comment you were the only one who realized I was serious.
Posted on 03/25/2009 6:29:55 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A handwritten book containing bizarre 17th century medical remedies including pike bones and dragon's blood is to go under the hammer tomorrow after spending more than 100 years buried in an attic. Written on fragile parchment bound between two pieces of thin card, the manuscript includes medical formulas as well as a variety of traditional recipes. Outlandish natural ingredients include ragwort, nightshade, venis turpentine, ferne roots, hoggs grease and the bizarrely-named 'earbagrace', which is probably Ambergris, a substance produced in the digestive system of sperm whales... The 64-page book is expected to fetch around £400 when it's auctioned at Bonhams Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, tomorrow. It was discovered buried under papers more than 25 years ago by Philippa Mulley, who was clearing out her deceased aunt's house in Norfolk... The fascinating compilation is inscribed with the name Thomas Slapp, 1784, but whether or not he is the original author remains a mystery. Experts believe the book was complied in either the 17th or early 18th century and has passed through at least three generations of the Mulley family... Bonhams specialist Oliver Miller said the book was probably penned by one of Mrs Mulley's ancestors and provided an intriguing glimpse of traditional home remedies. He said: 'It's a really nicely handwritten book of about 100 recipes. It's full of spelling mistakes and bad grammar but presents a fascination insight into 17th and 18th century quack medicine.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Public schooling. LOL
I was going to type “Congratulations! Out of the 350,502 people who read my comment you were the only one who realized I was serious. The prize of a bottle of lizard urine is in the mail.”
I have some I'll sell you but be warned, it's really REALLY expensive.
...Thanks fer the laugh. Good on yer...
The house genius at my back says no, "earbagrace" is another name for rue.
Under a future Obama national health care system, this 17th medical book may again become “state of the art.”
Oh, rue. That clears things up.
Yep. Earbagrace = herb of grace = rue.
:’D The classics never wear out.
And vice versa. ;’)
According to the first comment at the original article, “Dragon’s Blood is a plant resin.” :’)
I always love these modern day geniuses who catagorize some ancient tome as being full of “bad grammar and spelling mistakes”. Don’t the realize that grammar and spelling have changed over the ages?
:’)
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