or a New Dispensatory Contayning 70 approved Physical rare Receits. Most necessary and needfull for all sorts of people to have in their Families. Written by Salvator Winter and published in London in October 1649. It’s one of those books that claim to cure all ills and stop your hair falling out or going grey with a few pinches of pepper and a handful of herbs from the garden. It’s highly recommended! I particularly like A Medicine for the Squinsie: “Take the ashes of Centory, and the powder of white Dogs-turd, make it into a Plaister with Honey, spread it upon a cloth and lay it upon the griefe”. Nice.
Anyway, on the front cover appear a quack doctor and his assistant, presumably selling the concoctions described within. They are both dressed smartly in late 1640s short doublets and unconfined breeches. The Doc has his doublet open from halfway down so we can see the folds of his shirt and a tall-crowned felt hat, whilst his boy is bareheaded, showing his cropped hair, possibly marking him out as an apprentice.
The 1640s Picturebook 