A Short Account of Blurton-Spaw-Water, with some plain Directions, and necessary Rules for the more efficacious Drinking of it.  
THIS Paper being chief designed for the meanest Readers, I shall deliver myself in as few, and plain words, as the subject Matter will allow, hoping by several more Experiments made, and observed of this Mineral Water, hereafter by others, as well as myself, that Learned and Inquisitive Persons, (or any others that dislike this Propter Authorem) may receive a more large and suitable Satisfaction in deeper Notions, from some other more Learned and Philosophical Pen: And in the mean time, these plain Directions have been desired by some, and perhaps may be acceptable, and useful to most sorts of Persons, that flock to this Spa; therefore not regarding the Cenfures of the Momy's, observing Method, the better to be understood, I shall,  
First tell you from what Minerals, (as learned Physicians, and other Philophical Men do affirm) this Water doth receive its Medicinal Virtues. Secondly, I shall endeavour to answer an Objection thrown abroad against it. Thirdly, I shall tell you its Virtues, and in what Distempers it hath done, and in all probability it may do good. Fourthly, You shall have the best Method and Manner how to drink it, without any Prejudice to your Bodies.  
First, The Minerals (upon Trials and Experiments) which are very strong in this Water, are Sulphur Flowers, and Iron Other, which unite into an imperfect Vitriol in the Water, that is (more plainly) chief Steel, some Sulphur, and a little Copper intermixed; which two last gives the Vomiting and Purging quality, this Water is so excellently endued with, and from the Iron and Steel it works so strongly by Urine. Now, to illustrate this (for the satisfaction of the Inquisitive and Learned) not only have I tried, and often found it (and many others) to turn with a few Grains of Gills into a deep Purple colour at the Well, and at my own House; but also it turned so at Litchfield after their Carriage, and Keeping many days; some Bottles being sent to the Learned Sir John Floyer, Knt. and Doctor of Physic, who caused others, besides himself, to drink of it there; and by standing sometime in a Glass, a blevish Skin appears on the top of the Water, and hence saith Sir John (in his Letters to me) we may conclude, that this Water hath the same Minerals, as the common Chalybeate Waters have.  
But moreover there is this singular in this Water, from all others that are Chalybeate, that by Spirit of Hartshorn dropped into it (at Litchfield, and many other places) it precipitated green Clouds and Sediment, (very pleasant to the Beholders) and not of an yellow Other colour, as other Chalybeate Waters do, neither will it turn green with Syrup of Violets, as other Chalybeate Waters use to do, but gives a green Tincture to old rusty Iron put into it; by which Experiments, and also by its Purging Faculty, it is believed that something of Copper is contained in the Pyrites, or Firestone, which furnish the Water, with its strong Chalybeate taste, from the Sulphur and Iron Ocher all Pyrites contain. Upon these Experiments 'tis adjudged to be stronger than the Waters of Quarne, Bromish, Poles worth, or Astrop; nay, some Learned Men at the Well have affirmed it stronger than Tunbridge, and may be compared with Scarborough Spa, which purges as this doth, and therefore must needs have greater Success, than most other Steel Waters in England.  
Secondly, The Objection is, 'tis a Coal pit-water, draining dry through a Slough or Gutter, some Coal-pits, as well as the Iron Stone pits, on Mere Heath, therefore unwholesome.  
Answ. The same Objection is made against the Waters of Polsworth and Bromich, which are near Coal-pits also, and yet experience has proved them, (as saith Sir John in a late Letter to me) both to be useful and innocent: It is the Pyrites, or Firestone, (found in Beds, in getting of Coal or Ironstone, through which the Water runs) gives the Chalybeate Tincture to the Water; for if a little Pyrites be put into a Glass of fair Water, in a few Minutes (as often as it hath been tried) it gives a Steel taste to the Water, and by adding Galls to the same Glass, it turns of a deep Purple in a small time. Moreover, Chalybeat Springs lie shallow, and are often spoiled by digging into, and therefore come not from the Coal which lie deep, and the Firestone which gives the Chalybeat Virtue) lies very much above the Coal, as Miners inform us; furthermore, neither Ironstone nor Coal can be dissolved in Water; the last being a Sulphurous Oily Bitumen, cannot mix with Water no more than Oil can; and being no Sulphurous stinking smell is found in Water, it is plainly evident it hath no ill quality from the Coals: Beside there is no such noxious quality in Coal (as the Objectors imagine) as appears by warming Drink with a red hot Coal, as many Countrymen use to do, and others light their Tobacco with it, without prejudice, and easily taste the Sulphurous Acid in it, and believe its good for the Lungs; and this sure is sufficient to  any Timorous (if Rational) Person.  
