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DEP/DUA/1/40/55 (Normalised version)
Helen Adam
1786
No 10th November 17th 1786
Helen Adam at 48 a married woman who has had several children, & of an unhealthy appearance was seized about three weeks ago with the sensation of a ball rising in her right side & from thence gradually ascending towards her stomach. It then produces a discharge of flatus which is followed by sickness & vomiting. The matter discharged is of a black colour & extremely bitter taste. These symptoms are attended with constriction & twisting as she expresses it of her stomach & bowels, & with a cold fit succeeded by heat & sweating which commonly lasts twenty four hours & goes off leaving her much weakened. Pulse not to be distinctly felt in either arm. Appetite much impaired. Skin cool. Belly at present pretty regular. She has been now attacked for the third time with a repetition of the above symptoms at three or four days interval between each & between her first & last attacks she had no stool, including a space of upwards of eight days. About a week ago she had a motion in her belly. The matter discharged was very black & of an highly offensive smell. And at present she complains only of frequent discharge of wind from the stomach but it never passes downwards. She is also affected with loss of appetite & sleeps ill. She knows no cause for her symptoms. She has used some of the Oil Mentha Piperita but without benefit. She always enjoyed good health before this Cap. Pil. Foetid cum Aloe grV om. m. & v. November 25. The pills keep her belly open. She has had no return of vomiting & no sensation of the ball rising in her side. She had an eruption on her skin which continued out for two days, & has now disappeared. It was not attended with any aggravation of symptoms. Cont. Pil. Foetid. u. a. December 2. Has generally three stools a day from the pills & is not now affected with any sense of the ball. But she complains much of soreness at stomach Cont. Pil. Foetid sed cap. grV 16. Is now free from all her symptoms. Dismissed.
