Archidoxa ex Theophrastia : Pars I

...which is then a public confession that they have no certain remedy against the Plague Plague original: "Pestem". Or, if they do remain [in the city during an outbreak], they help few people with their medicine: and when someone is helped, it happens through Paracelsian Paracelsian medicine original: "Theophrastische artzney" — referring to the chemical and mineral-based remedies popularized by Paracelsus. medicine, which they use so secretly—as is evident and can be proven.

In the case of Syphilis Syphilis original: "Frantzosen" — literally "the French disease," the common 16th-century name for syphilis, which was often treated with dangerous amounts of mercury., they behave just as miserably. They smear raw, unprepared mercury mercury original: "Mercurium"—from which the poison has not been removed—into people. Because of this, the nerves first become numb and hard, then they swell up, and if it goes "well," the nerves and the flesh turn into rot. This is followed by pitiful damage, which can then hardly be healed even with great effort through proper medicine. Or, they abandon the sick person entirely, as if they were beyond help; or they hand them over to old women, who then spare no quicksilver quicksilver original: "Quecksilber" — another term for mercury., but bring into the person whatever they can through smearing or fumigation, causing significant ruin and irreparable harm to the patient.

In the case of Epilepsy Epilepsy original: "Hinfallenden" — literally "the falling sickness.", they have no help at all, neither against the seizure seizure original: "Paroxismum" — a medical term for a sudden attack or fit. nor the root of the disease; instead, they let the poor soul twitch and wander helplessly throughout the land until their end.

Against Leprosy Leprosy original: "Aussatz", they likewise have nothing effective. And when they undertake to heal it through smearing, they suppress the impurity within the body, so that they are finally forced to forcibly drive out pustules on the outside to reopen the path for the internal disease, so that the patient does not otherwise suffocate from the suppressed [illness]: and