~wa£ash fo^k-1 THE OF THE HEALING ART, BY THE CELEBRATED CO£. JOHN WABASH, Chief Warrior and Indian Physician to the Creek Nation, in America- CONTAINING JLumcrous j|Ke*tc*l Wtctipts, WHICH HAVE, OFT TIMES, BEEN THE MEANS OF SAVING MANY LIVES; CURES, CHIFFLY PERFORMED FROM THE VIRTUES OF THE VEGETABLE CREATION. Behold the herbs which grace the flowery plain, Which banish sickness and alleviate pain; Here from the bounteous hand of heav'n we find, A real blessing to relieve mankind. This little work has been strictly examined by many of the first" Medical Characters in America and other parts of the world, who pioiiounced it a valuable little book, and highly worthy of patronage PHILADELPHIA : PUBLISHED BY DR. J. SHARBON. Price 25 Cents. MEDICAL RECEIPTS. The famous Balm of Gilead Oil, a speedy and incomparable remedy for broken shins, and other green wounds, burns, bruises, 4"C This excellent family oil, which should be kept in every house, is made in the following simple manner. Put loosely into a bottle of any size, as many balm of gilead flowers as will reach to about one third part of its height, then nearly fill up the bottle with good sweet oil, and after shaking it a little occasionally, and letting it infuse a day or two, it is fit for use. It must be very closely stopped, and will then not only keep for years, but be the better for keeping. When it is about half used, the bottle may again be filled up with oil, and well shaken, and, in two or three days, it will be as good as at first.—The most alarming cuts and bruises of the shin, which are so frequently rendered worse by spiritous balsams, salves, &c. are completely cured in a few days, and sometimes in a few hours, by this incompar- able oil. An admirable Beverage for a Weak Constitution. Boil as much pearl, or Scotch barley, in pure water, as will make about three pints, then straining it off, and having in the mean time, dissolved an ounce of gum arabic in a little water, mix them, and just boil the whole up together. The barley water need not be thick, as the gum will give it sufficient consistence. When used, take it milk warm; the good effect will soon appear. It must be substituted as a common beverage in place of beer, ale, &c. at meals. Excellent medicine for Shortness of Breath. Mix three quarters of an ounce of finely powdered senna, half an ounce of flour of sulphur, and a quarter of an ounce of pounded ginger, in four ounces of clarified honey. Take the bigness of a nutmeg every night and morning for five days successively, aftewards once a week for some time, and finally once a fortnight. Syrup for Shortness of Breath. Take balsam of Tolu two ounces, and colts-foot flower- water twelve ounces. Digest them in a glazed vessel, wel ( 3 ) luted for two hours; then strain it, and with a double quan- tity of fine loaf sugar, make it into a syrup. Take two spoonsfull in the morning, afternoon, and at night, fasting sometimes before and after. Cure for a Strain in the Back. Beat up well four table spoonsful of white wine vinegar with the yolk of an egg; then add thirty drops of oil or spirit of turpentine. Mix them thoroughly, and drink the whole on going to bed at night, This dose three times repeated, is said to be an infallible cure. Excellent Embrocation for the Whooping Cough. Mix well together half an ounce each of spirits of harts- horn and oil of amber, with which plentifully anoint the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, and the pit of the stomach, the armpits and the back-bone, every morning and evening for a month, suffering no water to come near the parts thus anointed, though the fingers and the backs of the hands may be wiped with a damp cloth. It should be rub- bed in near the fire, and care used to prevent taking cold afterwards. It is best only to make the above quantity at a time, because by frequently opening the bottle much of the virtue will be lost. It would be best to keep it in a glass stopper bottle, to prevent the effluvia of the hartshorn from escaping. These directions being followed, its use will seldom fail of being attended with the most complete effect, even in a shorter tiuao than it had been judged pru- dent to direct it to be continued, and it can never be of tho least injury even to the most delicate infant Remedy for a Cancer. Take a copper vessel newly lined on the inside, a circum- stance, as it appears, essential, and pouring into it a quan- tity of olive oil, boil it over a small fire, sufficient to keep it gently agitated, do this fur three times in twenty-four hours. The oil will then resolve itself into the consistency of an ointment, with which the part affected is to be con- stantly rubbed A cure in this case was effected in four- teen days, though the cancer, which was on the lip, had al- ready affected the gums. The European physicians who were present, and on being consulted, had decided, as knowing no other means of cure, on cutting it out, attri- buted the efficacy of this ointment to the tin which