k　as　to　use　so　foolish　a　proverb。
  ＇Signed＇　GULIELMUS　SNELLING。〃
  Notwithstanding　this　confession　and　apology；　the　record　tells　us　that　〃William　Snelling　in　his　presentment　for　cursing　is　fined　ten　shillings　and　the　fees　of　court。〃
  I　will　mention　one　other　name　among　those　of　the　Fathers　of　the　medical　profession　in　New　England。　　The　〃apostle〃　Eliot　says；　writing　in　1647；　〃We　never　had　but　one　anatomy　in　the　country；　which　Mr。　Giles　Firman；　now　in　England；　did　make　and　read　upon　very　well。〃
  Giles　Firmin；　as　the　name　is　commonly　spelled；　practised　physic　in　this　country　for　a　time。　　He　seems　to　have　found　it　a　poor　business；　for；　in　a　letter　to　Governor　Winthrop；　he　says；　〃I　am　strongly　sett　upon　to　studye　divinitie：　my　studyes　else　must　be　lost；　for　physick　is　but　a　meene　helpe。〃
  Giles　Firmin's　Lectures　on　Anatomy　were　the　first　scientific　teachings　of　the　New　World。　　While　the　Fathers　were　enlightened　enough　to　permit　such　instructions；　they　were　severe　in　dealing　with　quackery；　for；　in　1631；　our　court　records　show　that　one　Nicholas　Knopp；　or　Knapp；　was　sentenced　to　be　fined　or　whipped　〃for　taking　upon　him　to　cure　the　scurvey　by　a　water　of　noe　worth　nor　value；　which　he　solde　att　a　very　deare　rate。〃　　Empty　purses　or　sore　backs　would　be　common　with　us　to…day　if　such　a　rule　were　enforced。
  Besides　the　few　worthies　spoken　of；　and　others　whose　names　I　have　not　space　to　record；　we　must　remember　that　there　were　many　clergymen　who　took　charge　of　the　bodies　as　well　as　the　souls　of　their　patients；　among　them　two　Presidents　of　Harvard　College；　Charles　Chauncy　and　Leonard　Hoar；and　Thomas　Thacher；　first　minister　of　the　〃Old　South；〃　author　of　the　earliest　medical　treatises　printed　in　the　country；＇A　Brief　Rule　to　Guide　the　Common　People　in　Small　pox　and　Measles。　　1674。＇　whose　epitaph　in　Latin　and　Greek；　said　to　have　been　written　by　Eleazer；　an　〃Indian　Youth〃　and　a　member　of　the　Senior　Class　of　Harvard　College；　may　be　found　in　the　〃Magnalia。〃　　I　miss　this　noble　savage's　name　in　our　triennial　catalogue；　and　as　there　is　many　a　slip　between　the　cup　and　lip；　one　is　tempted　to　guess　that　he　may　have　lost　his　degree　by　some　display　of　his　native　instinct；　possibly　a　flourish　of　the　tomahawk　or　scalping…knife。　　However　this　may　have　been；　the　good　man　he　celebrated　was　a　notable　instance　of　the　Angelical　Conjunction；　as　the　author　of　the　〃Magnalia〃　calls　it；　of　the　offices　of　clergyman　and　medical　practitioner。
  Michael　Wigglesworth；　author　of　the　〃Day　of　Doom；〃　attended　the　sick；　〃not　only　as　a　Pastor；　but　as　a　Physician　too；　and　this；　not　only　in　his　own　town；　but　also　in　all　those　of　the　vicinity。〃　　Mather　says　of　the　sons　of　Charles　Chauncy；　〃　All　of　these　did；　while　they　had　Opportunity；　Preach　the　Gospel；　and　most；　if　not　all　of　them；　like　their　excellent　Father　before　them；　had　an　eminent　skill　in　physick　added　unto　their　other　accomplishments；〃　etc。　　Roger　Williams　is　said　to　have　saved　many　in　a　kind　of　pestilence　which　swept　away　many　Indians。
