Sentry Page Protection
Weakness of Eyes &
Dimness of the Sight
Dimness of the Sight
The following is taken from the section on the Eyes from The General Practice of Physick, Wirtzung, 1654 (first English edition, 1598). As with other chapters of The General Practice of Physick, it is a fairly thorough representation of the treatment of weak and failing Eyesight, writte by a practitioner with good knowledge and long experience.
Avoid: gross foods; Cheese, Cabbages, excess Salt, ‘all strong meats’; excess eating; going to bed with a full stomach; drunkenness, excess sex; straining the eyes.
Beneficial: clean air; looking at green things such as green pastures and especially looking at Emeralds.
Fennel seed and Water and Conserve of Eyebright are especially good before and after food. Also a tea of Rue taken with food.
Regular purging with Pil. Cochia or Stomach Pills is good.
Applying Women breast milk to the eyes is very beneficial
Washing the face with fresh, cold water
Dropping Almond oil into the ears and nose is also beneficial.
Topically
R. Rosewater 2 lb.
Blue bottle water
Eyebright water, ½ lb. each
Malmsey wine, 2 ½ oz.
Tutty prepared, 6 ½ drams
Camphor, 8 grains
Cloves sliced, 2 drams
Boil in an earthen pot, then strain; add 6 grains of white vitriol (Zinc oxide).
R. Eyebright, Rue, Betony,
Vervain, Celandine,
Bluebottles, Rosemary,
Larkspur, 1 handful each
Frankincense, Aloes, Myrrh, 2 drams ea.
Calamus, Mace, Cloves, 1 dram ea.
Rosewater, 2 lb.
Rue water, Malmsey wine, 1 lb. ea.
Childs Urine, ½ lb.
Macerate 8 days, then distil.
R. Young Geese dung, gathered in May or April; distil; put 2 or 3 drops into the eyes.
R. ‘The Water of Emperor Frederick for the Sight’
Betony, Rue, Vervain,
Celandine, Eyebright,
Roses, all fresh, 6 handfuls ea.
Aloe, 1 oz.
Long Pepper, Cloves, ½ dram ea.
Chop small; distill through a glass helm; drop into the eyes, and wash the face with it.
R. The Powder of Rhasis:
Tutty [zinc oxide], 10 drams
Make into a paste with the fresh juice of Marjoram gentle which has been left to settle overnight; let it dry well, powder again, and add Ginger, Long and Black Pepper, and Celandine, of each a dram, Sal Ammoniac ½ dram. Beat all well and moisten with clear Fennel juice; dry again and keep for use. When it is to be used, drop a tiny bit of the powder into the corner of the eye. It was commended to strengthen and clear the sight.
Compound Wines to be Drunk
R. Elecampane, 4 oz.
Eyebright, 4 handfuls
Fennel seed, Lovage seed, 2 oz. ea.
Bruise, put into a bag and hang in Hydromel; drink morning and evening.
R. Eyebright, 2 handfuls
Fennel seed, ½ oz.
Cinnamon, 3 drams
Bruise, put into a bag and hang in Rhenish wine.
R. Rue, Eyebright, Vervain,
Fennel, 1 handful ea.
Rosemary, Sage, Rose, 2 pugils ea.
Juniper berries, 1 oz.
Cassia wood, ½ oz.
Aloeswood, ½ dram
Fennel seed, 2 oz.
Lovage, 1 dram
Rue, ½ dram
Bruise, steep in 6 lbs. of Malmsey wine for 5 days, then distil; drink a little twice daily.
Conserve and Powders
R. Conserve of Eyebright, 3 oz.
Treacle, 2 ½ drams
White Amber prepared, ½ dram
Pearls prepared, 1 scruple
Species Diaphoenicon, ½ dram
Form an Electuary with Syrup of Roses to be used before bed.
R. Conserve of Eyebright, 1 ½ oz.
Conserve of Betony
Conserve of Rosemary, 1 oz. ea.
Elecampane root, 2 drams
Fennel roots condited, ½ oz.
Chebulic Myrobalans confected, 3 drams
Extract of Rue seeds, ½ scruple
Lovage seed, 7 grains
Essence or Spirit of Valerian, 1 dram
Form an Electuary with Syrup of Betony; take morning and evening.
R. Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg,
Mace, Clove, Cubeb, 1 dram ea.
Cumin, Cardamon, 2 drams ea.
Sugar, equal to the rest
Make an Electuary, adding powders of Annis and Fennel.
R. Confection of Montagnana for the Sight
Siler mountain seed, Eyebright,
Fennel, Cubebs, 1 dram ea.
Cardamon, Mace, 1 ½ drams ea.
Celandine seed, Rue seed, 2 drams
Rosemary, 1 oz.
Aniseed, Aloeswood,
Caraway, Golden Rod, ½ oz. ea.
Sugar or Honey, qs
Beat the herbs to powder and form a confection. It strengthens the Sight, strengthens the Brains, restores lost Sight, makes the spirits of the Sight subtler and stronger. It is used for Phlegmatic cases especially.
R. Eyebright, Marjoram, ½ oz. ea.
Fennel seed, Caraway, ½ oz. ea.
Long and Black Pepper, 1 scruple ea.
Cinnamon, ½ dram
Salt, 1 ½ oz.
Powder and use as a condiment on food.
