15
Ear This
It seems everything that
falls off your body could be
mixed into a medicine—hair,
fingernails, saliva, old bits
of skin . . . If you suffered
from bad headaches, some
apothecaries would recommend
a nice mixture of earwax and
mud, usually applied as a balm.
Poo or Pee?
Some apothecaries’
cures were awful. If
you had a sore throat,
some would mix you
a nice spoonful of
monkey or baby
poop with a dollop
of honey. If you
suffered back pain,
they might mix a cup
of pee with ox bile,
herbs, and suet. And
for a fever, you might
have to sip pig pee . . .
Medical Mix
To make a medicine, the
apothecary weighed out his
chosen ingredients on scales.
He ground dry ingredients
to a powder in a sturdy bowl
called a mortar with a stick
called a pestle. He purified
and concentrated liquids in
a kind of kettle known as
an alembic.
