ‘An exalted treatise teaching
howe to cure the French pockes: with all other diseases arising and
growing thereof, and in a manner all other sicknesses drawne out of
the bookes of that learned and Prince of Physicians, Theophrastsus
Paracelsus’ compiled by the learned Phillipus Hemanni, 1590.
The patient being confined to a fumigation chamber with cinnabar
69 Spagericke = distiller
70 Yard = penis