DEP/DUA/1/31/17 (Normalised version)

Stuart Ailison

(1782-1783)

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XXII

Stuart Ailison at 22 of a brown complexion & brown coloured hair but light eyes, inclining somewhat to corpulence is troubled with a hard bound & tickling cough with which he expectorates a white frothy & tough matter in small quantity

He has some dyspnoea which is increased on coughing laughing or any other action requiring a full inspiration. He is at the same time afflicted with a sense of soreness in his throat & the upper part of his breast. From reading aloud even for a short time he feels an oppression & uneasiness about the sternum which has sometimes extended to the Xiphoid cartilage

This uneasiness is not increased on pressure Pulse above 100 & full. Tongue, belly, appetite & thirst natural. He sleeps well his cough is most severe in the evenings & mornings. He has no cold shiverings, partial heats or night sweats.

He has followed the business of a type setter for five years with pretty good health till February last when he was affected with pain in the head followed by severe cough

These symptoms he attributed to having taken cold & continued at his business till the 4^th of April when he was alarmed by spitting some blood. Since that he has been out of business & lived [chiefly] in Fife near the Sea. But the Haemoptoe has occurred at intervals ever since. He has sometimes spit pure blood, sometimes his sputum has been only tinged with it. He was much with a brother who died of Pulmonary consumption in January last but he never slept in the same bed with him. On the first appearance of Haemoptoe he lost two tea cupfuls of blood from the Arm, had 8 leeches applied to his breast took Nitrous powders & drank Aniseed tea & infusion of liquorice with some temporary relief. He has had three blisters, one on the side another on his back & a third on the breast. This last was kept open for some time & he thought he derived benefit from it. Last week he took some powders with Nitre, Cream of Tartar & Gum Arabic & since he began their use he thinks his breathing is a little easier. It is now a fortnight since he spat any blood.