DEP/DUA/1/31/30 (Transcript version)

John Burr

(1782-1783)

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John Burr.

Case of this patient, in some respects very singul.

And exhibits certain [phenom.] of which must acknow. have not before in course of my own pract. met with any example.

Those sympt indeed which led him to apply for our assist very far from being uncom.

And although distress. nothing in nature import.

Affect princip consisted in pecul itching & uneasy sensat.

Especially about scrotum & neigh. parts of thighs

These accompan. with erupt of red pimples, sometimes with diff rawness or redness of [parts].

In judging therefore either from feelings or app. should have given it name of herpet. affect.

And to this could not be consid as any ground of obj. that accompan. with dyspept. compl.

For such stom ailm. will know to be often concom of cutan disease.

Often even in pract. obs. that they altern with each other.

As in this no singul. so same observat may also be made with respect to disch of urine

Here indeed are told that both in mode of evac. & in matter evac. some diff. from natural state.

Has obs. that urine at times depos. a large quant. of redish sedim.

And that some diff in passing it. This latter affect however prob. the conseq of former.

For reason to believe that in sedim depos. something pecul [acrid] as indic by pungent acrid & bitter taste.

From this however acting on sensib urin passag. pain & even diffic in disch will natural arise.

While again such impregn to [urin] conseq of many diff causes.

For urine unquest serves as outlet [depr.] blood from various matters

Thus may disch. matters either formd or suffer degener. in comm. [mass] matters introd by alim canal or [absorbd] from syst. itself.

In case before us not improb. that impregn. arises in latter of the ways.

That a matter which should be evac by [cutical] disch. is somehow retained there.

That in conseq of this retent gives not only uneasy itchy sensat. but erupt [scald.] & other sympt.

And that when reabsorbd gives that affect of urine which pat. has observd.

This then idea as to nature of affect in pres. state.

And in app. which have now attempted to expl. must be obs. that nothing uncommon.

But besides these anoth circum mentiond in case which even to xtr. view exhib very uncomm. app.

That is total loss of hair on all those parts of body where [usual] most conspic.

There is not, a remain vestige of hair, not merely on head, but also on beard, eye lashes & eye brows.

Same loss of hair extended also to region of pubis, scrotum, arm pits, & other parts which commonly [coverd]

Partial loss of hair at partic parts espec on head every one on diff occas must have seen.

And that not merely happ. from disease but even without any obv. caus

But for my own part have never met with any inst where an affect of this kind so gener. has taken place.

And this phaenom not more [singu] in nature than in origin.

Took place we are told about ten years ago.

And there accord to acct given by our pat. could be distinct traced to agen of an extern cause

Influ of expos. to cold when body much heated.

Conseq. of this we are told was not only sickness but headach & vertigo.

And that these latter proceeded from an affect of brain itself probab. conseq. of sudden determ of blood to intern parts, may be inferrd from conseq. paralyt state viz of [exterm.]

For are told that was followed by loss of motion in extrem. although without pain.

From this affect however had gradual recov.

But loss of hair which then also occurd, has never been replaced.

This circum however are naturally led to attrib to same cause, inducing loss of motion.

A state viz of paralysis induced in those vessels afford nourish. to bulbs of hair or even constit them.

Of this combin examples not [unfr] in cases where recov. from cert. poisons.

Among conseq. both paralysis of extrem & falling off of hairs, not unfreq. occur.

Sometimes the one sometimes other takes place

But more freq. both conj.

For my own part however have met with no inst. where latter has taken place in so gener. a manner as in pres. case.

And selected him for Col. Cas. not so much as an obj. of pract. as to exhib exampl. of affect which cannot say have ever before seen.

With inten indeed even of restor. hair diff pract. may be tried.

And those in partic would promise greatest success found most useful against paralyt. affect.

Such for example as electric.

But when consider that on though recov. from other paralyt. affect by operat. of syst itself, yet no tend to regen of hair & that these now wanting for space of ten years reason to concl. that completely destroyd.

Hence then inclind to suspect that any meas directed for this purp. ineffec.

With respect however to other parts of affect. itchy sensat & erupt, reason I think to hope for more.

And that too even supp. these to depend on same cause.

State viz of cutan vessels & [course] of cutic disch. induced by paralyt affect.

For here at utmost merely dim action.

Here then opp. afforded of promot & gently encreasing it.

Is with this intent that have here put patient on use of Crude Mercury Antim

An artic concern. benef. of which have already had occas to state sentim.

Partic when treated of case of Ann Saunders, second patient in our list

With this have conj. the applic of saturn ointment to parts most affected where any topic inflam or erupt. app.

Hoping that by this means effects thus induced might be taken off.

Under these med effect in some respects at least now consid better.

And from encr. warmth of weather still more to be expected.

Partic if pat. shall have opp. of employing Sea bathing, one of most effect means both of preserv. regul. cuticul. disch & of strength extreme vessels.

From these partic however [althou] may look for remov. of pres uneas. can I think entert no hope of regen. of hair.

And indeed do not expect this from any pract.

One however which I own have strong inclin of trying.

That is use of Electric.

Partic as acting on eye brows & eye lashes where hairs most essent.

To this no other obj occurs than situat of pat. who at pres. works at such a distance that cannot attend us.

Reason to hope howevr that situat with respect to work may soon render attend more conven.

And in that case shall at least try what the electric can do.

If fails will be in fav of [conject] that bulbs of hair destroyd.

If succeeds will not a little corrob. opin that loss of hair the effect of paralysis