ha> ( 4 ) communicated some of its properties to the oil in conse- quence of its long and repeated boilings over the fire. Cure for Chilblains. If before any inflammation takes place the feet are well hashed morning and evening with hot water, r even with cold, on going to bed, it will generally stop their progress, especially if warm socks be constantly worn ; but when they are actually inflamed, dip a four times folded rag into a mix- ture composed of four ounces of spirits of wine and camphor, and one ounce of Venice treacle; (or where that cannot be obtained, syrup of sugar or molasses may be substituted;) this must be tied every night on the chilblains till they quite disappear. With this precaution they will seldom or never be found to ulcerate or break; when this happens, dissolve an ounce of common turpentine in the yolk of an egg, and mix it up into a balsam, with half an ounce of lampblack, or even soot, and a dram of oil or spirits of turpentine; spread this balsam on a pledget of lint large enough entirely to cover the ulcer, tie it on with warm cloths all over the parts affect- ed, and renew the dressings every morning and evening, which will speedily effect a cure. To those who are sub- ject to be troubled with them, the wearing of a pair of soft leather socks early in the season, before the first approach of winter is recommended. Cure for the Cramp, As an inflallible cure, a new cork is cut into thin slices, and a ribband passed through the centre of them, tied round the affected limb, laying the corks flat on the skin; while thus worn, they prevent any return of the cramp. Foxglove Juice for Deafness, Bruise in a marble mortar, the flowers, leaves and stalks of fresh foxgloves; and mixing the juice with double the quantity of brandy keep it for use. The herb flowers in June, and the juice thus prepared, will keep good till the re- turn of that season. The method of using it is to drop every night, in the ear, a single drop, and then moistening a bit of lint with a little of the juice, put that also into the ear, and take it out the next morning till the cure be completed. A Famous Remedy for the Dysentery. Take two nutmegs grossly pounded, twenty pepper-corns, and the same number of cloves, an ounce of bruised cinna- ( 5 ) mon, and one ounce of oak bark from an old tree, grossly rasped. Boil the whole in three quarts of milk, till it has diminished a fourth part; then straining the decoction, di- vide it into four equal parts, and give the patient one por- tion every six hours, day and night. If the appetite be lost, sq that the patient is unable to eat, this rnilk will afford suf- ficient nourishment. The first quantity taken warm appeas- es the pain and griping; and the same is to be repeated the second and third days. This remedy cures in three or four days, the flux of blood and of the belly, however violent. It does not cure suddenly; but softens and strengthens the bowels by slow and sure degrees. In the mean time if the patient should wish for food, it may be taken by him in mo- deration. . A Celebrated Stomachic Elixir. Pare off the thin yellow rinds of six large Seville oranges, and put them into a quart bottle, with an ounce of gentian root scraped and sliced, and half a dram of cochineal — Pour to these ingredients a pint of the best brandy ; shake the bottle well, several times during that and the following day; let it stand two days more to settle, arid clear it off into bottles for uee. Take one or two spoonsful morning and evening in a glass of wine, or even in a cup of tea. As a pleasant and safe family medicine, this elixir is highly recommended. An invaluable Remedy for curing Sore Eyes, when the rheum is most violent, and even when they have specks. The three receipts which compose this remedy were pur- chased at a great price of a celebrated Jesuit physician, and are said to have been attended with great success. The first is as follows : Pound two ounces of hemlock in a wood- en, or rather a marble mortar, and add a thimble full of bay-salt, with as much bole ammoniac as will serve to spread it on a thick cloth. Lay it to the wrists, and renew it every twelve hours, as long as there may be occasion; if only one eye be affected, place it on the contrary wrist. The second is: Take one ounce of read rose-water, tutty, and double refined loaf sugar finely powdered; shake them •.veil, let it settle, and wash the eyes with some of the clear liquor on a fine rag three or four times a day. Third: Take a pint (or pound) of sweet oil, and twelve ounces of yellow wax; put them on the fire in a new pipkin, stirring A 2. ( 6 ) the wax till it is melted, then add half a pound of white lead, and let it boil for half an hour, after which put it into two ounces each of finely powdered myrrh, olibanum and mastich. These articles must he separately prepared and used in the same order as above mentioned, each being well stirred in, and perfectly mixed before the next is added. Let the Avhole boil gently till it