Drug Trade

February 3, 2005 1:08 PM

Therapy, pharmacy, and commerce in early-modern EuropeDrug Trade is an exhibition of 16C-18C drug jars at the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford. "Marrysh mallowe, soden in wyne or mede, or brused and laid on by it selfe, is good for woundes, for hard kynelles, swellynges, and wennes, for the burnyng and swelling behynd the eares ... & it will ease the payne of ye tethe."
posted by carter (9 comments total)

“The iuyce of Roses, especially of them that are reddist, or the infusion or decoction of them is of the kinde of soft and gentle medicines, whiche loose and open the belly, and may be taken without danger. It purgeth downewarde cholerique humours, and openeth the stoppinges of the liuer, strengthning and clensing the same ...”

I know what's going on my Valentine's Day card!
posted by leotrotsky at 1:21 PM on February 3, 2005

Wierd.

The last line about "ye teeth" is either a mss-transliteration or a mistake of the author, and I'd be curious to know which. "Ye" is not supposed to be a word in English. It was an eth followed by and 'e:'ðe (I don't know if that will work on your end, it sort of like a curly 'd' with a cross bar on the riser, like a partial differentiation '?' with a bar, kind of). Sign painters were often illiterate, and as the eth became less common in English, didn't know what it was and mistook it for a 'y.' Hence "Ye Old Pub" which is just a mistake for "The Old Pub" written as "ðe Old Pub."
posted by teece at 1:52 PM on February 3, 2005

hooray for modern medicine!
posted by Red58 at 1:56 PM on February 3, 2005

And I am, of course, an idiot. I thought it was trying to say "the teeth" but of course it was trying to say "your teeth." Ye was a pronoun. Duh.

I am going to try marsh mellows on my teeth, to see if I see the benefit.
posted by teece at 2:05 PM on February 3, 2005

Yeah, teece, I'm with you. Probably best to use a dessert wyne like a Riesling.
posted by laurenbove at 2:51 PM on February 3, 2005

Just be careful it doesn't purgeth downewarde. I hate it when that happens.
posted by taz at 3:03 PM on February 3, 2005

I'm having bad High School Chaucer flashbacks.

Middle English isn't a language, it's a curse. Damn their teutonically inspired hides.

*shudderes*
posted by JGreyNemo at 3:24 PM on February 3, 2005

Interesting. I'm in Oxford but I've never been to the History of Science Museum. I really should go one of these days..
posted by salmacis at 4:21 PM on February 3, 2005

I wonder what the pharmacist would recommend for riftes of the fundament?
posted by arse_hat at 9:58 PM on February 3, 2005