DEP/DUA/1/19/10 (Transcript version)

Margaret Gordon

(1778-1779)

---

Margt Gordon.

Affect to which this patient subjectd may pron to be without any complic

While at same time is totally an obvious one.

Here can have no hesit in referring disease to order of impetig or cutan [affect]

But here some doubt with regard to genus to which are to referr it.

Have in formr case had occas to remark diffic taking place with respect these from alterat in app.

And this partic happens when attempt diagn between the two gener. known by title of Lepra & Herpes.

Here however if distinct to be made & if belongd to either would have been inclind to pron it an Herpet erup.

At least this opin favoured by many circum.

Is in support of such an opin that app in form of pimples.

That these pimples have red colour & disch a consid quantit of fluid.

And farther that from them there arises to very consid degree an itchy sensat.

But if these marks that is an [erupt] rather of herpet than of Leprous kind some reason to doubt whether are to [consid] it as belonging even to former.

In sever respects has a least a good deal the appear of the Psora or Itch.

And although this affect when occur to slight degree has very pecul & dist markd appear. yet in very obstin cases this somewhat changed.

Must also be allowed that itchy sensat at least as much a sympt of this affect as of Herpes.

And to these must add also anoth circum serv to corrob. this idea.

That is that a daughter of our patien who lives in house with her has nearly for same length of time been subj to same compl.

This then served to give presumpt. that had either derivd her disease from contag or that was capab of commun itself in that manner

In all these circum then some ground for suspect of Psora

Yet on other hand some partic which occurr as obj to it.

Although Psora may put on app of erupt, in case of our patient, yet but rarely happens

[illegible] sensat both more consid & more const. than here repres as being the case.

In by much greater number of inst yeilds to external use of Sulph. a pract which in this case ineffect.

To all this to be added, that by our patient herself ascribd to a diff cause viz cold.

And although in this may have been mist yet [her] compl tends in some [degr] to corrob what [drawn] from other circum

Upon whole then most disp to first opin

From this opin of nature can with less confid look for speedy termin.

For in most cases of Psora can with confid [premise] on cure by artif means & in no long time.

But although Herpes a more obstin affect often also overcome

And in many inst seems even to yeild to natural operat of syst without medic aid

No circum in appear of sympt of the case to lead us to imag. that in this inst will be partic obstin.

Seems already to consid degree to have yielded to meas employd.

Am therefore in hopes that patient may soon be in condit to be dismissd.

In this however will not greatly surprise me to find us disappoint

But if this case will at least be very much contrary to expect if affect turns out of danger. nature.

And in case of obstin many diff pract to which may have recourse.

Meas. hitherto taken in this case not such as commonly employd in affect of nature which suppose pres. to be.

Yet are pract, which in many inst will I imagine be found to afford both safe & success. cure.

Began treatm of this case as have already expressd with some doubt whether the affect to be consid as ex of Herpes or Psora

Thought it therfore most advis to have recourse to a remed in some meas adapt to both.

And was as such that had here recourse to intern use of Vitriol acid.

This remed for sever years employd in diff parts of Europe partic in gener. for cure of Psora.

When consider, the pract that has been so long used in that affect with success. cannot seem strange that this should have been suggested.

Disease well known in most inst to be success & exped overcome by means of sulphur.

And that sulphur has this affect both when taken internally & when externally applied cannot be doubted

In latter of these ways however is unquest. the most success.

And in this way may unquest [infer] that prod influ by immed action on the affected part.

Even in formr way am inclind to believe that operat to be expl on simil princip.

For there also have evid that in course of circulat penet to most dist parts of body.

And found even to exert pecul action on subst applied to surface as by [change] colour of silver in pocket.

Some indeed would have us to believe that this solely conseq. of vapour or [illegible] arising from stools.

But when consider that silver affectd in simil [manner] where there no access must considr suppos of its giving [taint] to perspir matter, or disch by surf. itself as much more probab.

From this than may inferr penet nature of active prin in Sulphr.

From chemic inquir however now found that at least by much the greatest part of sulphur in Vitriol acid.

And indeed is opin of best chemic writers that consists solely of this fluid united with prin of inflam.

In so much that informd on no less author than that of Dr Lewis that from 16 oz of Sulph. 15 oz. 7 dr. of acid obt.

