To Monsieur de Collet.
SIR,
Nothing can be more agreeable to me, than to satisfy the Desire of my Friends afflicted with the Gout, in communicating the Method of Diet, by which the Marquis de Bongi, Mons. Chamar, and my self were relieved from the Gout; you will please to take Notice, that the Milk we used was fresh drawn from the Cow, Morning and Evening, without other Art than that we both eat and supped it, as warm as we could well bear it; my Reason for mentioning eating and supping the Milk, is, because as soon as we arose in the Morning we supped a large Bowl of warm Milk; but the Milk which was brought us at Dinner and Supper, we eat with fine light Bread, cut thin and put therein; this is all our Secret in this Matter. Persons afflicted with the Gout may promise themselves Relief, provided that once a Month, during the Course of this Diet, or at least once in two Months, they take a gentle Purge, which we made Use of, and were so strict in our Regimen, that we neither drank Wine nor, eat other Food, than Biscuits made of very fine Flower, Eggs, and Sugar, and some sweet Fruits, as Strawberries in Summer, but we chiefly avoided Raspberries. For my own Part, I never sweetned my Milk with Sugar, though some Friends who were in the same Course did, yet without any bad Effect. The Marquis de Bongi used to mix Crabs Eyes with his Milk before Dinner, upon a Presumption, that it would prevent any Sourness in his Stomach, but neither Monsieur Chamar or I ever used that Remedy. When we had strictly adhered to this Diet for a Year, we began to hope we might eat Fish, or indulge our Appetites in some varieties of Food, which one or other of us did, more or less, occasionally, and without any bad Effects. At the End of Nine Months I apprehended my Stomach to be somewhat weakened, which made me resolve to use a Glass of Wine after my Milk, and accordingly after Dinner and Supper every Day, I drank one Glass of Wine, in which I sopped a bit of Bread; this was very delicious to me while I used it. At length as we found the State of our Healths to mend, we began to eat and drink with our Friends. This Method hath succeeded so well, that we live hitherto in our common Way upon Milk, yet not so strictly, but that we dine or sup, once, twice or thrice a Week with our Friends in their Manner, and return afterwards to our Milk without Ceremony; and by the Blessing of God we are wonderfully well. We dont here pretend to say, that none of us have been since afflicted with the Gout, for the Marquiss de Bongi hath had two or three pretty sharp Fits; but both he and I know the Difference between having two or three Fits in nine or ten Years, and of being perpetually oppressed, and confined to Bed with this cruel Distemper, which was our Case before; especially the Marquiss de Bongi, who at Six and Thirty was almost continually confined to his Bed, deprived of the Use of his Limbs, and the Joints of his Hands and Feet knotted and chalky; instead of which, he now uses his Limbs without any Marks of Infirmity, insomuch that any one who had seen him in his former bad State, and compares it with his present, would look on him as one raised from Death to Life. As for Monsieur Chamar, and my self, who are more advanced in Years, considering our Age, we are mighty well; ’tis true indeed that sometimes, as upon Changes of Weather, or of the Moon, we find (or at least we fancy so) that we have some Threatnings of Pain, especially about those Joints where the Gout used to ravage, but a little Exercise soon dissipates those Apprehensions.
