By Antayzha Wiseman, Kate Pearson, and Charles Horn
Found below are transcriptions of ten-pages from an 18th-century book of veterinary recipes. An inscription found on page thirty-one, marked “Robert Phillips his Book February the 22nd Day N.S. 1762”, tells us both who owned the book and when it came into his possession[1]. Little is known to the exact location from where in Britain this book was found, although the prevalence of recipes for livestock (the book continues treatments for horses, cows, sheep, and pigs) indicates an agricultural occupation for the book’s owner.
The pages transcribed below focus on horse healing, a central element in the creation of the veterinary profession. Medicalized and educational veterinary medicine began in France in 1762 as the state sought to create a generation of male doctors for war horses, masculinizing what had previously been a domestic, if not feminine, profession. Europe became the central location for veterinary medicine during the 18th and 19th centuries, with schools propping up around he continent [2]. By 1890, Great Britain had four veterinarian schools, with France Germany boasting three and five respectively [3].
However, texts such as this provided the foundation for a separate veterinary profession of specifically livestock doctors, who were often more skilled and informed than newly minted veterinarians[4]. Such an occupation was considered an act of neighborly kinship, rooted in farming rather than scientific medicine, and used experimentation, lessons with older healers, and animal care handbooks to grow their practices and skills[5]. Texts such as the one found below formed part of a broad network of familial and neighborly relations that taught treatments and remedies for a variety of different ailments that afflicted horses and other livestock.
Scroll to the bottom to find the complete book, from where the following ten pages were taken and transcribed.
[1] Phillips, Robert. Veterinary Recipe Book: British, 18th century, 1762, Shelfmark MS.7457, Courtesy of the Wellcome Library, London.
[2] Harding, T. Swann. “The Metamorphosis of the Horse Doctor.” The Scientific Monthly 34, no. 5 (1932): 446–53, pg. 47
[3] Harding, “The Metamorphosis of the Horse Doctor.”, pg. 47
[4] Cavender, Anthony P., and Donald B. Ball. “Home Cures for Ailing Horses: A Case Study of Nineteenth-Century Vernacular Veterinary Medicine in Tennessee.” Agricultural History 90, no. 3 (2016): 311–37. https://doi.org/10.3098/ah.2016.090.3.311, pg. 331
[5] Cavender, Ball, “Home Cures for Ailing Horses”, pg. 331
To Cure the Heat in a Horses Mouth
Bleed him from the Roof of his mouth and when he has champt for five or six minutes upon his Blood, wash his mouth with white wine vinegar and salt Repeat this unction of syrup two or three days. Two or three times a day.
Balls to Cure the Grease
Take Liver of Antimony gum Luaiacum, fenugreek seeds and parsley seeds of each four ounces powdered fine molafsus as much as Is sufficient to make it into a paste, give the horse the quantity of a hens egg every other morning and exercise him well after it, and give him warm water the days he takes them.
For the Canker
Take Red Sage one handful Honey four ounce, boil them in one pint of Vinegar, then strain them and add allum, white Vitriol, powdered of Each half an ounce, Bole Armoniack one ounce, and apply it to the paw cold.
For Boliches or Imposthimes On a Horse
Take Barley meed and as much Southernwood dry and beat to powder, mix these together with the yolks of eggs till it becomes a salve. Then lay it in the Swelling which it will ripen, Break, and heal.
For a Sour or Flux in Horses
Take a pint of strong Beer, and boil It in half a dram of the Shells or Coverings of the pomegranate Fruit well dry’d or Beat to powder, to this you may add Half an Ounce of Dill seed and as much Fenugreek seed, pass this through a Sieve and give the Dose warm to the horse.
For the Glanders to carry them off
Take a quart of old Strong Beer, cut a quarter of a pound of Eggs into it with two ounces of liquorish sliced boil them together and add a Dram of Flower, Of Ginger, and the same quantity of Elecampane and (poper) well powdered; When they are well boiled put in a Quarter of a pound of Treacle and as Much fresh butter with the yolks of Two Eggs mixing all well together give this to the Horse Warm and keep him Warm.
A Drink to Dissolve and bring away the glanders.