  To　these　names　must　be　added；　as　sustaining　a　certain　relation　to　the　healing　art；　that　of　the　first　Governor　Winthrop；　who　is　said　by　John　Cotton　to　have　been　〃Help　for　our　Bodies　by　Physick　＇and＇　for　our　Estates　by　Law；〃　and　that　of　his　son；　the　Governor　of　Connecticut；　who；　as　we　shall　see；　was　as　much　physician　as　magistrate。
  I　had　submitted　to　me　for　examination；　in　1862；　a　manuscript　found　among　the　Winthrop　Papers；　marked　with　the　superscription；　〃For　my　worthy　friend　Mr。　Wintrop；〃　dated　in　1643；　London；　signed　Edward　Stafford；　and　containing　medical　directions　and　prescriptions。　　It　may　be　remembered　by　some　present　that　I　wrote　a　report　on　this　paper；　which　was　published　in　the　〃Proceedings〃　of　this　Society。　Whether　the　paper　was　written　for　Governor　John　Winthrop　of　Massachusetts；　or　for　his　son；　Governor　John　of　Connecticut；　there　is　no　positive　evidence　that　I　have　been　able　to　obtain。　　It　is　very　interesting；　however；　as　giving　short　and　simple　practical　directions；　such　as　would　be　most　like　to　be　wanted　and　most　useful；　in　the　opinion　of　a　physician　in　repute　of　that　day。
  The　diseases　prescribed　for　are　plague；　small…pox；　fevers；　king's　evil；　insanity；　falling…sickness；　and　the　like；　with　such　injuries　as　broken　bones；　dislocations；　and　burning　with　gunpowder。　　The　remedies　are　of　three　kinds：　simples；　such　as　St。　John's　wort；　Clown's　all…　heal；　elder；　parsley；　maidenhair；　mineral　drugs；　such　as　lime；　saltpetre；　Armenian　bole；　crocus　metallorum；　or　sulphuret　of　antimony；　and　thaumaturgic　or　mystical；　of　which　the　chief　is；　〃My　black　powder　against　the　plague；　small…pox；　purples；　all　sorts　of　feavers；　Poyson；　either；　by　Way　of　Prevention　or　after　Infection。〃　This　marvellous　remedy　was　made　by　putting　live　toads　into　an　earthen　pot　so　as　to　half　fill　it；　and　baking　and　burning　them　〃in　the　open　ayre；　not　in　an　house；〃concerning　which　latter　possibility　I　suspect　Madam　Winthrop　would　have　had　something　to　say；until　they　could　be　reduced　by　pounding；　first　into　a　brown；　and　then　into　a　black；　powder。　　Blood…letting　in　some　inflammations；　fasting　in　the　early　stage　of　fevers；　and　some　of　those　peremptory　drugs　with　which　most　of　us　have　been　well　acquainted　in　our　time；　the　infragrant　memories　of　which　I　will　not　pursue　beyond　this　slight　allusion；　are　among　his　remedies。
  The　Winthrops；　to　one　of　whom　Dr。　Stafford's　directions　were　addressed；　were　the　medical　as　well　as　the　political　advisers　of　their　fellow…citizens　for　three　or　four　successive　generations。　　One　of　them；　Governor　John　of　Connecticut；　practised　so　extensively；　that；　but　for　his　more　distinguished　title　in　the　State；　he　would　have　been　remembered　as　the　Doctor。　　The　fact　that　he　practised　in　another　colony；　for　the　most　part；　makes　little　difference　in　the　value　of　the　records　we　have　of　his　medical　experience；　which　have　fortunately　been　preserved；　and　give　a　very　fair　idea；　in　all　probability；　of　the　way　in　which　patients　were　treated　in　Massachusetts；　when　they　fell　into　intelligent　and　somewhat　educated　hands；　a　little　after　the　middle　of　the　seventeenth　century：
