A 17th-century medical handbook advises men to put chicken manure on their scalps as a cure for baldness and offers other bizarre remedies for infertility, "stinking breath", head lice and aching breasts.

The Path-Way to Health, written by Peter Levens and published in London in 1654, was recently discovered among a collection of antiquarian books and is due to be auctioned by Bonhams in Oxford on Oct 9.