The thirty-first edition, revised, of an essay on the nature and cure of scrofulous disorders, commonly called the king's evil : deduced from long observation and practice, with additions, and above sixty cases : the remedies in them used, and occasional remarks, to which is prefixed a plate of the herb vervain, and its root / by the late John Morley.

  • Morley, John, -1776.
Date:
1861
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The thirty-first edition, revised, of an essay on the nature and cure of scrofulous disorders, commonly called the king's evil : deduced from long observation and practice, with additions, and above sixty cases : the remedies in them used, and occasional remarks, to which is prefixed a plate of the herb vervain, and its root / by the late John Morley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    satin ribbon half an inch wide, round the neck of men and women of an ordinary stature, if taller an ell will be wanting, and children in proportion. To the better sort of females I propose the ribbon to be fastened through an eyelet-hole or loop in the bosom of the shift, and so worn, which will be no eyesore. A quarter of a yard of ribbon will be enough ; but no other colored ribbon is proper because the dye in some colors may be prejudicial. The root must never be wetted, not when fresh gathered, but wiped clean with a dry cloth. It must not be sewn up, or covered with anything, but always worn naked at the pit of the stomach. If after wearing the ends of the fibres stick out, and hurt and prick the stomach, they must be cut off with a sharp knife as at first. I always cut a little notch round the upper end of the root, and tie the ribbon with a double fast knot, lest it slip out and be lost. When it has been worn a few days, it will shrink by the heat of the stomach; then the ribbon must be tied faster. A buckle or button on the bottom of a man's shirt will be convenient, to keep the root next the skin, as well in bed as up. Observe the root be not decayed or rotten but fresh and green when applied; and it is necessary to have a fresh one every spring and fall. If I put this root about the patient's neck, I am not ashamed to say, Pray God give his blessing to these my endeavors,* or some such short ejaculations, not by way of charm or such like nonsense, but to remind the patient of our dependence on the Divine help, co-operating with the natural means he has provided for our comfort and relief; and surely there is good reason to beg his blessing on this as on our daily food. Here in some of my former editions I was at some pains in noticing how this ceremony, if so it might.be called, had and might cause laughter. I will now only say, that the joyful testimony of the cured, through my means, is a much greater heartfelt satisfaction to me than the derision of all others will ever give me uneasiness. The experience I have had on the good effects of the vervain root is enough forme; nevertheless I will just mention that the great Boyle in his Essays, has treated of the strange sub- tility of effluvia, how specific medicines are reconcilable to the corpuscular philosophy, and how advantageous simple medicines are. This root being of such general use in all stages of the Evil, it will be proper to give a plain description of the herb vervain, the place and manner of its growth, that it may be easier found and known by the common people. The common vervain grows with a fibrous or stringy root, of a light-brown color, very hard, of a bitterish taste; sends up stalks, many half a yard high, squattish, solid, somewhat rough, of a purplish green, and branched ; the * Eccles. Chap, xxxriii. ver. 14.