  I　have　before　me；　while　writing；　a　manuscript　collection　of　the　medical　cases　treated　by　him；　and　recorded　at　the　time　in　his　own　hand；　which　has　been　intrusted　to　me　by　our　President；　his　descendant。
  They　are　generally　marked　Hartford；　and　extend　from　the　year　1657　to　1669。　　From　these；　manuscripts；　and　from　the　letters　printed　in　the　Winthrop　Papers　published　by　our　Society；　I　have　endeavored　to　obtain　some　idea　of　the　practice　of　Governor　John　Winthrop；　Junior。　　The　learned　eye　of　Mr。　Pulsifer　would　have　helped　me；　no　doubt；　as　it　has　done　in　other　cases；　but　I　have　ventured　this　time　to　attempt　finding　my　own　way　among　the　hieroglyphics　of　these　old　pages。　　By　careful　comparison　of　many　prescriptions；　and　by　the　aid　of　Schroder；　Salmon；　Culpeper；　and　other　old　compilers；　I　have　deciphered　many　of　his　difficult　paragraphs　with　their　mysterious　recipes。
  The　Governor　employed　a　number　of　the　simples　dear　to　ancient　women；　elecampane　and　elder　and　wormwood　and　anise　and　the　rest；　but　he　also　employed　certain　mineral　remedies；　which　he　almost　always　indicates　by　their　ancient　symbols；　or　by　a　name　which　should　leave　them　a　mystery　to　the　vulgar。　　I　am　now　prepared　to　reveal　the　mystic　secrets　of　the　Governor's　beneficent　art；　which　rendered　so　many　good　and　great　as　well　as　so　many　poor　and　dependent　people　his　debtors；…　at　least；　in　their　simple　belief；for　their　health　and　their　lives。
  His　great　remedy；　which　he　gave　oftener　than　any　other；　was　nitre；　which　he　ordered　in　doses　of　twenty　or　thirty　grains　to　adults；　and　of　three　grains　to　infants。　　Measles；　colics；　sciatica；　headache；　giddiness；　and　many　other　ailments；　all　found　themselves　treated；　and　I　trust　bettered；　by　nitre；　a　pretty　safe　medicine　in　moderate　doses；　and　one　not　likely　to　keep　the　good　Governor　awake　at　night；　thinking　whether　it　might　not　kill；　if　it　did　not　cure。　　We　may　say　as　much　for　spermaceti；　which　he　seems　to　have　considered　〃the　sovereign'st　thing　on　earth〃　for　inward　bruises；　and　often　prescribes　after　falls　and　similar　injuries。
  One　of　the　next　remedies；　in　point　of　frequency；　which　he　was　in　the　habit　of　giving；　was　（probably　diaphoretic）　antimony；　a　mild　form　of　that　very　active　metal；　and　which；　mild　as　it　was；　left　his　patients　very　commonly　with　a　pretty　strong　conviction　that　they　had　been　taking　something　that　did　not　exactly　agree　with　them。　　Now　and　then　he　gave　a　little　iron　or　sulphur　or　calomel；　but　very　rarely；　occasionally；　a　good；　honest　dose　of　rhubarb　or　jalap；　a　taste　of　stinging　horseradish；　oftener　of　warming　guiacum；　sometimes　an　anodyne；　in　the　shape　of　mithridate；the　famous　old　farrago；　which　owed　its　virtue　to　poppy　juice；　＇This　is　the　remedy　which　a　Boston　divine　tried　to　simplify。　　See　Electuarium　Novum　Alexipharmacum；　by　Rev。　　Thomas　Harward；　lecturer　at　the　Royal　Chappell。　　Boston；　1732。　This　tract　is　in　our　Society's　library。＇　very　often；　a　harmless　powder　of　coral；　less　frequently；　an　inert　prescription　of　pleasing　amber；　and　（let　me　say　it　softly　within　possible　hearing　of　his　honored　descendant）；　twice　or　oftener；let　us　hope　as　a　last　resort；an　electuary　of　millipedes；sowbugs；　if　we　must　give　them　their　homely　Engl