I Received your Letter, with your Desire to know what particular Specifick I had [...]bserved the Indians make most use of against Worms; and I must freely tell you, that I [Page 4] have often seen them give the Mexico Seeds, which powerfully expels them in Men, Women, and Children. The Seeds look like an Insect, o [...] sort of flat Worm it self, and is spotted like a Leopard; it is a sort of a Palma Christi, it resists the Putrefaction of Humours, and Purgeth the Stomach and Bowels, and drives ou [...] all sorts of Verminous Matter by Siege, which cause gnawing Pains in the Body.

The Deaths of more People is owing to Worms than is generally supposed, for they cause Vomiting, Loosness, Feavors, and wha [...] not.

I saw an Indian Doctor give a Medicin [...] made with these Seeds, which expell'd forty Worms at one time.

Many famous Physitians have of late Year in their Observations taken Notice, that i [...] most Distempers, especially Putrid and Malignant Feavors, there hath very much [...] Worms been a Cause, which hath made them prove more difficult to Cure, and generall [...] [Page 5] more Mortal; and a Curious Physitian tells the World, that with the help of Microscopes he had discerned in his Patients Blood, and sometimes in their Urine, many Animated Vermicles, and until he hath applyed himself to the use of Worm-matick Medicines, could perform no Cures; but upon the use of Me­dicines against Worms, he quickly perceived an Abatement of all Feavourish Symptons.

I knew a young Gentlewoman who had a great Pain in her Head, much Sickness at her Stomach, a very pale Countenance, want of Appetite, and a continual Feavourish Heat, and sometimes a Chillness in her Back, and a great Faintness. Many Means I applyed to mend her Blood, to cleanse her Stomach and to alter the Habit of her Body, but al [...] in vain; at length I gave her this Medicine in a Decoction of Bitter Herbs, about twen­ty Drops at a time every New and Ful [...] Moon; she sometimes took it in good Mum and now and then in Milk, with Lavender Cotton boiled in it, she voided many Worms and wonderfully recover'd.

[Page 6] A Maid Servant who had a gnawing Pain in her Stomach and Bowels, especially be­ing Hungry, a dry Cough, a Loathing, and sometimes Vomiting and Loosness, a Symp­tomatical Feavor, and Sleep often disturbed with horrible Dreams, starting and gnashing of Teeth: But notwithstanding all these for­midable Symptoms, I gave her the Tincture of these Seeds, and ordered her to take them in Wormwood-Wine, and she was restored to a perfect State of Health.

Many young Children have been destroy­ed by Worms, because they would not take bitter unpleasant Medicines; but this being given only in Drops, and insensibly convey­ed into their ordinary Drink, hath proved ve­ry successful towards the Preservation of their Lives, especially when Clysters have been administer'd made with Alloes and Worm­ [...]eeds boiled in Ale, and the Belly anointed with Oyl of Worms.

I knew a young Gentlewoman, who com­plaining [Page 7] very much of a great Pain in her Stomach, especially when she had at any time fasted, she dying very suddenly, her Brother (who was a Physitian) caused her Body to be opened, and to the great Won­der of the Spectators the Worms crawled a­bout in a strange manner, which gave abun­dant satisfaction as to the Cause of her Death.

If this Medicine had been known sooner, the Lives of thousands might have been sa­ved who made up the Numbers in your Yearly Bills of Mortality at London.