becomes blackish ; it must not only be stirred all the time it is on the fire, but after it is taken off, and till it gets sufficiently cold to work up with the hands, like dough, into rolls for use. Great care is to be taken that it is well mixed, and neither under nor over boiled. This excellent salve, which is said to be of itself sufficient for curing the eyes when the rheum is not exces- sively violent, is to be applied to the temples and behind the ears, -whore it must remain till it grows moist, and falls • off. It is not only excellent for the eyes, but makes a sweet and clean plaster for many other purposes; particularly as a dissolvent or discuticnt in case of swelling or tumours. Eye Water. Put white vitriol the bigness of a nut into two gills of white rose-water, with as much fine loaf-sugar as vitriol. When it is dissolved shake the bottle, and on going to bed, wash the eyes with it, using a soft clean cloth. This is said to be as good eye water as ever was made. For the cure of the Falling Sickness, Hysterics, and even St\ Vitus's Dance. Take six drams of powdered Peruvian bark, two drams of pulverized Virginia snake-root, and a sufficient quantity of syrup of piony to make it up into a soft electuary. This is said, by a celebrated physician to have been experimen- tally found a most prevalent and most certain remedy. One dram of this electuary, after proper evacuations having been had, being given to grown persons, and a less dose to those who are younger, every morning and evening for three or four months, and then repeated for three or four days before the change and full of the moon, absolutely eradicates epileptic and hysteric diseases, and also those strange epileptic saltations called St. Vitus's dance. Cure for a Felon. The cure is said to be certain, aud was published at the particular request of a person who had experienced its sue- ( 7 ) cess for many years. The mode he recommends is as fol- lows: Take a piece of rock-salt about the size of a butter-nut or English walnut, and wrap it up closely in a green cab- bage leaf, but if not to be had, in a piece of brown paper, well moistened with water. Lay it on the embers and co- ver it up as if to roast; when it has been in, about twenty minutes take it out and powder it as fine as possible. Then take some hard soap and mix the powdered salt with it so as to make a salve. If the soap should contain but little turpentine, which its smell will determine, add some more, but, if it smells pretty strongly of it, none need be added. Apply the salve to the part affected, and, in a short time, it will totally destroy it and remove the pain. A certain cure for a Film or fleshy Excrescence on the Eye. Take the white of a new-laid egg, into which stir a large tea-spoonful of alum, powdered very fine and sifted, until it becomes a curd. Pour this upon a fine Holland or cambric cloth placed over a small bowl or cup, so as to receive the liquor, and leave it to filtrate of itself. The liquor thus ob- tained, which is very limped and clear, and is seldom more than a tea-spoonful, is to be dropped into the eye in small quantities, five or six times in the course of a day ; or as often as can be borne. Blackberry Powder, an admirable remedy for a Flux. Gather blackberries when full grown, but before they begin to tnrn black, and, picking off the husks, dry them in a cool oven, and keep them closely covered in a dry situa- tion. When wanted for use, beat them to powder, pass it through a fine sieve, and take as much as will lay on a quar- ter of a dollar in simple cinnamon water. It may be taken the first thing in the morning, as well as the last thing at night; or even oftener where the disease is violent. Successful treatment of Frozen Limbs. This remedy was warm goose grease, and was not ap- plied, in the cases in which its salutary effects were tested, until the second day after they were frozen; the frost-bitten parts had by that time become quite black and mortified; they were well smeared with that ointment and the opera- tion often repeated. The directions were never to permit the parts to be dry, but always covered with the grease. The consequence was, that by degrees the circulation ex- ( 8 ) tended lower down, the blackness decreased till the toes were merely discoloured, and, at length, circulation was re- stored to them; but if a part is discovered to be frozen, be- fore the person comes into a warm room, the frost may be extracted by only plunging it into cold water, or rubbing it with snow till the circulation returns. For a Giddiness in the Head. Take wild valerian root and misletoe powdered, each an ounce, mix these in a mortar, and add to them as much sy- rup of orange-peel as will make them into an electuary. Take a piece, as big as a nutmeg, twice a day for some time, drinking after it a gill of an infusion of mother of thyme made like tea. Celebrated mixture for gout in the Stomach. This admirable remedy for that dangerous malady, the gout in the stomach, which