Bleeding was the first resort in a large majority of all diseases.

In the "Practice" of Ferrari there is scarcely a malady for which it is not recommended.

All remedies were directed to the regulation of the six non-naturals, and they either preserved health, cured the disease or did the opposite.

The most popular medicines were derived from the vegetable kingdom, and as they were chiefly those recommended by Galen, they were, and still are, called by his name.
Many important mineral medicines were introduced by the Arabians, particularly mercury, antimony, iron, etc.

There were in addition scores of substances, the parts or products of animals, some harmless, others salutary, others again useless and disgusting.