MEDICINE IN THE DAYS OF PEPYS.
In order to complete the picture of the profession in the seventeenth century, I have abstracted from the Diary of truthful Samuel Pepys a few facts having a bearing on medicine. These seem to me to throw no little light upon the science, practice, and ethics of medicine at his time:—“March 26th, 1660: This day it is two years since it pleased God that I was cut for the stone at Mrs. Turner’s in Salisbury-court. And did resolve while I live to keep it a festival, as I did the last year at my house, and for ever to have Mrs. Turner and her company with me. But now it pleased God that I am prevented to do it openly: Only within my soul I can and do rejoice, and bless God, being at this time, blessed be His holy name, in as good health as ever I was in my life.—Oct. 19th, 1663: Coming to St. James’s, I hear that the Queen did sleep five hours pretty well to-night, and that she waked and gargled her mouth, and to sleep again; but that her pulse beats fast, beating twenty to the King’s or my Lady Suffolk’s eleven. It seems she was so ill as to be shaved and pidgeons put to her feet, and to have the extreme unction given her by the priests, who were so long about it that the doctors were angry. The King they all say is most fondly disconsolate for her, and weeps by her, which makes her weep; which one this day told me he reckons a good sign, for that it carries away some rheume from the head.—Oct. 20th: Mrs. Sarah —— tells us that the Queen’s sickness is the spotted fever, and that she is as full of spots as a leopard.—22nd: This morning, hearing that the Queen grows worse again, I sent to stop the making of my velvet cloak till I see whether she lives or dies.—24th: The Queen is in a good way to recovery; and Sir Francis Pridgeon [Prujean, President of the Royal College of Physicians] hath got great honour by it, it being all imputed to his cordiall.—Jan. 16th, 1667: Prince Rupert, I hear, is very ill; yesterday given over, but better to-day.—28th: Prince Rupert is very bad still, and so bad that he do now yield to be trepanned.—Feb. 3rd: To White Hall.... Talking, and among other things, of the Prince’s being trepanned, which was in doing just as we passed through the Stone Gallery, we asking at the door of his lodgings, and were told so. We are full of wishes for the good success, though I dare say but few do really concern ourselves for him in our hearts. With others into the House, and there hear that the work is done to the Prince in a few minutes without any pain at all to him, he not knowing when it was done. It was performed by Moulins. Having cut the outward table, as they call it, they find the inner all corrupted, so as to come out without any force; and the fear is that the whole inside of his head is corrupted like that, which do yet make them afraid of him; but no ill accident appeared in all the doing of the thing, but with all imaginable success, as Sir Alexander Frazier did tell me himself, I asking him, who is very kind to me.—April 3rd: This day I saw Prince Rupert abroad in the Vane room, pretty well as he used to be, and looks as well, only something appears to be under his periwigg on the crown of his head.—4th: (At the Duke of Albemarle’s.) One at the table told an odd passage in the late plague, that at Petersfield (I think he said) one side of the street had every house almost infected through the town, and the other not one shut up.—June 28th, 1667: Home, and there find my wife making of tea, a drink which Mr. Pelling, the potticary, tells her is good for her cold and defluxions.—Nov. 21st: With Creed to a tavern, where Dean Wilkins and others; and a good discourse; among the rest of a man that is a little frantic, and that is poor and a debauched man, that the College have hired for 20s. to have some of the blood of a sheep let into his body, and it is to be done on Saturday next. They purpose to let in about twelve ounces, which they compute is what will be let in in a minute’s time by a watch. On this occasion Dr. Whistler [President of the Royal College of Physicians] told a pretty story, related by Muffet, a good author, of Dr. Caius, that built Caius College, that being very old, and living only at that time upon woman’s milk, he, while he fed upon the milk of an angry, fretful woman, was so himself; and then being advised to take it of a good-natured, patient woman, he did become so beyond the common temper of his age.—30th: I was pleased to see the person who had his blood taken out ... saying he finds himself much better since, and as a new man. But he is cracked a little in his head, though he speaks very reasonably, and very well. He had but 20s. for his suffering it, and is to have the same again tried upon him; the first sound man that ever had it tried on him in England, and but one that we hear of in France.—June 23rd, 1668: To Dr. Turberville about my eyes, whom I met with, and he did discourse, I thought, learnedly about them, and takes time before he did prescribe me anything, to think of it.—29th: To Dr. Turberville’s, and there did receive a direction for some physick, and also a glass of something to drop into my eyes; he gives me hope that I may do well.—July 3rd: To an alehouse; met Mr. Pierce, the surgeon, and Dr. Clarke, Waldron, Turberville, my physician for the eyes, and Lowre, to dissect several eyes of sheep and oxen, with great pleasure, and to my great information. But strange that this Turberville should be so great a man, and yet to this day has seen no eyes dissected, or but once, but desired this Dr. Lowre to give him the opportunity to see him dissect some.—13th: This morning I was let blood, and did bleed about fourteen ounces towards curing my eye.—31st: The month ends sadly with me, my eyes being now past all use almost, and I am mighty hot about trying the late printed experiment of paper tubes.—Aug. 11th: Mighty pleased with a trial I have made of the use of a tube spectacall of paper, tried with my right eye.”
Cesare Morelli (a music master) wrote thus to Mr. Pepys on April 11th, 1681: “Honoured Sir,—I did receive your last letter, dated the ninth of this month, with much grief, having an account of your painful fever. I pray God it will not vex your body too much; and if by chance it should vex you longer, there is here a man that can cure it with simpathetical powder, if you please to send me down the pearinghs of the nailes of both your hands and your foots, and three locks of hair of the top of your crown. I hope with the grace of God it will cure you,” &c.