Take of such one quart, or for want of those strong beer four ounces well sliced and two ounces of sliced (liquonish) boil them well together then put in Ginger in powder. [indecipherable]
and popper in powder of each one. Drain when it is boiled enough put in of troade five ounces and of butter the same quantity the cloth of the two now laid Eggs beat well together, give it the horse such warm and order him a roodfull.
A Drink to bring a way the glanders when other drink have rotted them and brought them to suppunation.
Take of the best white wine vinegar and the sharpest put in three whole eggs, let them lie twenty four hours then beat them well together shells and all and give it the horse you may do so two or three mornings more or less as you find occasion and this will clean off the glanders.
For a Strangury in a horse
Take half an ounce of anniseeds (beafon) find, one handful of parsley roots or in lew of them half an ounce of parsley seeds (pardon) boil these in a quart of old strong beer and when it is showed off put to it a dram of fine outer shell powder and give the mixture to your horse warm.
To take away any rheum from a horses eye and to clean it
Take fresh better and salt of each a like quantity mix them well together. And take a fourth the bigness of a small walnut and put it into the horses ear. On that side the rheum is of and if the rheum be in both eyes put it into both ears and it will dry up the rheum and clear his eyes, but above you must sew up his ears close or else he will shake it up.
An Ointment for a Sprain in the Coffin Joint.
Take the horse’s sand poole alnoinack and oil of each four ounces put them all into a shallot, lot the bale bo in a fine powder, boil them together a little while keeping in stirred all the time, put it on the gallipot for use when you use it put it on well; with your hand, and then heat it with a red hot pan or iron and this do once a day till I find Amendment.
A Change for the Same
Take the black pitch burgundy pitch and a common turpentine of each two ounces mixed together and when all is melted and incorporated, lay it on with a spatula round a joint as hot as the horse can well bear it. Clap on stocks all over it while it is hot and when this peels off lay on another if should be occasion.
To Cure a bite or Stroke in a Horse’s Eye.
Take of Honey, Ginger, in a very Subtile powder, and the Juice of Colandiva, of Each a like quantity, mix them well Together and put it into his Eyes with A Feather Twice a Day.
To Cure the Splint Sprain, Limb Or any hand swelling.
Take Horse Ointment four Ounces Mercury Sublimate Corrosive in fine powder half an Ounce. Comphine two Drams Difsolved in Oil and Origanum Half an Ounce, mix and apply it to The part every other Day.
For the limb, you must leave out the mercuary Sublimate and apply it ever Day.
To Cure a Dry husky Cough which will Leave a Horse to cast Out the Filth or Corruption at his Nostrils.
Take a head of Garlick and peel ever clove very clean, then put them into an [indecipherable] cloth and boil them in a quart of milk till the garlick becomes tendor. Take it off, and strain it till you have squeezed the garlick hard, and the juice out and set it a cooling. Then put to it Honey molafsus of each half a pound and give it to him blood warm.
Balls for the worst of Colds in horses.
Take a quarter of an ounce of cloves, one ounce of flowers of Rosemary powdered White Tonder. Seeds of Fenugreek. [Indecipherable] syrup of Coltsfoot. Honey of each two ounces, wheel flower as much as is Sufficcient to make them into a paste, give one of them in the morning fasting and ride him after it.
To Cure the bloody Flux or Pissing of Blood
Take three pints of new drink and boil in it over a gentle fire five ounces of [indecipherable], which when it is dissolved, will so thicken the milk that it will look like cream, then strain it through a sieve, to take out the Dross of the [indecipherable] that will remain Undissolved, and give it to your horse Lukewarm in the morning fasting. And at twice or thrice giving it will cure him.
To Cause a Horse to stode on his Trolley.
Take the bigness of a large Walnut Castle soap, Dissolve in it a quart of Warm beer, with two Ounces of Bruised parsley seed, give it Him and ride him Moderately after it then set him up Warm
For a Strain
Take of Hogs Lard, horse oil Poole Armoniack, and Castle Soap of each one pound. Boil them together keeping them stirring till the composition is cold. Keep it in a for your use, and when you Occasion, Anoint the place affected with this unguent warm, rubbing it well in.
Of Pulsing Blood and the Remedy
This Distemper comes from strain. Where ever you find it blood thee Horse and give him some styptick Liquor which may be had at the apothecaries, a [indecipherable]. A large spoonful in a pint of Warm Strong Beer, which will bring him to order.