The works of the highly experienced and famous chymist, John Rudolph Glauber

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

But that my mind may be fully understood, I judg it necessary yet more clearly to give you a Declaration of this thing, viz. in what manner and with what conveniency the filings of Iron may be administred to the sick Infants. And ’tis thus done. Whilst the Infants are unweaned, some Grains of the said filings from 2, to 6 or 8 Grains, may be mixt with a little Sugar and put into their mouths, and then presently give them suck, that so those filings may be suckt down together with the Milk into the Stomach. Do this three days together and the Worms will be destroyed, and the Feaver vanish. But if any body will make use of any other Vehicle than what is the Child’s ordinary food, he may do so if he please. But as for such as do not suck, but do drink out of a sucking Bottle according as the usual custom is, you may easily give it them, on this wise; Put a little into the Bottle and stop the hole of the Bottle with your finger, and so turn it upside down that the filings may slide down to the hole, and so let the Infant suck it down, and ’twill pass with the drink into the Stomach. To such Boys and Girls as are bigger, and have more understanding, it may be given easily and any way you please, onely telling them that they will be restored to their former health. To such as are 10 or 12 years old a quarter part, or an half of the weight which we usually call Quintlein [from 10 to 20 grains] may be given safely, for 3 or 4 days. But in the mean while let not the meats they use be of hard Concoction, but made of Pottage, Prunes, and such like mollifying and loosening things, which may help forward the operation of the Iron, and so the sick will become the sooner well. I could not refrain from highly commending to all tender Mothers that love their Children, this most safe and not at all costly Medicine against all the Feavers proceeding from Worms, which do kill so many poor little ones destitute of all kind of help. Let no body matter its vileness, but rather think with himself, that God hath also endowed vile and contemptible things with great vertues. Verily this Cure, and thus taking away the Worms, and the Diseases arising therefrom, is strongly founded on natural reasons, or arguments. For seeing that the common Vitriol is a Poyson to Worms, but because of its bitter and nauseous tast ’tis exceeding unpleasant to the Palate, they do very well, that substitute Iron as being void of all Savour, in the room of the common Vitriol, that so being given to their Children it may be converted to Vitriol in their Stomachs, and so kill and drive out the Worms. I my self have tryed many experiments about the Cure of the Worms in my Children, but never found any thing safer and better than contemptible Iron.

A Story of a Child that had Worms.

I will tell you an instructing Story, concerning a great and eminent man’s Child in such a Disease proceeding from the Worms, in which my self was concerned. A certain rich man did on a time consult with me, (or ask my advise) about this Child’s Disease. I gave him as much filing of Iron as was sufficient for one Dose, for his Child to drink. It seemed an absurd thing to the good man, to give an Infant filings of Iron, upon this conceit he omitted to use it, and having called two Physicians he shews them the filings, and askt them whether they would advise him to administer it to his Infant. They earnestly disswaded him from using it, saying that if he used it his Child would be killed, and that it was a Medicine onely fit for curing of Horses, and that they would prescribe a far safer and better one. They said there was no danger in the Child of Worms, and therefore they prescribed it a cooling and purging Syrup, thereby to take away the Feaver, and they also added confections of Pearls, with other cooling Waters. Death despised these kind of Potions, and snatcht away the Infant: The Child being dead, there crept out of his mouth great Worms, and clearly testified to the Parents their unseasonable rejecting my advise, haply because the Medicine I prescribed was not costly, but prepared out of a vile Subject. But it repented the Parents too late: The Mother coming afterwards into the House of a certain Neighbour, gave that filings which I had delivered them, unto an Infant troubled with a Feaver and the Worms, who upon the taking of that one dose onely became better, and by little and little returned to its former state of health, I was willing to set down this history to the end that I might demonstrate, that vile and abject things are many times capable of performing more than Pearls and precious Stones can.

And so I conclude this so very necessary a discourse concerning Worms, and the Feavers arising from them, whereby great multitudes of poor Infants are destroyed. I hope that no body will take it amiss that I have made so long a discourse concerning Worms. For I judged it necessary to shew the cause from whence so many little ones do dye in the flower of their Age. He that refuseth to believe what I say, let him try the thing by his own loss.

CHAP. XI.

