DEP/DUA/1/22/12 (Transcript version)

Archibald Campbell

(1779-1780)

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Archd. Campbell.

Some presumpt that both this & next patient subj to same disease.

If this however case are at least in very diff states.

And have here cheifly selectd them as exhib variety of examp of same affect.

Cannot however without hesitat assert that are same affect.

But whatever doubts as to other with pres. no great ambig.

In history so many strong marks of Phthisis that little diffic in consid patient as subj to that disease

Before came under our care distress cough & pain of breast with dysp. of long contin.

And had even for consid time been attended with hectic sympt.

Was subj to freq shivering fits succeeded by flushings of heat

Partic by use of acid & alkali.

These as prop by late ingen Mr Darw. have often had occas to mention.

Formerly howevr could referr only to result.

But now the Exp. publishd at full length by his father may be had in shops of [bookm]

Where furnishd with proper opportun for trial affords incontest evid

Where wanting other marks to be foundat of judgem

These often succeedd by very copious sweat.

Which, from affects here result from it, great debilit induced, was necess led to consid as of colliq kind.

And indeed besides debilit appear [ex] of habit already indic in counten.

With all these appear has at same time const. quickness of pulse.

From these diff partic then strong presumpt at least of Phthis affect.

And if farther confirm wanting [affordd] in state of expector.

Disch by coughing, to very consid extent a yellow coloured matter.

Had not indeed opport afforded us of determ by most accurr tests whether purul or not.

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Yet of this from appear some presum

Still stronger from being at times observd to be streaked with blood.

And when with freq. occurr of other febrile sympt obs. that tongue moist & clean strong presumpt

For to be observed that such a state of tongue const. [accompl] purul expect.

Though before parchd dry or coverd with mucus becomes partic clean.

And in many cases even assumes in this way praeternat appear.

Acquiring very much both state & appear of raw flesh.

Thus often one of most distress symp to patients with which affected.

Do not indeed [repres] affect to such degree as occurring in every inst of purul expect.

But while tongue contin covered with thick white mucus, is strong pres. against purul.

On other hand. such an appear as here took place serves to give addit strength to conject.

And upon whole from history of case when came under care little doubt that at least princip & most alarm part of affect phthisis.

Besides Phthisis sympt indeed, some others some here occurrd which might possib be unconnectd with it.

This partic might be susp. with regard to impaird appet. sickness at stomach & freq. vomiting.

And that rather as had been affected with these sympt even for years before any Phthisic appear.

Besides though these sympt on some occas connected with Phthis yet not at least gener. so.

And even sometimes where vomiting from cough yet appet. in place of being impaird partic keen.

But whether connected with other Phthis compl or not hold it of little conseq.

With regard both to prognos & [cure] reckon Phthis alone as only subj claiming attent.

And even from commencemt prognos. could by no means be fav.

Cannot therefore repres. meas empl. during course of attend here as having had any good affect.

For although first report rather fav as otherwise yet no more than every day observed.

Med which began in this case & to which prop to have given fair trial one respect which pract. not agreed.

Use viz of Gum Myrrh.

This as well as many other veget Bals. a remedy very long in use against Phth.

But by many supposed that these from healing qualit highly pernic

All healing Bals. partic condemnd by that very able pract Dr Totts.

And with express intent of banishing them from pract in this affect. has written a pap in late vol of Lon Med Ob.

Other pract however founding also on fact & observat have given diff accts

And partic recomm by Dr Moses Griff. in observat on cure of hectic & slow fever.

In a late treatise also by Dr [Simm]

Practic observat on treatm of consumpt farther [testim] in support of it.

From that partic appears that has been long & of late very much used at Guy’s hospit in London.

Partic by Dr Saunders who within these ten years past, though at first prejud against it, has prescr. it in upwards of 300 cases.

And from such exper fully convin of effic.

Does not indeed pretend that success in all these cases.

But among diff remed empl. has found more evid in fav of Myrrh than of any other.

And in many cases in which prov success. no other med empl.

If pract have differed as to virtues so also as to meth of exhib & [lects] cases to which best adapted.

By Dr Saunders gener. exhib alone

By Dr Griffith united with salt of steel & nitre.

Former meant as [illegible], latter as corrigen

By Dr Griffith recommend in all hectics

By Dr Saund repres as cheifly useful in those from debilit where pulse small & quick & patient highly irritab.

Where haemopt, or much inflam has in gener. found it too heating.

For my own part have for some years past had a good deal of exper of use in this affect.

And from exper which have had am inclind to think fav of it.

Have observd howevr very little or rather no benef from it in cases where hectic with dry cough

And am inclind to think that there operates as changing nature of matter discharged.

And where from many other circum reason to think that Phthis conseq. of scroph turbercle.

Have cheifly obsrvd success. where hectic with copious expect. app purul.

And where this matter mixd with bloody sanies.

In these I think have seen remark effects from it as dimin hectic.

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Probab oper in same manner as when changes ichor or sanious disch from old [sores]

In both ways may give disp to heal

Has long been supposed that in these cases from extern applic gives dispos. to heal.

And alledged even when taken intern to prod same fav change on appear of purul disch as when used externally.

If any foundat for this assert must be equally of use whether ulcers obv. or not.

And thus in those of lungs as well as well as extern sores may have good effect.

Pract. indeed much divided in opin on what princip this happens.

Some disp to attrib it to introd of active qualit into circul mass.

And to topic action of these as again collected at extreme vessels.

Others again suppose effects intern. to proceed totally from action on stom & from these exert. antisep & antisp. pow

For my own part am far from consid first doctrine in except. light that some mod writers disp to do.

Nor on other hand can I consider latter as free from object.

Into this however do not here prop to enter.

If in reality has virtue attrib to it, if can ascert. cases to which best adap & best mode of exhib in these, the ascert. princip of operat a matter of less conseq.

From what now said will observe that disp to consider it as an useful [artic] & partic in cases such as pres.

Here therefore wishd to have had opport of giving it full trial.

In most inst, though freq exhib it alone reckon it prefer. to conj it with some corrigen.

And partic with view of prev. healing qualit & counteract tend to inflam.

From this then in gener. give it as comb with refrig salts.

Where have empl. adjuv, [prep] by Dr Griffith, the salt of steel have never obs. any very remark partic affects.

With regard to refrig to be used, am cheifly determ by state of belly.

When constip use Crem of Tart.

Where tend to contr. state give pref to Nitre.

And indeed consid latter as of the two the most powerful refrig.

But from bound state of belly with this patient led to Crem of Tart.

If however sometimes constip in Phthis more freq. colliq diarrh.

And this the Myrh has comm tenden to encrease.

Hence then has sometimes led me either entirely to give up use, or to conj it with G. Kino or Succ. Japon

And had pres. pat contin. use before this time such addit would have been necess

At first howevr oppos state req. diff treatment.

From contin for space of week on Myrrh with Crem of Tart., compl upon whole rather allev.

This relief howevr not of long contin

For during succeeding week debilit encreasd so fast that unable to come abroad.

In this situat conceivd such reluct to med prescr. & indeed to every med that reckond it improp to urge.

Sympt since that have had common progr of Phthis.

And though still alive yet almost daily losing ground.

Little doubt that very short time will bring compl. to fatal termin.

Here then as indeed in many other inst to which Myrrh appar. well [adap] have empl. it without success.

Still however cannot consider it as afford ground for concl. against the remed.

For here could not be said to have fair trial.

And even if after such had faild yet still would have consid it as meriting farther trials.

For not alledged by any one that always success.

And if ever success. a valuab. pract