2-930-165 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Le Marchand d'orviétan ou l'opérateur Barri, c.1743. The Doctor's Visit, or "The Charlatan". Orviétan was a concoction of partially toxic herbs, wine, and dissolved honey, invented in the 17th century by Girolamo Ferrante of Orvieto. This "universal remedy" had great success in France, and was used as a panacea against poisonings with criminal intent, as well as against mushroom poisonings, snakebite, scorpion stings, bites by rabid animals, and the plague, despite it having no effective ingredients.