“Wasn’t Nostradamus already famous for the fact that as a doctor most of his patients survived the Black Death even though his immediate family did not?”
Yes. A lot claim it was his ‘rose pills’ but I go more with the theory of his insistence on hygienic practices, ie; hand washing...but also the use of garlic and aloe is interesting. Then there is the 4 thieves story (following link).
“He followed the advise taught by his great-grandfather, he suggested to bury corpses very deep, between layers of quicklime (Lime has a sterilization action). He also advised to burn trash (food for rats and their infecting fleas). Also he asked to everybody to have a scrupulous cleaning of hands, to change clean dresses often, filtraiting masks, etc.
His potion of Garlic and Aloe that he recommended as ointment for massages and also for ingestion got an excellent reputation for defending from plague infection. (Actually, scientist have widely proven the excellent antibacterial action of Garlic (website) and the immune stimulating effect of Aloe).”
http://members.tripod.com/~red_turtle/biography.html
Four thieves story and formula:
http://subscriptions.bioethika.com/pdf/potent_protection.pdf
Well done and thanks.