The Poor Man's PHYSICIAN  
The true Art of Medicine as it is prepared and administered for the healing of all diseases incident to mankind, By Thomas O Dowde Esq; one of the Grooms of the chamber to his sacred Majesty king CHARLES the Second.  
BEfore I give an account of many persons of quality by me cured of most desperate Diseases, I shall give the world a particular satisfaction in the present method of Cure of Mistress Elizabeth Friend, the daughter of Mistress Alice Friend, of Little Warley in the County of Essex Aged 13 years, and under a violent falling Sickness seven times a day.  
Monday, March 14.1663. 12 Vomits, 3 Stools, and had that night only two fits, neither of them lasting two minutes. Thursday, Mrach 17. 10 vomits, Stools 4. Sunday, March 20. 8 Vomits, Stools 10. Wednesday, March 23.9, Vomits, Stools 8, Saturday March 26. 7, Vomits, Stools 4. Tuesday March 29. 11 Vomits, Stools 7. being all a choler of the highest Tincture and large quantity; Saturday April 2.7 Vomits Stools 6, after the Operation of the Medicine the Patient standing carelessly in a wet room without either shoes or slippers, caused a flatulent vapour to arise which occasioned 2 fits the day following, but not so violent as the former, to correct which, Monday, April 4.7 Vomits. Thursday April 7.11 Vomits Sunday April 10.17 Vomits. Stools 7, and an extraordinary sweat, occasioned by adding one fourth part of the Medicine more.  
Thursday April 14.9 Vomits, Stools 8. Monday April 18.8 Vomits, and not in the least sick. Friday April 22.8 Vomits Stools 3, the Patient by accident drinking 6 spoonfuls of milk, after the operation of her Physic the Friday before, the tartarus matter being in agitation, did coagulate the milk and from that moved to a Symptom of a fit, but only as a qualm lasting one minute, which occasioned my immediate giving her some Physic which at the third vomit brought up the coagulated milk in 3 several knots almost to a suffocation, and occasioned her immediately to cry (the Vomit being passed) that her Stomach was as well and light, as ever it had been in all her life, and at a eleven a Clock came down stairs eat her breakfast and after her dinner, and eat at other times that day as cheerfully as ever she did, and from this course of Physic (yet to be continued) she grows fat and cheerful to the admiration of all her friends and acquaintance, and many eminent persons from the court and others do daily see her, from the 25th the putrefactive matter as green as grass, and grosser than the white of an egg.  
— Gircum the Grandchild of Mrs. Brown at the blew-Boar in High-Holborne aged 18 years or thereabouts under a violent Falling-sickness, 7 years falling 10 17 and never less than 4 times in 24 hours, and three persons usually to supress the violence of his convulse, cured by me in six days of Medicine according to the former method, about 10 or a 11 months ago free from all Symptoms of that disease, and all others, and clearly altered for the better in the whole figure of his Body.  
My dearest friend Col. Robert Werden of the Bedchamber to his Royal Highness cured of the Gout, general obstructions, and a twenty years continual cramp in 24 hours.  
The Lady Freeman wife to Sr. George Freeman, cured in 2 days of medicine of the Scurvy, Dropsy, & Gout, in one knee, she being at that time with child.  
My loving Friend Mr. William pain cured of the Gout in 24 hours, and went abroad the day following, who usually lay by it a month.  
Mr. Adam's a Brewer in St Thomas Apostles, Southwark, cured of the Gout in 2 days of Medicine, and many others of that disease.  
Sr. John Denham Knight of the Bath, His Majesty's Surveyour general for his buildings under the great affliction of the Convulse and Gout, freed by me from the first (after the trial) of many eminent persons, and much abated in the second in three days of medicine, and might have been perfectly cured long ago, if he had pleased.  
Sr. George Freeman Kt. of the Bath, son of Sr. Ralph Freeman the most remarkable Patient of England, sixteen years under the great affliction of active pains from head to foot, convulsion, tumour of his side, obstruction of his lungs, etc. in all that time in constant Physic under several eminent persons to his great expense and hundred times wishing himself dead, as not only by his verbal relation, but by his letters appeared cured in ten days to great admiration. Madam Katherine Needham daughter of the late Lord Kilmurry under a Tympany of 7 years' continuance, and for 3 weeks of every month in a dying condition by reason of violent obstructions, the first day of Medicine sunk not only one handful, but likewise freed from 150 hard Kernels on her belly which the Physic from others could never reach, and in half the course of her cure, often declared herself to be so miraculously well as not desiring to be better, and is now well, living in Cheshire. Mrs. Elizabeth Booth, daughter of Sr. John Booth, cured in 6 hours of a Surfeit. Henry Clerk, servant to the late Lady Byron cured of a violent fever, unable through extremity of pain to rise out of bed or open his eyes in 6 hours.  
— Dively, servant to the same Lady. under a violent pestilential fever, Lunacy & weakness & given over as dead, perfectly cured in 24 hours a piece.  
Mr. Henry Brunk●●d of the Bedchamber to his Royal Highness cured of obstructions of the stomach and violent pains in 24 hours. Captain Randall Moulton and man 〈◊〉 persons of Southwark cured of obstructions, Fevers, Agues, Lunacies, &c, according as there several distempers were in 24 hours. Mr. Charles Arth● 〈◊〉 ●am●●● House in R●t●orife, himself, wife and 4 children, cured of Agues and violent Fevers with Lunacies in 24 hours a piece when some off the 〈◊〉 ●ere given over as dead, The wife of one Becket a O●diner in the foresaid place troubled with great obstructions of her stomach, and violent pain 〈◊〉 head, to the extremity of running her head against the wall perfectly cured in 24 hours, and so continues.  