often prqves so soon fatal, is thus prepared; take cordial confection and aromatic spices, each one dram and a half, syrup of ginger, six drams, orange-peel water, two ounces, and simple cinnamon wa- ter, six ounces. Make a mixture, of which take three ta- ble spoonfuls occasionally. For Sore aud Ulcerated Gums, and as a preventive for the Teeth. Mix an equal quantity of the tincture of Jesuits' bark and the tincture of myrrh. To a spoonful of this mixture, add from three to five spoonfuls of water, as you wish it to be stronger or weaker, bat the stronger you can use it the bet- ter. Take a tabic spoonful of this diluted mixture in your mouth, keeping it there as long ar you can, and washing the gums witli it as well as you are able. Repeat this ope- ration as often as convenient, and you will soon perceive the beneficial effects of it. Do not rinse your mouth after it, but let the flavour remain. Wood Strawberry Brandy, for the Stone and Gravel. The following is considered by many persons as an effi- cacious remedy for these afflicting complaints, Fill a large bottle, four parts out of five, with fresh gathered wood straw- berries, adding as much Havanah or loaf sugar as will make it pleasant, then fill up with the best brandy, or good rum; when it has stood six weeks, it is fit for use. A glass of this cordial, it is said, will give relief in the severest fit, and a ( 9 ) continuance of its use, entirely cure the patient. Pour off the first infusion at the expiration of six weeks, and the same strawberries will make a second quantity, the bottle being filled up with brandy or rum, suffered to stand two months, and then strained off by pressure of the fruit. An excellent wash for numbed or trembling hands. These disagreeable complaints are said to be soon reme- died by the very simple expedient of frequently washing the hands so affected in a strong decoction of wormwood and mustard seed, to be strained and used when cold. A Receipt for the cure of the Jaundice. Take salt of tartar one ounce, of castile soap, and gum arabic, each half an ounce, of spirits of brandy, one pint. The ingredients should be frequently stirred with a stick, and shook well together, and after standing four or five days the medicine will be fit for use. The dose is two-thirds of a wine-glass mixed with one-third of a wine-glass of water, every morning for three days in succession, when it may be left off for two or three mornings, and taken again in the same way, if necessary, until the disease begins to disap- pear. Where the case is bad, it should be taken every morning until relief is procured. Saponaceous draught for the Yellow Jaundice. Take from two to four scruples of Castile or Venice soap, according to the age and state of the patient and the disease, boil it in six ounces of milk till reduced to four; then add three drams of sugar and strain it for a draught. This quan- tity is to be taken every morning and afternoon for four or five days, and is esteemed a most prevailing medicine against the jaundice. Pomatum for the lips. Mix an ounce of spermaceti with an ounce of the oil of bitter almonds and a little powdered cochineal; melt all to- gether, strain it through a cloth in a little rose-water, and rub the lips at night. Remedy for the Bite of a Mad Dog. Take of native and factitious cinnabar, levigated as fine- ly as possible, each 24 grains; then rub them well together with 16 grains of musk, till that also is reduced very fine. Give the whole at a single dose, in a small tea-cupful of ar- rack or brandy, as soon as possible after the bite has been C 10 ) received, and on the thirtieth day following let the person bitten take another'dose. Should any symptoms of mad- ness have appeared before taking this medicine, the second dose must be administered an hour and a half after the first. Another Remedy. Instantly cover the wound with fresh earth or with snuff, to imbibe the saliva of the animal and then wash it with wa- ter. Warm at the same time half a pound of fresh butter in four times as much vinegar, and when the wound is cleared, apply a compress of linen steeped in that mixture, and moisten it very often with the same for nine days, after which remove the compress, and cure the wound in the usual way. During the time the vinegar mixture is used ex- ternally, the patient must take four times a day, doses of an ounce and a half each of vinegar, warmed with a little fresh butter ; and also use as common drink, for at least fifteen days, pure water, acidulated with vinegar and lemon, or citron juice. The patient if plethoric may be bled. Oil of Brown Paper for Barns. Take a piece of the thickest coarse brown paper, and dip it into the best salad oil, then set the paper on fire, and carefully preserve all the oil that drops, for use. This is said to be an admirable remedy for burns. Oil of writing paper collected in a similar manner, is often recommended for the tooth-ach. Genuine Opodeldoc. Mix an ounce of spirit of sal ammoniac, with a quarter