AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 
205 
diseases as lie in the passages of the body, 
as the stomach, bowels, kidneys, passages 
of urine and bladder, because decoctions 
pass quicker to those places than any other 
form of medicines. 
5. If you will sweeten your decoction 
with sugar, or any syrup fit for the occasion 
you take it for, which is better, you may, 
and no harm. 
6. In a decoction, you boil both roots, 
herbs, flowers, and seed together, let the 
roots boil a good while first, because they 
retain their virtue longest; then the next in 
order by the same rule, viz. 1. Barks. 2. 
The herbs. 3. The seeds. 4. The flowers. 
5. The spices, if you put any in, because 
their virtues come soonest out. 
7. Such things as by boiling cause slim- 
iness to a decoction, as figs, quince-seed, 
lint-seed, &c. your best way is, after you 
have bruised them, to tie them up in a linen 
Tag, as you tie up calf’s brains, and so boil 
them. 
8. Keep all decoctions in a glass close 
stopped, and in the cooler place you keep 
them, the longer they will last ere they be 
sour. 
Lastly, The usual dose to be given at one 
time, is usually two, three, four, or five 
ounces, according to the age and strength 
of the patient, the season of the year, the 
strength of the medicine, and the quality of 
the disease. 
CHAPTER V. 
Of Oils. 
1. Ort Olive, which is commonly known 
by the name of Sallad Oil, I suppose, be- 
cause it is usually eaten with sallads by 
them that love it, if it be pressed out of 
Tipe olives, according to Galen, is tempe- 
tate, and exceeds in no one quality. 
2. Of oils, some are simple, and some are 
compound. hes 
8. Simple oils are such as are made of 
fruits or seeds by expression, as oil of sweet 
and bitter almonds, linseed and rape-seed 
oil, &c. of which see in my Dispensatory. 
4. Compound oils, are made of oil of 
olives, and other simples, imagine herbs, 
flowers, roots, &c. 
5. The way of making them is this: 
Having bruised the herbs or flowers you 
would make your oil of, put them into an 
earthen pot, and to two or three handfuls of 
them pour a pint of oil, cover the pot with 
a paper, set it in the sun about a fortnight 
or so, according as the sun is in hotness; 
then having warmed it very well by the fire, 
press out the herb, &c. very hard in a press, 
and add as many more herbs to the same 
oil; bruise the herbs (I mean not the oil) 
in like manner, set them in the sun as be- 
fore; the oftener you repeat this, the 
stronger your oil will be; At last when you 
conceive it strong enough, boil both herbs 
and oil together, till the juice be consumed, 
which you may know by its bubbling, and 
the herbs will be crisp; then strain it while 
it is hot, and keep it in a stone or glass 
vessel for your use. 
6. As for chymical oils, I have nothing 
to say here. 
7. The general use of these oils, is for 
pains in the limbs, roughness of the skin, 
the itch, &c. as also for ointments and 
plaisters. 
8. If you have occasion to use it for 
wounds or ulcers, in two ounces of oil, dis- 
solve half an ounce of turpentine, the heat 
of the fire will quickly do it; for oil itself is 
offensive to wounds, and the turpentine 
qualifies it. 
CHAPTER VI. 
Of Electuaries. 
_ Puysrcrans make more a quoil than 
needs by half, about electuaries. I shall 
prescribe but one general way of mak ? 
them up; as for ingredients, you may v 