It is now Seven Years, that Monsieur Chamar and I have adhered to this Diet, in all which Time we have neither of us been so far oppressed by the Gout, as to be confined to our Beds, or even to our Chambers, so much as one whole Day; notwithstanding before we fell into this Method (though we were not perpetually under actual Fits of the Gout) we had a continued Weakness in our Limbs, we walked very infirmly and with difficulty, and if we chanced to make a wrong Step, or to slip in walking, we suffered Extremity of Pain; our Case is now so far altered, that we walk as firm, as if we had never had the Gout. I must confess indeed that both the Marquiss and I used the Diet for a good while, before we perceived any manifest Change, but afterwards our Pain diminished by Degrees, and the Strength of our Limbs returned. The Milk must be used a good while, that the natural Temper and Vigour of the Constitution may have Time and Leisure to come to itself; for though this Diet may be often used Six Months or even Twelve before the Patient can use his Limbs free from Pain, yet let him not despair, for if once he begins to gather Strength, it will daily increase. As to Purging, and Evacuation of the Humours, if possible it should be done once a Month, in the Decrease of the Moon: I hold purging extremely Necessary; for my own Part, it was what I did for the first Seven or Eight Months of this Diet constantly, till I grew tired of it. This is truly the Method I used, and though I afterwards remitted, I found no bad Consequence. The Marquiss and I, at present, take a Bowl of Warm Milk every Morning, but for the Rest of the Day drink and eat as usual. The Marquiss indeed, for the Space of Eight Years, hath had at Times several small Fits of the Gout, but for my self I have hardly had any, except sometimes upon Changes of the Weather, or of the Moon, I have perceived a Numbness and Weakness in my Knees and Joints, like Threatenings of the Gout; but I thank God, it never confined me, and as it came on easily, it as easily went off. The following is the Method of purging: Take of Scammony, white Turbith, Hermodactyls, Leaves of Sena, Sarsaparilla, Cinamon, and Sugar, of each one Drachm, powder them very fine, and divide the whole into Seven equal Parts, one of which is a Dose, and may be taken in white wine or a little Broth. It is necessary to purge once a Month, especially in the Decline of the Moon. If it be thought necessary to purge twice in the Month, let the first Dose be taken in the last Quarter, the second the last Day of the Quarter. The Day I took Physick, I used Milk after it as usual. When I had pursued this Course about Seven or Eight Months, I found my Stomach so much weakened from the Milk, that I was forced to take a Glass of Red Wine every Day after Dinner, which agreed mighty well with me, and I have continued it ever since; so that I am often impatient to finish my Milk, that I may have the Pleasure of regaling my self with a Glass of Wine, and a bit of Bread.
CHAP. II.
In the foregoing Letter are contained many useful Observations about the Use of Milk, and its wonderful Efficacy in the Cure of the Gout, from uncontestable Facts, in the Account of the Persons there named. I shall next lay down the Method of this Diet, by which many Persons here at Cassell were relieved. Whoever expects Benefit by this Method, must observe the following Rules. No one ought to go into this Diet without having his Body duly prepared; he must take Care by Degrees to change his Habit, and for the first Month to regulate his Diet, by strictly avoiding all Salt or smoaked Meats; Legumes, and stale, acid or feculent Liquors, and to eat white Meats sparingly, with clear small Drink, as small Beer or Barley Water, or Decoctions of the Woods: A Glass of Moselle or French Wine free from Acidity, may be allowed at Dinner, and Gruels and Broths made of white Meats. There is a necessary Caution to be used, that both in Meat and Drink, the Quantity taken be rather within the Appetite than beyond it; for from overloading the digestive Powers, arise Crudities, Flatulencies, and acid Humours, which are the Origine of many Disorders. Upon this Account it is necessary to purge the Bowels, two or three Times a Month, with Tincture of Jalap, Elixir Proprietatis, Rhubarb, some of the purging Pills, as the Arthritick or Mastich Pills; that the Viscidity arising from indigestions may be carried forth of the Bowels, and the Stomach be better disposed to receive and digest the Milk. I am of Opinion, the first Dose should be taken the first Day of the Month, preparatory to this Diet, the second after some few Weeks of this first Regimen, and the third the last Day of the Month; after this I advice the taking an Ounce of Crabs-Eyes, or prepared calcined Hartshorn, especially if there yet remains any Marks of Acidity in the first Passages. This further Caution is very absolutely Necessary, that not only in the first Month, but in all subsequent, all Passion, chiefly Anger and Grief be avoided, because of their pernicious Consequences; more especially the Use of Women during the whole Year.