DEP/DUA/1/39/43 (Normalised version)

Helen Craw

1786

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N^o39. March. 10^th. 1786

Helen Craw at 24 unmarried is subject to fits in which she suffers a total abolition of sense foams at the mouth & is convulsed in all her limbs & in the muscles of her eye so that they roll in a frightful manner. These fits are immediately preceded by sickness, nausea & vomiting

When they go off she groans & sighs very heavily for some time & there is a great discharge of flatus both upwards & downwards & for many hours she is distressed with violent headache depression of spirits & aversion to food particularly fluids. Her face too is affected with swelling & redness for two days after the fit. These are increased by exposure to cold but are unattended by heat or pain. She has no warning of her fits. She never feels anything like the globus hystericus but is often distressed with flatus. Pulse about 80 of natural strength. Tongue clean. Thirst, appetite & belly natural. Catamenia regular. She has been subject to the above for two years & thinks they originated from a severe shock she received from sea bathing in extremely cold weather. They used to recur every month but lately only once in five weeks. And now they observe an interval of six weeks

She was formerly healthy & none of her relations are subject to nervous diseases. She used some Pills at first which seemed to keep off the fit for ten weeks at one time. But she has not taken any of them lately. She has been taking the Pil e Cupro for three months with benefit as she thinks

Cap. Pil e Cupro. i. om. m. & vesp.

18 Has no sickness from [illegible] no fits. Cont Pil ii. bis indies

25. Has no sickness from the pills and no return of fit.

Cont. Pil e Cupro sed cap. Pil. ii ter de die.

April 1. Has no uneasiness from the augmented dose of the pills & has had no return of Fit.

Cont. Pil. e Cupro u. a.

8. Has no sickness from the Pills & continues free from any return of fits or other uneasiness.

Cont. Pil. e Cupro. u. a

15. Has no sickness from the pills & no return of fit. There has now been an interval of 9 weeks since the last fit.

Cont. Pil. e Cupro.

Remitted to Ordinary attendance