New Experiments Upon Vipers — Chapter X (Modernized Transcript)

TL;DR

• This page provides a faithful, modernized transcript of Chapter X from New Experiments Upon Vipers (London: J. Martyn, 1673), the first English translation of Charas’s 1669 French treatise. Internet Archive catalog.
• Transcribed with GPT-5 Pro from the Internet Archive scan; the IA OCR is imperfect and the original uses 17th-c. spelling and typography. IA notes scanning/legibility issues. Archive item notes.
• The book sits within the famous Charas–Redi debate on viper venom, poison, and remedies in the 1660s–70s. Catellani 2004; EEBO/Redi 1673 entry.
• Original item, metadata, and full scan: Internet Archive edition (Duke Medical Heritage Library). Direct IA link.
• This transcript regularizes spelling/punctuation while preserving sense; recipe names and measures are retained; brief glosses supplied in footnotes where helpful.¹

“Those that know well to prepare this Volatile Salt of Vipers… may say that they have made some progress in their profession.”
— New Experiments Upon Vipers (1673), Chap. X

What this book is (and why it matters)#

Moyse (Moïse) Charas (1619–1698) was a renowned French apothecary whose Nouvelles expériences sur la vipère (Paris, 1669) argued for the therapeutic value of viper parts and engaged with contemporary questions about venom, poison, and antidotes. The English translation appeared in London in 1673 with printer/publisher John Martyn; the volume also includes a letter by Francesco Redi (Florence, 1670; Englished 1673) responding to objections about his own experimental work on vipers. Internet Archive catalog, metadata; WorldCat summary.

The Charas–Redi exchange is a classic early-modern episode at the intersection of experimental practice, materia medica, and medical theory, touching also on theriac/treacle and the long European fascination with viper-based remedies. Catellani 2004; NCBI Books (Griffin 2022) on theriac context.

Edition facts (for this transcript)#

Notes on this transcript#

• Process. This chapter was transcribed with GPT‑5 Pro from the IA scan because the publicly available OCR is degraded and the original uses 17th‑century orthography; obvious scanning artifacts and spacing have been corrected while holding close to the sense and sequence. IA item/notes.
• Policy. Proper names, measures (drachm, scruple, etc.), and recipe order are preserved; archaic terms are left as is. Minimal clarifying glosses are deferred to footnotes.¹
• Source. Please consult and cite the Internet Archive record for canonical pagination and images of the printed page. Internet Archive edition (1673).

Transcript — Chapter X (modernized orthography; verbatim from my prior rendering)#

CHAP. X.

Divers Remedies or Compositions, of which the Volatile Salt of Vipers is the Base or Ground

We had not undertaken to describe the virtues and the uses of the Volatile Salt of Vipers—no more than of the Fixed Salt and of the Oil that ariseth by distillation—if this book were written only for the skilful physician, who perfectly knows all, and especially the parts that may be drawn from the Viper. But being desirous to do a good office to such persons as have no knowledge thereof, or that, knowing it in part, have need to be directed, especially in the exhibition of this Volatile Salt, we judged it fit to conclude this book with the receipts of the chief compositions whereof this Volatile Salt may be the ground; which are not found in books, and may produce effects worthy of this salt.

And knowing that there are many curious persons who, having a great esteem for the Viper and its uses, make preparations thereof in private—following the receipts they find in books, which are sometimes well, sometimes ill prescribed or ill executed—we shall impart to them an Elixir of Vipers that shall be of great virtue, pleasant to the taste, easy of preparation, and of long duration.

An Elixir of Vipers#

Take four dozen hearts and as many livers of vipers, dried in the shade and reduced to powder; two drachms of good cinnamon; half a drachm of cloves, coarsely beaten. Put them into a strong glass bottle holding about two pints. Pour on it one pound of the Queen of Hungary’s water, one pound of melissa‑water (balm‑water), half a pound of orange‑flower water, and half a pound of rose‑water. Close the bottle exactly, and expose it to the sun forty days. After this, dissolve in the liquor one pound of fine sugar, and pass all through a clean bag. Put up this elixir in a bottle, and add to it half an ounce of the Volatile Salt of Vipers, well rectified, twelve grains of Levant musk, and as much of ambergris. Close the bottle exactly.

