Alchemy and Medicine

                                           

According to the translation (published in 1683) Roger  Bacon suggests wine could :

"Preserve the stomach, strengthen the natural heat, help digestion,

defend the body from corruption,

concoct the food till it be turned into very blood."  8)

But he also recognises the dangers of consuming ethanol in excess:

"If it be over-much guzzles, it will on the contrary do a great deal of harm:

For it will darken the understanding, ill-affect the brain...

beget shaking of the limbs and bleareyedness."  ::LOL::

                           

For hundreds of years alcohol claimed a prize place among the pills, potions and healing herbs  !

A drop of gin was once advised to ward off the plague, a glug of wine to :

"defend the body from corruption"

and a sip of absinthe to cure the body of roundworms. 

                                     

Belle, there you go 

Very interesting post here, but "alchemy" is just an archaic form of chemistry, and alot of the more scientific principles of alchemy has been adopted and is still being practiced today by modern chemists...

Atkinson's Infants Preservative - a remedy for teething  babies, dated between 1919-1941.

The packaging reassures parents it can be given "with the utmost confidence" ...as it had no narcotic content !!

It does however contain 50% alcohol among its ingredients.  :-[

                               

Oye yuh Chinee cripple ,

You want me to come and slash yuh wheel chair tire ? hahahaha