Of Mercury and its excellent Vertues, both Medicinal and Chymical, I mean not the common and well known Mercury, but the Mercury of the Philosophers, the which is extracted by the Vulgar and well known Gold and Silver, (but they are to be first rendered Magnetical) out of the Beams of the superiour Sun and Moon, by the help and assistance of the Air.

It is well known to those that have looked over the manifold Writings which are extant at this day, how many and how great searches have been made, and how various and many opinions there have been abroad for many Ages, concerning the Philosophers Mercury; as many men so many minds, one man concludes with himself to prepare it out of such a matter, another out of such a thing, and ’tis hereby come to such a pass as that, there’s no more faith left for any such Mercury, and ’tis lookt on as if there were no such thing in nature, nor is at present any where extant: Because so many thousands of men have been occupied in the search thereof, and so most exceedingly small a number have been masters thereof.

Others have opinionated, that the most pure substance is to be extracted out of Gold and Silver, but not in the form of a running Mercury, but in a watery form, and to be coagulated and fixed by the help of the Fire into a medicinal Stone.

Othersome have perswaded themselves that Gold and Silver being ripe and fixt, are no ways fit for so great a work, but ’tis rather to be sought for in such Subjects as never assumed to themselves any shape, but do as yet lie hidden in that great and universal Chaos the Air, because they saw that the life of all things lay hidden in the Air, and that out of it every Creature of God doth daily and without inter mission attract it unto it self after a magnetical manner, both for its own life and augmentation, and that it is so too with the seeds, abundance of them (and they most different sorts too) being sown in the same Earth, do each of them (according as its nature and property is) acquire to it self both life and augmentation hencefrom, viz. the Air.

So likewise may it be brought to pass, that even the Metals may according to their nature and propriety extract their encrease out of the Earth or Air, knew we but how to get the true Seed, or true Magnet which might get out that augmentation. For why should not God have as well given a Seed to these his Creatures for their encreasing, as well as to the other Creatures? So then there are very many sundry Opinions sprung up, concerning the Mercury of the Philosophers, and very many men have to their uttermost searched after it, yet but a very few have obtained the same. Though it be thus, yet the fault is not to be imputed either to Nature or Art, but to the searcher after it, because he errs and seeks not in the due place. Verily I did very many years ago exceeding studiously apply my self to the search of such a spiritual and Gold and Silver attracting Magnet, but I could not hitherto attain to the true Scope, until I at length by chance found that a true living and running Mercury might, by the benefit of Art, without any Addition of Mercurial things, be extracted out of the fugacious and imperfect Metals, such as are Lead, Tin, Bizmuth, Zink, and Antimony. And although I had read many Philosophers affirming this thing, yet did I always doubt of the same, and indeed not without cause; for in my youthfull days, serving a man of great note in Chymical Labours, I tried in two years space two hundred ways of making the Mercury of Saturn, and not so much as one of them succeeded. Now my said Master was stirred up to the search of this Saturnine Mercury upon this occasion as follows. He had some familiarity with many noble Personages that were also addicted to the study of Alchimy: One of them knew how to make running Mercury out of Lead, and to turn it into the best Gold, and he sent unto my Master one lot or somewhat better of that said Mercury, together with the way of turning it and fixing it into Gold. We set about the work and it succeeded to our desires, and yielded us as much Gold as there was Mercury sent us. This hoped for success did so edge on my Master, that he could not rest till he had obtained from him that knew it, the manner of making this Saturnine Spirit. But as often as ever we tried the operation according to the way prescribed us, both our hopes and labour were in vain. And then my said Master readily granted, that we could not effect it. Hereupon it was that he sought all abroad with the greatest diligence, and had got such abundance of processes and operations, that two years did scarce suffice me to try them all; though there was not so much as one amongst them all that answered our wishes, but all our Labours were in vain. Upon this score, I could believe neither Basilius or Paracelsus when I read in them, that Gold and Silver might be resolved into true and running Mercury; seeing that the bare turning of unripe Lead into Mercury, did cost me and others so great Labour and Pains, and yet we could not obtain it neither. Whereupon I fell into this opinion, that the Philosophers pointed at some other thing, by their running Mercury: And I did so long adhere to this opinion of mine, untill I chanced to light on the making of a running Mercury out of Lead, and I have several times repeated the operation with the same success.