ly in
the Small-Pox. For prevention half a dragme will suffice."

I do not know what meteorological influence was assigned to the month of
March; perhaps it was chosen because toads would be uncommonly hard to
get in New England during that month.

All the medicines in Dr. Stafford's little collection were not,
however, so unalluring, and were, on the whole, very healing and
respectable. He prescribed nitre, antimony, rhubarb, jalap, and
spermaceti, "the sovereignest thing on earth--for an inward bruise;" and
he also culled herbs and simples in vast variety. He gave some very good
advice regarding the conduct of a physician, the latter clause of which
might well be heeded to-day.

"Nota bene. No man can with a good Conscience take a fee or Reward
before ye partie receive benefit apparent and then he is not to
demand anything but what God shall putt it into the heart of the
partie to give him. A man is not to neglect that partie to whom he
had once administered but to visit him at least once a day & to
medle with no more than he can well attend."

The account books of other old New England physicians, and other medical
books such as "A Treatise of Choice Spagyrical Preparations," show to us
that the seventeenth and eighteenth century medicines, though
disgusting, were not deadly. We know what medicines were given the
colonists on their sea journey hither: "Oil of Cloves, Origanum, Purging
Pills, and Ressin of Jalap" for the toothache; a Diaphoretic Bolus for
an "Extream Cold;" Spirits of Castor and Oil of Amber for "Histericall
Fitts;" "Seaurell Emplaisters for a broken Shin;" and for other
afflictions, "Gascons Powder, Liquorish, Carminative Seeds, Syrup of
Saffron, Pectoral Syrups and Somniferous Boluses."

Cod livers were given then as cod-liver oil is given now, "to restore
them that have melted their Grease." A favorite prescription was
"Rulandus, his Balsam which tho' it smel not wel" was properly powerful,
and could be gotten down if carefully hidden in "poudered shuger."

Cotton Mather, who tried his skilful hand at writing upon almost every
grave and weighty subject, composed a book of medical advice called the
"Angel of Bethesda." It was written when he was sixty years of age, but
was never printed; the manuscript is preserved in the library of the
American Antiquarian Society at Worcester. It begins characteristically
with a sermon, and is fantastically peppered with po