Use. Keep this elixir to take, in time of need, from half a spoonful to a whole spoonful. It may be taken in the morning upon an empty stomach, and at any hour, as necessity shall require. This medicine is very good and very convenient: it is not only proper against all poisons, against the ague, and against all contagious and epidemic diseases; it also fortifies all the noble parts, preserves the natural heat in good condition, and by this means its use much conduces to preserve health and to prolong life.

Another Elixir, of singular benefit (and particularly serviceable in the diseases of women)#

Take one ounce of good saffron; as much of fair myrrh; as much of aloes succotrina; and the same quantity of white amber; one drachm of the extract of opium, and as much of the extract of castor. Mingle your extracts in a little spirit of wine; pulverize all the rest, and put the whole together into a glass body. Pour upon it three pounds of spirit of wine, tartarized. Place the body in a bath of ashes; fit a head to it with its receiver, well luted together. Give a moderate fire, and draw from it about one half of the spirit of wine. Then unlute your vessels; decant the tincture that will swim above your powders—which will be found very much imbued with their qualities—and keep it by itself in a well-closed bottle.

Pour the spirit of wine which you have drawn off back upon the remainder in the body; fit again to it the head and the receiver, and draw again from it one half of the spirit of wine. Decant again the tincture swimming atop; mingle it with the first, and keep it likewise. Cohobate a third time the spirit of wine (drawn off) upon the remainder in the body; proceed as before; pour off the tincture swimming atop, and mingle it with the former. Then filter all three together, and pour the whole into a strong vial, adding to the whole one ounce of the Volatile Salt of Vipers, which will easily dissolve. Keep the whole thus mixed and well closed.

Dose. From ten to sixteen drops.

An Opiate of great efficacy for distempers of the brain#

Take half an ounce of the extract of the root and seed of female peony; and of the true mistletoe of the oak; and of that of betony‑flowers; and of that of clove‑gillyflowers—the same quantity of each. Add three drachms of the Confection of Alkermes of Mesue; three drachms of the Volatile Salt of Vipers; one drachm of the Volatile Salt of succinum (amber); two drachms and a half of prepared pearl, and as much of crabs’‑eyes prepared; three drops of oil of cinnamon, and as much of the oil of mace. Mingle all according to art, and make an opiate of it. Keep it in a pot of faience (a fine white earthenware) well closed.

Dose. From a scruple to a drachm.

An Opening and Laxative Opiate (for stubborn, long diseases caused by obstructions)#

Take of the conserve of tamarisk-flowers, of the conserve of the flowers of genista (Spanish broom), of that of marigold, and of that of the male peach-flowers, six drachms of each; half an ounce of the Volatile Salt of Vipers; as much of the extract of the ordinary iris-root; and as much of the extract of rhubarb; two drachms of the Fixed Salt of Vipers; as much of the mineral bezoar; and as much of the salt of wormwood; a drachm and a half of resin of scammony, and as much of the extract of colocynth; and one drachm of the powder of cinnamon. Mix all these together; and, adding as much as needs of the syrup of succory compounded with rhubarb, make an opiate.

Dose. From one drachm to two, and even three for stronger bodies.

Pills of near‑equal virtue, to be taken in a lesser quantity#

Take two drachms of the extract of aloes, made with the juice of the cleansed flowers of violets; two drachms of the extract of rhubarb; and two drachms of that of Levant‑senna; as much of the Volatile Salt of Vipers; as much of the resin of scammony; and as much of gum ammoniac in drops; one drachm of mineral bezoar, and the like quantity of the Fixed Salt of Vipers. Reduce all into a mass of pills.

Dose. From half a scruple to two scruples.

A Powder for the Stomach (against tenacious humors, nausea, and troublesome resentments)#

Take of coriander-seed (not prepared with vinegar, according to the ill way of the ancients, but such as is sold in good shops), of anise-seed, of sweet fennel-seed, and of the root of licorice, well scraped and dried, half an ounce of each; three drachms of the Volatile Salt of Vipers, and as much of crabs’-eyes prepared; two drachms of the Fixed Salt of Vipers, and as much of well-chosen cinnamon. Bring all to a fine powder, and add to it its weight, or, if you will, double its weight, of fine powdered sugar. Close this mixture in a glass vessel or in a fine white earthen pot, carefully sealed.