Pills
R. Eyebright, ½ oz.
Caraway soaked in vinegar
and dried, Marjoram, ¾ oz. ea.
Aloeswood, Indian Spikenard, 1 oz. ea.
Sorrel seed, 5 scruples
Beat with the Julep of Roses and form pills. Take ½–1 dram every 3 or 4 days before bed.
Beneficial: clean air; looking at green things such as green pastures and especially looking at Emeralds.
Fennel seed and Water and Conserve of Eyebright are especially good before and after food. Also a tea of Rue taken with food.
Regular purging with Pil. Cochia or Stomach Pills is good.
Applying Women breast milk to the eyes is very beneficial
Washing the face with fresh, cold water
Dropping Almond oil into the ears and nose is also beneficial.
Topically
R. Rosewater 2 lb.
Blue bottle water
Eyebright water, ½ lb. each
Malmsey wine, 2 ½ oz.
Tutty prepared, 6 ½ drams
Camphor, 8 grains
Cloves sliced, 2 drams
Boil in an earthen pot, then strain; add 6 grains of white vitriol (Zinc oxide).
R. Eyebright, Rue, Betony,
Vervain, Celandine,
Bluebottles, Rosemary,
Larkspur, 1 handful each
Frankincense, Aloes, Myrrh, 2 drams ea.
Calamus, Mace, Cloves, 1 dram ea.
Rosewater, 2 lb.
Rue water, Malmsey wine, 1 lb. ea.
Childs Urine, ½ lb.
Macerate 8 days, then distil.
R. Young Geese dung, gathered in May or April; distil; put 2 or 3 drops into the eyes.
R. ‘The Water of Emperor Frederick for the Sight’
Betony, Rue, Vervain,
Celandine, Eyebright,
Roses, all fresh, 6 handfuls ea.
Aloe, 1 oz.
Long Pepper, Cloves, ½ dram ea.
Chop small; distill through a glass helm; drop into the eyes, and wash the face with it.
R. The Powder of Rhasis:
Tutty [zinc oxide], 10 drams
Make into a paste with the fresh juice of Marjoram gentle which has been left to settle overnight; let it dry well, powder again, and add Ginger, Long and Black Pepper, and Celandine, of each a dram, Sal Ammoniac ½ dram. Beat all well and moisten with clear Fennel juice; dry again and keep for use. When it is to be used, drop a tiny bit of the powder into the corner of the eye. It was commended to strengthen and clear the sight.
Compound Wines to be Drunk
R. Elecampane, 4 oz.
Eyebright, 4 handfuls
Fennel seed, Lovage seed, 2 oz. ea.
Bruise, put into a bag and hang in Hydromel; drink morning and evening.
R. Eyebright, 2 handfuls
Fennel seed, ½ oz.
Cinnamon, 3 drams
Bruise, put into a bag and hang in Rhenish wine.
R. Rue, Eyebright, Vervain,
Fennel, 1 handful ea.
Rosemary, Sage, Rose, 2 pugils ea.
Juniper berries, 1 oz.
Cassia wood, ½ oz.
Aloeswood, ½ dram
Fennel seed, 2 oz.
Lovage, 1 dram
Rue, ½ dram
Bruise, steep in 6 lbs. of Malmsey wine for 5 days, then distil; drink a little twice daily.
Conserve and Powders
R. Conserve of Eyebright, 3 oz.
Treacle, 2 ½ drams
White Amber prepared, ½ dram
Pearls prepared, 1 scruple
Species Diaphoenicon, ½ dram
Form an Electuary with Syrup of Roses to be used before bed.
R. Conserve of Eyebright, 1 ½ oz.
Conserve of Betony
Conserve of Rosemary, 1 oz. ea.
Elecampane root, 2 drams
Fennel roots condited, ½ oz.
Chebulic Myrobalans confected, 3 drams
Extract of Rue seeds, ½ scruple
Lovage seed, 7 grains
Essence or Spirit of Valerian, 1 dram
Form an Electuary with Syrup of Betony; take morning and evening.
R. Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg,
Mace, Clove, Cubeb, 1 dram ea.
Cumin, Cardamon, 2 drams ea.
Sugar, equal to the rest
Make an Electuary, adding powders of Annis and Fennel.
R. Confection of Montagnana for the Sight
Siler mountain seed, Eyebright,
Fennel, Cubebs, 1 dram ea.
Cardamon, Mace, 1 ½ drams ea.
Celandine seed, Rue seed, 2 drams
Rosemary, 1 oz.
Aniseed, Aloeswood,
Caraway, Golden Rod, ½ oz. ea.
Sugar or Honey, qs
Beat the herbs to powder and form a confection. It strengthens the Sight, strengthens the Brains, restores lost Sight, makes the spirits of the Sight subtler and stronger. It is used for Phlegmatic cases especially.
R. Eyebright, Marjoram, ½ oz. ea.
Fennel seed, Caraway, ½ oz. ea.
Long and Black Pepper, 1 scruple ea.
Cinnamon, ½ dram
Salt, 1 ½ oz.
Powder and use as a condiment on food.
Pills
R. Eyebright, ½ oz.
Caraway soaked in vinegar
and dried, Marjoram, ¾ oz. ea.
Aloeswood, Indian Spikenard, 1 oz. ea.
Sorrel seed, 5 scruples
Beat with the Julep of Roses and form pills. Take ½–1 dram every 3 or 4 days before bed.