John Pechey, The London Dispensatory, Reduced to the Practice of the London Physicians. Wherein are Contain’d The Medicines, both Galenical and Chymical, That are now in Use (London, 1694\n\nJohn Pechey, The London Dispensatory, Reduced to the Practice of the London Physicians. Wherein are Contain’d The Medicines, both Galenical and Chymical, That are now in Use (London, 1694) In the seventeenth century, ‘chymical’ medicines, derived from substances such as mercury, sulphur, and antimony, began to increase in popularity over traditional ‘Galenic’ medicines made of plants, herbs, and animal products. This practical book includes recipes for making both sorts of medicines, including a syrup of steel made from steel filings, wine, and sugar, for ‘Hypochondriak Melancholly’. This book is based on the Pharmacopoeia Londinensis compiled by the Royal College of Physicians as the official manual of medical preparations that could be dispensed by apothecaries. Pechey’s version included explanations of which remedies treated which diseases, and an index of diseases and symptoms.

The Syndics of Cambridge University Library (Hh.19.17/1)