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DEP/DUA/1/47/50 (Normalised version)
John Miller
1790
No30th February 1st 1790
John Miller at 32 by trade a gardener, is frequently affected with fits of laborious respiration, which generally take place during the night, & attack him at irregular intervals. They are attended, with a peculiar whizzing noise, & give so much distress, that he is unable to lie in bed. They are also accompanied, particularly towards the termination of the paroxysm, with slight cough, & some expectoration Functions natural, & he is in other respects in good health These fits of dyspnoea, first attacked him, about four years ago, & after considerable irregularity, in their recurrence, appeared for some time, to cease entirely. On exposure to cold, they returned in August last, & have since that, attacked him almost every night with very few exceptions. He has at different times taken various medicines, which however have afforded him no material relief. Rx Aetheris Vitriol ʒ i Mucil. G. Arab. Ayr. Simp Ag. Font. aa ℥ii.Mcap ℥p bis indies & repet. ungenti dyspnoea. nee non Rx Zincum praecipitate gr V Pulv. Valer. Sylv. JiMcap. dos. [ejusm.] bis indies February 6 Has taken his medicines regularly without any inconvenience He is still attacked, with fits of dyspnoea every night. But of late they have been less severe, so that he has not been obliged to rise out of bed in the night. Cont. Med. u. a. 13. Had very severe fits of difficult respiration on the nights of Monday & Tuesday last, but has been much easier for three nights past. During that time he has had much cough with copious expectoration of a thin watery fluid. Cont. Med. u. a. 20 Has had no severe fit of difficult respiration since the last report, & at present complains only of cough attended with pretty copious expectoration. Cont. Med. u. a. 30 Has had no return of severe dyspnoea since the last report. And he has now but little cough. [Intim.] Mist Cont Zinc. March 6. Has had severe returns of the Dyspnoea, almost every night, since the last report, which he ascribes to foggy weather. Cont. Zincum praecipitate & Rep. Mist. u. a. 13. Has had several severe fits of dyspnoea which have principally attacked him about one or two in the morning & continued till eight or nine. But he has had no attack for these two days past, & he is at present free from other symptoms. Cont. Zincum praecipitate, & Mist cum Aether Vitriol. u. a. March 20th Was tolerably easy till last night, when he was attacked with a severe fit, which continued till 12 o’Clock to day But at present he is entirely free from any Dyspnoea. Cont. Med. u. a. 27. Has had a paroxysm almost every night since the last report, & is desirous of making a trial of St Bernards well1. Cont Med. April 3. Has regularly continued the water of St Bernards well, which he has taken to the extent of two bottles daily without any other affect than that of increasing the quantity of his urine but his fits have been less present & less severe. Cont. Aqua u. a
Explanatory notes:1) St Bernard’s Well can be found on the Water of Leith, between Dean Village and Stockbridge. This natural spring was discovered in 1760 and rapidly became popular with citizens of Edinburgh suffering from a variety of medical conditions. The building in the form of an Ancient Greek temple that now sits over the well was built in 1789. It surrounds a statue of Hygeia, the Greek goddess of health.
