DEP/DUA/1/24/16 (Transcript version)

Katherine Reid

(1780-1781)

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Kath. Reid.

Disease of complic nature.

Princip & most urgent sympt. when came under care a cutan erupt.

But besides these affected also with Headach & Vertigo.

Since these sympt have taken place anoth also has superv.

viz Affect of disch of urine.

Observd both scanty & disch with diff

All these sympt can hardly supp. connected.

At least such an assemb. very rare occur.

But here that no connex. partic evid from period at which have app.

With headach & vertigo affected long prior to attack of other [symp].

These well known often occurr by themselves without any compl.

And this may reas. presume to have been case in inst bef. us.

Espec. when consider that erupt which [supr] arose from obv. causes

For little reason to doubt, suppos of patient that was conseq of infect.

May concl. therefore that with head & vertigo was totally unconnected.

Same observ. may also be made with regard to diffic of disch of urine.

And for this also am inclind to think that an ob. cause may be [assign]

That is pregn state of patient.

For will observe that has only comm. since in that condit.

And well known that with many women, at diff periods of pregn. with some even during whole course a very distress. sympt.

Here therfore consid it as solely proceeding from this cause

And if take this view of it must at same time obs. that unless very urgent nothing in gen. to be done

Here therfore as not highly distr to patient did not consid it as obj of treatment.

And in condit in which patient was had also same view of vertigo & headac

For though these obj of attent yet more prop to empl. means of obv. after pregn at an end.

And indeed to sever. modes of cure prom. greatest success. this state an obj.

Here therefore selected case cheifly with view to treatm of erupt.

With regard to nature some doubt.

How many diff kinds of erupt. may proceed from infect. do not know.

And unquest if capab of making accur distinct variety in cutan dis very consid.

But know few subj where from descript in partic greater diff.

And even when opport of exam app. still very much in the dark.

This so much the case in pres. inst that at loss to determ whether erupt to which this patient subj be not very common cutan dis viz Itch.

From appear alone dare hardly venture to pron so.

But to be obs. that natural app of pustules changed in conseq of scratch

And many circum support opin that nothing else than Psora.

Is in fav of this that prod by Infect.

For of all cutan diseases psora most freq & most readily commun in that way

And if have not extern appear have at least common sympt in pecul itchy sensat & disch of watery [ichor].

With this opin of nature of affect could not be disp. to give unfav prog

For upon whole disease very far from being obstin one.

Possess many remed princip extr applic to which very gener. yeilds.

In so much that unless in obstin cases becomes very rarely object of treatm with regul. practit.

Here however case could not be consid as very slight

For had, we are informd, resisted one of most common & not least success applic viz Sulph.

Selected therefore as obj of treatm with view of trying other pract.

And from such hoped that in no long time should be able to obt comp removal.

How far this has in reality been case cannot pretend to say.

For from irregul. in attend of patien have seen very little of her.

Here however pract. to which had recourse was, I own, one from which expect. of cure.

With regard to gener. prin of cure can be no doubt that in this dis. symp conseq of foreign infect. matter app. to body & multip there

Cure therefore on one of two Princip

By complete expuls of this nature

Or by destruct of activ.

Former an end which can never expec to accompl. by gener. evac.

May sometimes indeed be totally removed by mechan. means.

This however can never expect to accompl. unless very circum.

Hence on latter prin alone that cure in gener attempted.

And as already observed many [subs] by which activ destroyd.

Was with this view that had here recourse to Vitriol acid.

Introd of this active fluid as remedy for itch but a late pract.

First, as far as I know, empl, by Dr [Cothen] first Phy. to Arm of Pruss.

By him however employd intern

And in form, of which in remarks on anoth case, shall afterw have occa to speak.

Must own have from begin [illegible] this pract as prom success.

And unquest strongly supp. by analogy of Sulphur.

For can be no doubt that sulph consist prin of Vitr. acid.

And indeed prob. that combin with prin of inflam. serves only to [dim.] [actv]

Among other advant of this mode of cure no inconsid one that not prod of any [disagr.] swell

After having tried this pract [how] was inclind to think that same conv. when extern applied.

And that in this form, as well as sulph, would be much more effect.

While at same time activ [might] to any degree be restraind in conseq of degree of diffus in Hogs lard or any other unct. subst.

These consid then first led me, to use in this affect, of Ungt. Vitriol

A formula which have also of late empl. in sev other affect & I think with advant.

With pres. patient, directed to quant of ℥i of Acid to ℥i of unct matter

In this state a purg & activ oint

Often begin use weaker never strong.

But here as Sulph had before faild thought that from active ointm [aloe] could expect much benef.

From trial for space of week did not appear that derivd any inconv from stimul. power.

At same time in appear of erupt change rather fav as otherwise.

Itchy sensat indeed still contin.

But during course of week no fresh erup

And of what formerly out very little remaind.

Besides this anoth fav circum.

Disch of watery [ichor] viz had ceased.

In this situat prosp of speedy cure

But now appreh. that might be too exped.

For from this also some danger.

And especially where erupt with disch

Same inconven as from obst of habit disch

Partic affect of breathing.

To be obviated by [compens] disch by some other evac.

But especially by encr. disch by surface

Was with this intent that had recor to antim in crude state.

An artic from which have in such affect. often I think seen consid benef.

And of which may hereafter probab have occas to speak.

But here remarks unnecss.

For since orderd have not seen patin

But when consid situat in which was at least with respect to erup, at time when left us some prob. at least that has discont. attend as no farther occas for assist.

And whethr this case or not, her desert. rend it unnecss to say any thing of future plans of cure, if pres. should have proved unsuccessful.