Dose. From half a spoonful to a whole spoonful, according as you have put more or less sugar to it. You may also add to the powder some drops of the oil of anise, and of the oil of cinnamon, and even of musk and ambergris.

The Volatile Salt in Sneezing Powders#

This Volatile Salt is to very good purpose mixed among sternutatory (sneezing) powders; for, besides that it penetrates exceedingly by its activeness, it also powerfully discharges the brain, and withal fortifies it. It may be mixed with the powders of betony, marjoram, rosemary, asarabacca, stœchas (French lavender), sage, and the like; not putting more than a sixth part of our Volatile Salt among these powders.

An Opiate to fortify the heart and noble parts, and to expel venom and impurities of the blood and solids#

Take two ounces of the conserve of gillyflowers; one ounce of the Confection of Alkermes, ambred and musked; six drachms of the Volatile Salt of Vipers, well rectified; half an ounce of the Confection of Hyacinth; as much of the Electuary of Diascordium; three drachms of the mineral bezoar; and of prepared pearl, of crabs’-eyes prepared, of the extract of angelica, and of that of carlina (carline thistle), the same quantity of each; two drachms of the salt of Carduus benedictus. Mix all together, and reduce it to an opiate, by adding to it some syrup of kermes or of clove-gillyflowers, as much as needs to give a good consistence to the composition. Keep it close for your occasions.

Dose. For a preservative, half a drachm at a time, in wine or in broth; but, in urgent sicknesses, a whole drachm, and even two drachms.

Of the Oil drawn by Distillation#

Those that will use the oil drawn by distillation may either employ it alone, or mingle it with an equal quantity of Unguentum Martiatum; and may even add to it the oils distilled of rosemary, sage, lavender, and the like.

Those who shall well consider these receipts will find therein not only a fit proportion in the dose of all the particulars, but also great cautiousness in mixing nothing with them that may destroy or change the nature of our Volatile Salt, which is the thing most to be avoided in the exhibition.

We might here add many other compositions whereof the Volatile Salt of Vipers may be the ground; but we have contented ourselves to deliver these for examples, knowing that there may be found divers others, good enough, in books; and esteeming it better to prepare them upon occasion according to exigency, and following the receipts which able physicians may prescribe thereof.

We have also explained ourselves sufficiently in all particulars. We would have been more large, if we had not apprehended we might exceed our bounds, and undertake things which might be thought to be beyond our reach, and to belong only to knowing physicians.

Those that know well to prepare this Volatile Salt of Vipers, and to unite it well with the volatile parts of plants, and with the sulphureous parts of certain minerals that are friendly to our nature, may say that they have made some progress in their profession. We labour daily, and wish ourselves able, in time, to impart something to the public that may be more accomplished.

FINIS.

FAQ#

Q1. What changed in this modernization?
A. Only spelling, capitalization, and obvious OCR/spacing artifacts; dosage terms, sequence, and ingredient names are preserved. Where terms may puzzle modern readers, brief glosses are provided in footnotes and sources for further reading.¹

Q2. Where can I read the original scan?
A. The complete 1673 English edition (with Redi’s letter and metadata) is freely available at the Internet Archive: see the Duke Medical Heritage copy.

Q3. How should I cite this page?
A. Cite Charas (1673) via the IA record for publication data; if quoting the modernization, credit this page as a derivative transcript (CC‑BY‑SA 4.0) and include the IA link.

Footnotes#

Sources#

• Internet Archive (Duke Medical Heritage Library). New experiments upon vipers (Charas, 1673) — item record & scan.
• Early English Books Online / University of Michigan. A letter of Francesco Redi concerning some objections made upon his Observations about vipers (London: J. Martyn, 1673) — catalog entry.
• WorldCat. A letter of Francesco Redi … together with the sequel of New experiments upon vipers (London: J. Martyn, 1673) — bibliographic record.
• Catellani, P. “Moyse Charas, Francesco Redi, the Viper and the Royal Society.” Internal and Emergency Medicine (2004). PubMed abstract.
• Griffin, C. “The Problems of the Flesh,” in Mixing Medicines: The Global Drug Trade and Early Modern Russia (2022). NCBI Bookshelf chapter.
• Folger Shakespeare Library. “John Ward’s Latin” (lexical notes incl. Unguentum Martiatum).