Singing Potatoes
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Friday, 6 December 2002
Who needs plastic surgeons?

An interesting medicinal "receipt" from Charles Estienne's Maison rustique, translated into English in 1600:

For the flagging and hanging breasts of women, make a liniment with the drosse of the oyle of linsed, a little gumme arabecke, tragacanth, masticke and camphire: or with the iuice of succorie: or apply thereunto ground iuie, or the egges of partridges, which you shall chaunge oftentimes: or small basins of the distilled water of yoong pine-apples, or the iuice of wilde pine-apples.

Yeah, that oughta work.

Posted by godfrey (link)
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Comments
Everything else I got, but "ground iuie"?
Posted by Moira on 23 Jan 2003 13:49
That would be spelled "ivy" nowadays. The letters "u" and "v" were used somewhat differently back then; either letter looked like a "v" if it came at the beginning of a word, but like a "u" in medial or terminal positions.

Posted by Godfrey on 23 Jan 2003 13:59
Oh, so it would be "ivie".....gotcha.
Posted by Moira on 24 Jan 2003 16:04