How Shakespeare Cleaned His Teeth and Cromwell Treated His Warts

The intriguing questions of cleanliness and health in seventeenth-century England.

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What was medicine like in the time of Shakespeare and Oliver Cromwell? How did Charles I cure a headache, or Samuel Pepys get rid of kidney stones? Katherine Knight opens up the delights of the Stuart medicine cabinet in this fascinating romp through seventeenth-century medicine and cosmetics. Documenting the all-important use of household substances and do-it-yourself remedies, this book looks at the emergence of modern medicine from everyday cures such as herbs, oils and foods.

Offering solutions for all sorts of nasty afflictions, from digestive disturbances to sexually transmitted diseases, it also describes how our seventeenth-century counterparts enjoyed the benefits of soap, moisturiser and toothpaste. With insights into the lives of those who lived in this remarkable period, Secrets of the 17th Century Medicine Cabinet is more than a medical history - it is an intimate investigation into the private lives of the spirited Stuarts.