Thirdly, I design not to erect a Creature of my own, by extolling the Virtues of this Water, so as to be accounted the Author of their Fame; but seeing it is a stronger Steel-water, I shall, for the Benefit of our Country, set down a Catalogue of some Distempers, for which you may expect Remedy by the use of it.  
It is a very clear Water, and that is a peculiar Advantage to it; It hath to my knowledge cured the Green-Sickness in several Virgins, brought away Worms from Children, Gravel and Stones from many Men, and helped Pissing of Blood, bravely helped a Gentlewoman of great Quality of an ill Habit of Body, with Hysterical Maladies: Another good Gentlewoman (under my care) of a hot splenetical Habit of Body, and Hectical in the first degree; greatly efficatious in the Scurvy, as Mr. Atherly, Mr. Barber, and others can testify; it procured to all that drank it regularly, a good Appetite, and amended the Colour in women's Faces, etc.  
By this it appears to be a great Opener of Obstructions, the causes of most Diseases. It purges the Bowels by siege, the Mesentery, Liver, Reins, etc. by Urine, carrying off, destroying and sweetening any Corrosive, Sour, and Scorbutic Salts in the Blood, thereby cleansing and purifying the same: With some it purged so much, as if it would leave nothing to pass by Urine; and yet passed so plentifully by Urine, as if it found no vent by Stool, scarce ever failing of purging (except in exceeding constipated Bodies, and in such as drank but two or three Pints for Pleasure or Company) turning the Excrements of all into a sad Green, or Blackish colour, as all Steel-waters and Medicines do: It Vomits also, as I observed in many, besides myself, who often drank it for trials sake.  
To be positive in its Virtues till more Experimental Histories have given the Country satisfaction, were to extenuate the reality of the Premises; but from its Mineral Principles, it justly may be recommended to be used in the hot Scurvies, Jaundice, Incipient Dropsies. Hectical and Hysterical cases, the White Flux, and Bleedings at the Nose; in Diseases of the Breast or Lungs, that need or can admit Purgation; in Vomitings, decayed Appetites, and Indigestion; in Diseases of the Head, as Convulsive cases, Falling-Sickness, etc. and in Nervous Cases, as Tremble, Palsies, old Rheumatisms, Palpitation of the Heart, Flatus, Hypochondriack Melancholy, and colics arising from a hot cause: In old Gonorrhea's and Claps ill cured, Ulcers of the Kidneys or Bladder, Diabetes, Strangury, Sharpness of Water: Outwardly it must needs be good in all Ulcers, Sore Eyes, Scorbutic running Sores, Wildfires, Ring worms, Kings-Evil, Scabs, Itch, Cankers, and in Scorbutic Sores of the Mouth and Gums.  
Fourthly, Tho' those that are in perfect Health, (that come for pleasure) may drink it without any hurt to their Bodies, yet it may harm such as are sickly, if not used aright; and it's impossible to direct so, as to answer every Man's particular case: But a preparation of the Body, by purging, may be necessary, and safe in most Maladies, to make way for the Water: And bleeding some few days before (or after) drinking, especially in Plethorical Bodies, or hot Maladies, may be very profitable; for by it, Obstructions will sooner yield to the Water: And purging once in ten or fourteen days (as I did some Patients the last Summer) may be proper in some cases, as may the taking some Alteratives, and appropriated Medicines, relating to the part Affected, or to the Nature or Complication of the Sickness. Therefore, understanding Persons that have distempered Bodies, do usually at Spaws, consult some Physician, whether the Water be proper or not for their Condition, etc. whereas in others, less discreet, and unadvisedly drinking of it, it may not do that good (but perhaps harm) as by a regular Method.  