of an ounce of spirit of opodeldoc, or the compound sopo- naceous liniment; and when wanted for use, add half an ounce of the best white wine vinegar, shake the whole well together, and rub the part affected till it appears lathered as with soap. This is a good remedy for all kinds of bruis- es, sprains, &c. and is found to be efficacious in such re- cent rheumatic affections where external applications are proper. Receipt for the Rheumatism. Blend, by bruising together, two cloves of garlic and a dram of gum ammoniac, and mixing up the mass with a little water make it into two or three bolusses and swallow one every night and morning. Drink, while taking this re- medy, a very strong sassafras tea, having the tea-pot con- stantly filled with the chips. This is generally found to ba< (11) nish the rheumatism, and even contraction of the joints, after taking it for a few days. Speedy Cure for a Sprain. Take a large spoonful of honey, the same quantity of salt, and the white of an egg, beat the whole up together incessantly for two hours, then let it stand an hour and anoint the place sprained with the oil which will be pro- duced from the mixture, keeping the part well rolled with a good bandage. This is said, generally, to have enabled persons with sprained ankles to walk in twenty-four hours, entirely free from pain. Expeditious and effectual cure for the St. Anthony's Fire Take equal parts of fine spirits or oil of turpentine, and highly rectified spirits of wine, mix them well together, and anoint the face gently with a feather dipped in it immediate- ly after shaking the bottle. Do this often, always first shak- ing the bottle, and taking care never to approach the eyes, and it wrll generally effect a cure in a day or two; for though it seems at first to inflame, it actually softens and heals. Decoction of Sarsaparilla, To three ounces of the sarsaparilla root as fresh as it can be procured, add three quarts of river water, and boil it immediately in an open block-tin or copper vessel. Let it boil away to two pints of the strained liquor ; that is, to about two pounds avoirdupoise. Add a little liquorice root to render it more palatable. Thi^ quantity is to be giveu at two or three doses, and either fcarm or cold as is most agreeable, once every twenty-four hours. Every other day it must be made fresh, and that which is not used the day it is boiled must be kept in a cold cellar. Excellent Remedy for contractions of the Sinews, stiffness of the Joints, ire. Beat as thin as possible the yolk of a new laid egg, and then add by a spoonful at a time, three ounces of pure wa- ter ; agitating the mixture continually, that the egg and wa- ter may be well united. This liquid is to be applied to the part contracted, either cold or milk-warm, rubbing it for a few minutes, three or four times a day. Tinctures for the Teeth. Take of tincture of amber two table spoonsful, tinctures of seed lac and of mastich each one ounce and a half, tine- ( 12 ) ture of myrrh one table spoonful, rose-water eight table spoonfuls, and orange-flower water four table spoonfuls. Pill for an aching Hollow Tooth. Take half a grain each of opium and yellow sub-sulphate of quicksilver, formerly called turpith mineral, make them into a pill, and place it in the hollow of the tooth, some hours before bed-time, with a small piece of wax over the hole, when it is said never to fail effecting a complete cure. Remedy for Wind in the Reins, a good Carminative. Take equal quantities of powdered liquorice, caraway seeds and sugar candy; to which add a third part of rhu- barb, and the like quantity of cream of tartar, both finely pulverised. Of this mixture, take a tea-spoonful three or four times a day, either by itself, or in a glass of wine. It shonld be continued about a week. It is gently laxative, and is excellent for expelling wind, and easing pains in the bowels, &c. Receipt to cure Warts. Take the inner rind of a lemon, steep it for four-and- twenty hours in distilled vinegar, and apply it to the warts. It must not be left on the part above three hours at a time, and is to be applied afresh every day. Or divide a red onion and rub the warts well with it: or anoint them with the milky juice of the herb mercury several times, and they will gradually waste away. For the Dysentery or Cholera Morbus, After taking two doses of castor oil in succession, eat three cloves of garlic, night, noon, and morning, for three or four days hand running, and I will warrant the cure. For the Fever and Ague. Twenty grains salt of wormwood, half an ounce of red or Peruvian bark, twenty grains Virginia snake-root, to be taken in six doses, equally divided, mixed in a little small beer, or sweetened water, and taken three times in succes- sion, or oftener if required. It has never failed of cure dur- ing my practice. The public, I hope, will not think this pamphlet too dear, give what they will for it, as the two last receipts are richly worth twenty dollars, if worth one cent. DR. J. SHARRON