I here give the whole pamphlet, which only occupies five pages. It is entitled, “The Remedy, Advice, Succour and Consolation against the dreadful, and as yet by us Germans unheard-of, speedy, and mortal Disease, called the English Sweating Sickness, from which may Almighty God mercifully protect us.”
“When the disease and sweating sets in, ask what o’clock it is, and note it. “If any one be afflicted with this pestilence (may God protect us from it!) it attacks him either with heat or with cold, and he will sweat violently; and this will take place all over his body. Some take the disease with sudden eructations, and do not sweat; and to those who do not sweat, a flower of mace with warm beer is given, and then they sweat.
“But if the pestilence and disease, from which may God preserve us! attack any one after he has lain down in bed, he must be left there; but if he has a feather bed, though a thin one, over him, cut it open and take the feathers out, that it may consist only of the ticking or covering. If it be too thin, add a cool coverlet, and let the patient lie under that, covered up to the neck, and take care that the air do not touch or strike upon his breast, or under his arms, and the soles of his feet, and let him not toss about.
“Item. Two men should attend the patient, to prevent him from uncovering himself, and from going to sleep.
“Item. The same two men must watch the patient, and guard him against sleeping: if they neglect this, and do not so prevent him, and the patient sleep, he will lose his senses, and go raving mad.
“In order, however, that he may be prevented from sleeping, take a little rosewater, and by means of a sponge or clean napkin, bathe his temples with it between the eyes and the ears, and by means of a sponge or napkin, apply pungent wine or beer vinegar to his nose, and talk constantly to him so that he fall not asleep.
“If he would drink, give him a thin beverage, which should be a little warm; and he ought not to be given more than two spoonfuls at a time.
“Item. On the patient’s head should be placed a linen night-cap, and a woollen one over it.
“Item. A warm towel should be taken, and with it the sweat wiped from the face.
“Item. Whoever is attacked in the day-time must be put to bed: if it be a man, in his stockings and breeches; if a woman, in her clothes; and let them be covered over with not more than two thin coverings; and, above all things, no feather bed; and then treat them as above written.
“Item. The disease attacks most people from great dread and from irregular living, from which a man should guard himself with great pains.
“Once for all, the patient must not have his own way; what he would have you do for him, that must not be done.
“Item. With respect to those whom it attacks in the night, and who lie naked, if they will not lie still, let them be sewn up in the sheets, and let the sheets be sewn to the bed, so that no air can come from beneath; and then cover them as before.
“Summa. Whoever can thus endure for twenty-four hours, by the blessing of God, will be cured of the sickness, and get well.
“If a man has held out for twenty-four hours, let him be taken up, and wrapped in a warm sheet lest he become cold, and throw something over his feet, and bring him to the fire; and above all things, let him not go into the air for four days, and let him avoid much and cold drink.
“If he would sleep, provided twenty-four hours have been passed, let him sleep freely; and may God preserve him!
“The Lord is Almighty over us! Amen.”
The place of publication is wanting. It was, probably, either Leipzig or Wittenberg.
Thomas Gale’s description of this class of medical practitioners gives the best notion of their abilities. “I remember,” says he, “when I was in the wars at Montreuil, (1544,) in the time of that most famous Prince, Henry VIII., there was a great rabblement there, that took upon them to be surgeons. Some were sow gelders, and some horse gelders, with tinkers and cobblers. This noble sect did such great cures, that they got themselves a perpetual name; for like as Thessalus’ sect were called Thessalions, so was this noble rabblement, for their notorious cures, called dog-leaches; for in two dressings they did commonly make their cures whole and sound for ever, so that they neither felt heat nor cold, nor no manner of pain after. But when the Duke of Norfolk, who was then general, understood how the people did die, and that of small wounds, he sent for me and certain other surgeons, commanding us to make search how these men came to their death, whether it were by the grievousness of their wounds, or by the lack of knowledge of the surgeons, and we, according to our commandment, made search through all the camp, and found many of the same good fellows which took upon them the names of surgeons, not only the names, but the wages also. We asking of them whether they were surgeons or no, they said they were; we demanded with whom they were brought up, and they, with shameless faces, would answer, either with one cunning man, or another, which was dead. Then we demanded of them what chirurgery stuff they had to cure men withal; and they would show us a pot or a box, which they had in a budget, wherein was such trumpery as they did use to grease horses’ heels withal, and laid upon scabbed horses’ backs, with verval and such like. And others that were cobblers and tinkers, they used shoemakers’ wax, with the rust of old pans, and made therewithal a noble salve, as they did term it. But in the end this worthy rabblement was committed to the Marshalsea, and threatened by the Duke’s Grace to be hanged for their worthy deeds, except they would declare the truth, what they were and of what occupations, and in the end they did confess, as I have declared to you before.”
In another place Gale says, “I have, myself, in the time of King Henry VIII., holpe to furnish out of London, in one year, which served by sea and land, three score and twelve surgeons, which were good workmen, and well able to serve, and all English men. At this present day there are not thirty-four, of all the whole company, of Englishmen, and yet the most part of them be in noblemen’s service, so that if we should have need, I do not know where to find twelve sufficient men. What do I say? sufficient men: nay, I would there were ten amongst all the company, worthy to be called surgeons.”