Begin at six or seven a Clock in the Morning with two half pint Glasses (walking two or three Minutes betwixt them) then walk gently a quarter of an Hour, or something more, then take two more Glasses, and your Walk as before, so repeat your Glasses the first Morning with your Walks, till you have taken eight or nine Glasses at most, and so walk or ride gently, till the Water is passed off, which may be in two or three hours' time, after the last Glass, that is by twelve or one of the Clock.  
The days following increase your quantity, by one or two Glasses each Morning, till you come to 12, 14, or 16 Glasses (which will be six, seven, or eight pints) as you are advised too, or as it passes off, and you can bear it: And after you are come up to the just number of Glasses you intent, you may hold to that number every Morning a week, or more days, if your case require it, or you may decrease, daily abating one Glass, till you come to the number you begun with, or rather under, and so leave off; taking a Purge after it, as may be proper in some, tho' not in all Cases and Bodies.  
Remember not to walk too fast thither, nor drink too fast, nor walk too fast home again after it, so as to heat or sweat; for thereby the Water is forced into the Habit of the Body, and hinders its working off through the Bowels; and this is one great cause of such Itchings, Pimples, and Breakings-forth, as many the last Summers complained off.  
If the Stomach chill at them, and grow nauseous, a bit of a Stomachical Lozenge, Candid-Orange, Lemmon-Peel, Mint-Cake, or a few Carraway Comfits may be chewed now and then, but the less the better: And if any have such weak Stomaches they cannot fast till Dinner, at twelve or one of the Clock, a Mess of warm Broth or Gruel will be exceeding proper for them at ten or eleven. Eat Salt and Fried Meat, Salads, Cheese, exercise gently after Dinner; sleep not, nor drink hard, but remember Temperance in all things.  
As to the time of the year to drink, 'tis usually from mid-May, till the end of August; the hotter, and drier the Season is the better. A fortnight's time to drink them regularly may be the shortest, some Bodies and Distempers may require three Weeks, others a Month or more; Mr. Barber drank it six Weeks complete in the two last Summers.  
This Water, as many can testify, has been carried six, ten, and many more Miles in Bottles, kept three or four days, drank, and worked off very well, and so fetched fresh every third or fourth day for three weeks together; inquire of John Licet, of Hopton, who drank it older than ever I yet heard of with great Success; but purius ex ipso fonte bibuntur Aquae: 'Tis most efficatious no doubt when drank at the Well.  
To conclude (Brevity having been my aim) I hope if any meet with help by the use of this Water, they will be so gratefully Ingenious to it, as to confess it to me, or some other Physician or Friend, so that the Virtues of it may be grounded on Matter of Fact and Observations: And if the poorer sort of People that come to this Spa, where (Deo volente) I often shall be, require my Advice, I shall be ready to give it them Gratis, as I am bound in Conscience to do, and that as carefully, as to any other of our Country, to whom I am  
New-Castle-under-line, Mar. 30. 1694. A Friend and Servant, Will. Westmacott.   

SIR,  
I Freely give my Recommendation of Blurton-Water to all my Countrymen for the Curing those Distempers mentioned in your Paper, so that they fitly prepare themselves before Drinking by proper Physic, and follow your Directions in your Paper, while they pursue the course of drinking the Water; and I question not, but your publishing your Account of these Waters, will be very useful, for the making them more known to all our Patients in our Country, and those of our Profession will give you their thanks, for the communicating the Trials and Experiments you have made about them, for which I shall upon all occasions return you mine, who am,  
Litchfield, Feb. 16. 93. SIR, Your Faithful, and Humble Servant, John Floyer.   

London: Printed for William Bateman, Apothecary in Stone, in Stafford-shire, who is entrusted to take any Observations from any Ingenious or Distempered Persons, that make Trials of this Spa.