More about Dr. Benjamin Allen (1666-1738), of Braintree, naturalist / by Miller Christy.

  • Christy, Miller.
Date:
1912
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: More about Dr. Benjamin Allen (1666-1738), of Braintree, naturalist / by Miller Christy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    12/18 (page 8)
    expressed, generally introducing his name with some such phrase as “ the learned Mr. Kay, author of So-and-So, my friend and neighbour.” Right at the beginning (p. 15), we meet with this note :— *' Mr. Kay, the famous naturalist, told me he knew a gentleman that had no child could live with him, but all dy’d epileptic at, perhaps, a year or two years old at farthest, till he was directed to purge the child in the mouth with Oyle of Sweet Almonds and Syrup ol Violets and give fa pill) the bigness of a pea of Mithridat every night or every other night for some time, to keep out the red gum ; but they began to give it in 4 or 5 nights after the birth, before the red gum, which comes not out under a fortnight.” Elsewhere (pp. m-112), Allen tells of some relative who was cured of “ An Obstruction of the Breast [?stomach] by taking a “ Conserve of Common Wormwood,” that plant being, he adds, “ the right Roman Wormwood, as Mr. Ray inform’d me, who found it growing plentifully about Rome, and none of that \\ch passeth for it. The Common Wormwood is a plant ol \htue, [but] the Roman [Wormwood] of the shops hath none. In discussing “ Ey W7ater,” Allen says (p. 3°3) • ^r- Ray sayd [that], for pin and web or rhumes, the best is made with a little Roman Vitriol, which he had seen cure them ; but it is too sharp, I think.” Of greater interest than trifles such as these aie notes legaid- ing illnesses for which Ray and various membeis of his iamily were treated by Allen at different times. Towards the end of the volume (p. 288), we find a note con- cerning “ Mr. Ray’s Case of Peripnewmonia, March 6, 1689-90,” the symptoms of which were” pain, heat at lungs, and difficulty of breathing, and cough, and feaverish heat.” For these, Allen prescribed a number of medicines, which he enumerates. The treatment continued until the 10th, Allen apparently seeing »« r c' chondnnp F 1 S who has been good enough to investigate this matter. some of its maritime stations in England Scot‘andy “ herbalists if “ worm- unt.l quite recent times, and ° ‘1 Vl?S states that^he has seen Roman Worm- wood (,rm/°Yi)egrow,ng near old building in Wo^twoo'd Linn.), formerly known as wormwood, J® d Either ^of these plants might have arlcmisia has also been known as RomanWormwoO^ tsuneroiiuc been sold as Roman Wormwood in the apothecaries shops in Allen s day.