Anne Nichols the wife of John Nichols Soap-boiler, in Glene-alley in S. T●oly's street in Southwark, poisoned by an ill prepared Medicine taken from I know not whom, ●●der so great a salivation, six months continuing in that distemper, so much passing from her every night as would wet a sheet; as she relates her jaw 〈◊〉, her mouth Ulcerated, her face swollen, troubled with intolerable pains and thousands of worms, in that great quantity daily passing from her stom●●●● almost to a Suffocation, daily wishing herself in hergrave, after the experiment of some eminent men and highest trials of Art, in the Hospital of S. Thomas in Southwark, where her teeth were forced open by an instrument, and a gold ring being by herself put into her mouth to procure ease, was ●●●isibly consumed within 48 hours, by the virulency of the poison, and of all this cured in 48 hours being 2 days of Medicine, and the very poison brought out by the distinction of her palate. Mr. Haugh-ton in Crown Court over against St. Clement's, troubled with a Dropsy, his Members swollen as 〈◊〉 as a child's head of 2 years old, and other parts proportionably, cured in 6 days, and still continues well, the cure being many months since. George Mors of Rose and Crown Court in Grayes-Inn-lane troubled with a violent Dropsy, not making water in 3 weeks and 4 days, but as drops from a qui●● and given over as incurable by some eminent Artists, cured in five days, and is at present as well as any man, and as many others of these distempers. Mr. Lewis at the Dolphin near the Gatehouse, in Westminster 9 months under a violent Scurvy and Dropsy, and had been the Patient of several eminent Artists of this City, and by them left as a dying man, insensible in hands, arms, legs and feet, breast and belly having received the rights of the Church was desired to send for me, and cured in ten days, and is at this present in perfect health, and restored to the perfect use of all the aforesaid members. Mr. Thomas a Cheesemonger, at broken cross in Westminster; And Mr. Morton at the Fox near the new Chapel at Westminster both of a deep Consumption and Cough, the first cured in 4 days of Physic, the second I leave to the satisfaction of enquiry as being most remarkable.  
The Wife of the aforesaid Mr. Thomas under great obstructions and weakness in knees and legs, cured in six hours, and at that time some months gone with Child, and will I am confident have a fairer child and better delivery then in all her life.  
Mr. John Redding in so deep a Consumption and Cough, that I refused to give him medicine till prevailed on by the importunity of his sister Mistress Mills in ●●own Court next door to my house, cured in two days of medicine and continues well, he was cured about 4 months ago.  
Mistress Shue the wife of Mr. Shue a Strong-waterman near the King's Bench in Southwark, under a violent Surfeit, bloody Flux and Griping of the Guts, going to sto●● 14, 15, or 16 times in an hour for 6 days, and having been in the hands of others, was cured by me in 5 days, being 2 days of medicine. My honoured friend Justice Peck of Westminster, and his Lady cured of their several distempers, and one of his grandchildren of the Yellow Jandies in one day 〈◊〉 For my cure of an ulcerated Leg and remains of Mercury after many month's affliction to the patient, I leave to the judgement of the Physician 〈◊〉 patient the parties have been. Mr. John powel, an ingenuous Chirurgeon near M. Shelberies' an Apothycary in the Strand under a violent Ague six years, with some intermissions, yet so weak and low, having tried all means, was cured, and the moving Cause carried off in 24 hours, many month's sin● 〈◊〉 Mr. Cerby a Carpenter living in Loins-Alley in Bishopsgate-street, the most afflicted patient I ever met, from the remains of a two years' Ague, lying 〈◊〉 a ditch in Finesbury-fields weary of his life, providence sending me that way, I gave him medicine next day and perfectly cured him in 24 hours' 〈◊〉 miracle and is well to this day, he was cured many moan this since.  
These cures an● many hundred more in this City, together with my constant practice in Derbyshire for four years and a half, being considered by all rational and un●yassed men may make it appear a modest proposition for a Chemist (who hath been a sufferer to misery and ruin in the late War for the King to 〈◊〉 in the sight of all the world without ostentation or vanity to make trial of 〈◊〉 skill with the most considerable of the Galenist party in the most de●●●ate diseases professing that I would rather at any time have such patients on whom they have experimented, than such as never took medicine an● 〈◊〉 let the world see that this is not done for lucre of money, I never did nor never will turn my back up on the poorest patients though many hundreds in a year, but in charity have as tender a care of them, as of the wealthiest persons, and will when I shall be required administer in their common hospitals to their most desperate patients if curable by the Art of medicine, without regard to the dictory or other usual impositions, and will likewise undertake to cure the Plague in six hours. And to conclude though all my medicines be as safe as the most harmless Milk I do declare in the pres●●●● of the all-seeing God, that I never administer to any person but with an aching Heart and trembling Hand, from an awful reverence to the great treator of all things, who is pleased to intrust me the lowest of his servants, with so great secrets faithfully extracted from the meanest of his creature● whose blessings on all my endeavours I shall ever beg.  
From my Labaratory over against St. Clement's Church in the Strand. Licenced, 〈◊〉 28, 1664. Roger L'Estrange.