122 JEROME CARDAN. 



had dieted and cured the Prior Gaddi, who was afflicted 

 with a skin disease. This was a mixture of thick barley- 

 water with chicken-broth, flavoured with wine and a little 

 cinnamon or ginger. It is easily digested, fattens, and 

 dilates the chest 1 . 



Cardan sought also to moderate the emotions of his 

 patient's mind. He suggested methods of shutting him 

 up, when in-doors, from the air of which he was afraid. 

 He advised strongly the use of the bath. He added a 

 great number of medical prescriptions, to be used habitu- 

 ally or on various emergencies, closing the list with the 

 recommendation of an issue under each knee, to be esta- 

 blished only as a last resource, if other remedies should fail. 

 Finally, he added to his own elaborate advice a selection 

 of prescriptions suited to the case, culled from the chief 

 authorities in medicine, Greek, Roman, and Arabian. 



The strictness of Cardan's regimen, if not the efficacy of 

 his medicine, the strong check that he put upon the arch- 

 bishop's appetites and passions, the despotic limitation of 

 his hours of business, the lengthened period of rest, the 

 wholesome bed, the weekly shower-bath, the daily exer- 

 cise, strict fast enjoined during the whole period of an 

 attack, and other such reforms in the archbishop's mode 

 of life, soon told upon his health. It improved very de- 

 cidedly, and his lordship, who was recovering his flesh, 

 1 Cons. Med. p. 141. 