From this then ground for suppos that advant derivd from sulph. might be obt. also from the artic entering it in so large proport.

Vitriol acid however does not seem to have been used against Psora till during course of last war.

Then first employd by Dr Cothen first phys. to armies of his Pr. [Majes].

Was by him advised to be taken internally in formula nearly the same with that which here directd for our patient

Princip with this differ that in place of comp. have used simple syrup.

Of theory of action of this artic cannot speak with any certainty.

May only observe that consider it to operate as well as Sulph from [entering] circul fluids & thus carried to disease parts exert. topic action.

That has effect on syst in this way evid from influ on some excret.

Partic on that disch by urine.

In as far then as is a remed for Psora may concl. that acts on this prin.

And that has effect in curing this disease confimd by observat of many other pract.

In my own pract have freq. had recourse to employm of it

And not without good effect.

Yet must acknowledge that as taken internally am inclind to look upon it as a less exped mode of cure than the Sulph. externally applied.

But if infer in this respect has superiorit in some other.

Have used it with greatest advant in cases appar Psora where [Sulphur] inadeq to prod cure.

And have found it also effic in some inst of other cutan diseases, which not to be consid as Psora but manif of Lep or Hepet kind.

From this consid then the rather led to trial in pres. inst.

And here exhib created at first some uneas at stomach from immed action on that viscus.

But this the affect only of first dose.

And after stomach once accust. to the impress. was no longer prod of same effect conseq

Had still however manif operat as encreasing quantit of urine.

And after contin for eight days erupt manif dimin.

With this dimin a sympt occurrd still more favour.

That is dimin of itchy sensation.

In this state naturally encouraged to persist in use of med.

And even disp to hope that without alterat or addit might be means of effect cure.

But soon after patient affected with other appear of which had not before compl.

While again affected with sickness at stomach from the mixt. compl. also of of consid uneasiness from costiv.

And was much distressd with cramps of legs.

As these sympt new to her was but naturall to referr them to the mixt.

Especially as had again some obvious effect as acting on alim canal.

And although formerly not attended with same conseq. yet by no means imp that might now proceed from it.

Although mixt orderd to be prep as formerly yet may have been made with diff bottle of acid.

May have accid entered mixt in larger propor.

Or from change in state of stomach may have been less able to bear it.

But if here prod these effects may at least say that have never before observd such conseq from it.

And rather inclind to look upon these as arising from some other accid cause escap. observat.

How far even cramps & constip connectd with each other by no means clear.

And may at least venture to pron. it as being a rare associat.

Yet no doubt, that in case of [Cholera] cramps do arise from impress on alim canal

And not imposs that may proceed from impress given, during bound as well as loose state.

But whether sympt connected or not, whether conseq of use of acid or of any other cause lookd upon this occurr. as suff to interup use of mixt.

And prin with view to obv. costiv sympt. by removal of costiv had recourse to use of Glaub salt as a cathart.

As erupt however rather encreasd as otherwise consid some farther meas with view to this also to be at same time necess

And still resolvd for that purpose to employ Vitriol acid.

But in way in which could not at least exert immed action on intest canal.

That is applied externally in form of [unct] from combin with Hogs lard.

This ointmnt have of late freq. employd not only in cutan affect but also in several other compl.

Partic against pains of the Rheum kind.

Into gener prin on which then operates need not at pres. enter.

Here suff. to observe that as Sulph. externally effic may a fortiori concl. of the Vitriol acid.

And in many inst have found this the case

Am even inclind to think that as well as the Sulph. effic in cutan affect greatr when applied extern than when taken intern.

Yet in formr way from sudden influ. have in some cases thought that affectd syst. in other respects.

Hence then if intern use least exped has advant of being most safe.

And on this acct in general inclind to give it prefer. or at least first trial.

When as in pres. inst becomes necess to have recourse to external applic reckon it in gener advis to conj it at proper intervals with use of cathart.

And by this most if not all conseq. appreh from repelling erup may be prev

Under contin of this pract may hopeful that pres. case may soon be entirely removed.

But if this does not happen shall be still more persuad in opin that is Herpes & that too rather obstin as otherwise.

Will therefore led to trial of med more especially [dirrected] against such compl.

And probab. may have recourse to Decoct [Ulmi].

But as in hopes will not be requis to use them unnecess to suggest father practices.