It is also a known custom, to prevent the swellings that follow bruises in the faces of children, by immediately applying thereunto a linen cloth four or six times double, dipped in cold water, and new dipped as it begins to grow warm; for the cold repels or prevents the flowing of humours to the part, which otherwise would cause great swelling, and after turn blackish: And if upon neglecting to do so, a swelling should succeed, it may be discussed by fomenting night and morning, for an hour at a time, with water as hot as can be endured; for that will give vent to the humours to transpire through the skin, or dissolve them, so as to make them capable of returning back.
All sickness at the stomach to cure.
Moreover, by means of water all sickness at the stomach may be cured, which is done thus: Take four quarts of water, make it as hot over the fire as you can drink it: of which water let a quart be taken down at several draughts; then wrap a rag round a small piece of stick, till it is about the bigness of a man’s thumb; tie it fast with some thread; and with this, by endeavouring gently to put it a little way down your throat, provoke yourself to vomit up again most of the water: Then drink another quart, and vomit up that, and repeat the same the third and fourth time, if once or twice is not sufficient. You may also provoke vomiting by tickling your throat with your finger, or the feather-end of a goose quill; but the cloth round a skewer maketh one vomit with more ease, which is done with no trouble when the stomach is full. And by this way of vomiting, which will be all performed in an hour’s time, that viscous and ropy phlegm in the stomach, which causeth the sickness, will be cast up, so that the party in that time will be free from all that inward disturbance, if you use the remedy at first; but, if the sickness hath continued for a time, it will require the same course once or twice more, which may be done in three or four hours, one after another, without any other inconvenience, besides that of being a little sore in the breast the next day, which will soon go off by the force of nature. Which remedy, by forty years experience, I look upon to be infallible in all sickness at the stomach, from what cause soever, and for all pains in the belly which seem to be above the navel; for these are all in the stomach, as by long experience I have found: Which pains are generally counted the cholic; but it is not so; for true cholics are always below the navel, in the gut colon. And by this means I have eased very great pains caused by eating mussels that were poisonous; and it is also a certain cure for all surfeits or disorders that follow after much eating. So that the lives of multitudes might be saved by this means, who, for want of expelling what offends, often die in misery: For, by thus cleansing the stomach at the first, the root of diseases proceeding from surfeiting, or unwholsome food, or any viscous humours from a bad digestion, are prevented; the stomach being the place in which all distempers at first begin. No man was more subject to sickness than myself before thirty years of age; but since I found out the way of vomiting with water, which is now above forty years, I never have been sick for two days together: For, when I find myself ill to any great degree, I betake myself to this way of vomiting, which in an hour’s time restores me to ease, and perfectly removes my illness. And the same benefit all my family find in it, as do others also whom I can persuade to try the experiment, which is such, that no physician whatever can advise a better to the king himself, should he fall sick. For, in the first place, it is not a nauseous remedy, it does not make the patient sick, as the best of all other vomits do; and then it is a vomit which is at our own command, since we can leave off when we please: And it infallibly works a cure to all sick stomachs, from whatever cause.
Digestion to cause.
Some few indeed pretend they are not able to vomit by this means: Now, if they cannot vomit, let them take a pint of water when they find themselves ill from eating, and do so every three or four hours, eating no more till they are hungry; and they will find the water digest and carry off what was offensive. The ingenious Dr. Cheyne, in his Treatise of the gout, affirms, that warm water drank freely in a morning fasting, and at meals, (and I say cold water is as good) hath a sovereign remedy for restoring left appetites, and strengthening weak digestions, when other more pompous medicines have failed. And he adviseth gouty persons, after excess either in meat or drink, to swill down as much fair water, as their stomach will bear, before they go to bed, whereby they will reap these advantages, either the contents of the stomach will be thrown up, or both meat and drink will be much diluted, and the labour and expence of spirits in digestion much saved, p. 44. ed. 4: And indeed I have found by long experience, that nothing causeth so good a digestion as fair water; but this requires time to free us from the uneasiness that an ill digestion causeth, whereas vomiting is an immediate remedy, and frees a man from it upon the spot.
Other benefits of vomiting with water.
We are told by Sir John Floyer, in his Treatise of bath and mineral springs, that vomiting with water is very useful in the gout, sciatica, wind, shortness of breath, hypochondriac melancholy, and falling-sickness; which distempers are generally derived from evil matter contained in the stomach, as is likewise giddiness in the head, and apoplexies, with which myself once seemed to be threatened: For, after eating a plentiful dinner, I was seized with giddiness, and the sight of my eyes became so depraved, that things seemed double, which was accompanied with a strange consternation of spirit; and having read, that apoplexies generally seize after eating, I immediately called for water, and, net daring to stay till it was warmed, I drank it cold, and by the help of my finger provoked vomiting: Upon which I did immediately overcome the evils I was threatened with, the symptoms before-mentioned being the same as did precede the fit of an apoplexy in another person, as himself afterwards told me, who died of it the third fit, about a year after.
Shortness of breath.
As for people who are troubled with shortness of breath, it is certain from experience, that vomiting with warm water three or four times, will afford certain relief. And the same may be prevented by drinking nothing but water afterwards, either cold or warmed with a toast. For, upon doing this, the difficulty of breathing will apparently abate; which water, if you please, may be boiled with honey. And I knew one, who by this means, as he was advised by me, lived comfortably in this city two or three winters, but, having undertaken business which did occasion drinking strong drinks, was the next winter carried off by the distemper: Wine, ale, or brandy, being as bad as poison to people troubled with shortness of breath. So that nothing but water ought to be drank in that distemper.
Vomiting to cure.