[De epidemia et peste]

And immediately [the patient] must use heart-comforting agents. Some want a laxative medicine to be given, which, if given, makes [the patient] very weak, such as cassia fistula, manna, tamarind, violets, prunes, rhubarb, and the like. A strong medicine should not be given because if the hot, bad, corrupt, and furious matter were directed to the intestines, it would cause a flux of the bowels and death. And because this illness is sudden and the matter is restless, therefore we must apply remedies suddenly and many of them, since if one does not help, many will help. Nor in such an illness should the digestion of the matter be awaited, but rather the furious matter should be evacuated. I, however, do not use evacuation much, except for phlebotomy, but rather altering and comforting agents. But let this phlebotomy be moderate, up to five or six ounces, or more or less, according to what will seem best to the operator, because blood is stored as a treasure of nature, as Avicenna says. Therefore, first let such a drink be made: take half a pound of sorrel water; one quarter pound of endive water, rose water, and purslane water; three ounces of juice of pomegranates, either sour or sharp; one pound of sugar; two drams of camphor. Make a julep a sweet medicinal drink. If you do not have pomegranate juice, vinegar can be put in its place. Sorrel water is put in because it cools and comforts. Endive water cools the liver. Purslane water cools the stomach. Rose water comforts the heart and cools. Sugar is rendered cooling because of all the other things, and with this, it nourishes. Camphor cools and with this, it preserves from putrefaction, therefore such a drink is suitable. Secondly, let syrup of currants, vinegar syrup, rose syrup, or water lily syrup be given. Thirdly, let sorrel water be given with pomegranate juice or with vinegar. Or fourthly, let such a syrup be made: take juice of bugloss, juice of red or sweet apples