DEP/DUA/1/41/20 (Transcript version)

Peggy Petrie

1787

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Peggy Petrie. March 24^th 87.

In hist of this pat. case an ex of a disease not freq. occurr

And diff. perhaps to say what name prop. to be aff. to it.

Yet from obv. app. so far at least with regard to nature no doubt.

Evid consist in musc. action.

And that too of muscles natur subj to influ of will & not in [ordin] course of oecon intended to be acted upon by other stim.

Hence then may justly be viewd as an inordin action.

In these however in many resp very great variety.

Partic as being either with or without affect of ment facult

While former gives [constit] of Epilep, latter again of Convuls.

And to this last extens genus may I appreh referr affect of [pr.] [pa]

At least know no genus to which can with equal prop. be referrd.

For here all senses both extern & internal, during state of inord action as [perfect] as at any other time.

Convuls. however taken in this extens sense admits of great var. if not in nature at least in app.

Sometimes almost every muscle in body affect.

Or at least if not at same time passes in success from one [muscle] to another.

Hence all those pecul & even ridic distors exhib in diff inst of [Chor]

But in other inst entirely conf to few muscles only.

This you will obs. happens with regard to pres pat.

For here happ only with regard to very few muscles.

For evid that whole distors of mouth as well as sense of strict on shouldr conseq of contract of [illegible] [illegible] of right side.

To these alone in this case affect seems to be confind.

And may add that is most partial inst of Convuls. which have ever had occas to treat.

Was however an inord action giving consid uneas & alarm to pat

And with regard to termin could not help formerly expres. very great doubt.

Had indeed no reason to appreh danger conseq.

But where disease merely part. not less apt to be obstin than when extended over syst.

And have accord known some inst, partic where occurd in musc of face where after comm pat subj to it during whole future cours of life.

And if not prod of other inconv. giving at least very great defor.

Accord should not have been surp. if this case in pres inst.

But at same time some circum in fav of pat.

Had once before at distance of ten years been subj to same cough.

And had then spontan term without use of any remed.

Here therefore reason to hope that simil spont conval. might take place.

While also ground for expect that might be aided by prop. remed.

But of progn now unnecss to make any remarks.

For whethr termin aided by remd empl. or not patient has had second recov.

Or at least such an interv from affect. that consid farther attend as unnecss.

With regard to cure this I appreh to be expected only on one of two prin.

Disease as already obs. comm in inord action of cert muscles [natur] under influ of will & happ. even in oppos to its efforts.

This can happen only [form] one of two circum.

Either from these muscles poss. uncom dispos to action, morbid irritab.

Or from these muscles being acted upon by some uncom & pecul stim.

From either cause readily see how inord action the conseq.

And hence cure to be expected either by counteract morbid irritat or remov uncom stim accord as one or other exists.

Here from disease first succeeded fever, some reason to pres. that was affect of morbid irritab

While at same time nothing giving any suspic of pecul stimul.

Cold indeed by which thought her affect aggrav. might be consid as of this kind.

But even supp it cause by which inord action more freq. excited, yet evid that could have no [effec], unless very pecul. dispos. to action

Consid cure therefore, as depend on removal of this morbid cond. in muscles in which disease [seated], whethr to be effected, by natur or artif means.

And was with this intent, that pract here empl. were directed.

In such cases remov of morb. irritab, may be aimd at, eithr by acting on syst in genr, or on part affected in partic.

Thought it not improb. that should here be obligd to have recourse to both

Yet wishd to begin with trial of first only.

And with this intent had recourse to a mixt of powder of Valer with Calx of Zinc

In both these artic, have I am inclind to think powerful artic as tend to allay dispos to inord. actn

First the Valer. very long in use

And notwith this must be adm that very opp opin entert with resp to it.

For while many consid it as of consid effic others look upon it as prod of no benef.

And Not to be denied that cases, in which after most full trial no benef.

And that too even when given to great extent.

While at same time is not an artic, even in such doses prod of any obv. operat.

But these circum by no mean suffic evid that never useful.

For same obj might be made to artic of univ allowed effic.

As for ex. Peruv Bark.

Is no more attend with obv oper than valer.

And in some inst [where] genr succeeds, even in cases of Interm. empl. without benef.

Notw this however medic powers confirmed by use in many other inst.

Same obs. in my opin in some degree at least applic to Valer.

Though often fails, yet [such] inst of success, as to leave no doubt of powers.

And when consider obstin of disease in which empl, affect viz of Epilep & Convuls kind, less reason to be surp. at freq. disap.

For no doubt that many of these, incurab. by any pract yet known.

In fav of effic of valer have at least some pres. from its being a remed to which cert. anim, cats for ex, have recourse from inst.

And with them at least some obvious operat.

For while eat it with uncom keeness prod as it were a degree of intoxic

An evid proof of its having remark effect on there nerv syst

But though this ground for presumpt of active powers on human body, yet less to be depen on that accur observ in disease.

And from this effic has been conf. by concur test. of most judic pract.

This then suff induc to emp it in pres inst.

Of Zinc as an antispas med have in pres course of lect already had occas to speak at some length.

May only obs. that since introd by Luddem or rather by Gaub. has been much empl.

And from my own exper. although far from consid it as useful in every inst. yet think it in others some prod of best effects.

And Although freq. no effect at all, yet in others evid ben. & in some compl. recov. in case both of Epilep & Convuls, [strictly] so calld.

While often give it by itself freq. also empl it in conj with Valer.

From this am inclind to think that powers [impr].

And at any rate cannot emp a better [exciss.] for giving form.

To this combin then had recourse in pres inst.

And under empl. patient soon got so well as to be [discharg] entirely free from affect.

Cannot indeed be contendd that certain or demonst evid of cure being affected by mean of it.

At same time will not at least be denied that some circum giving presumpt of this.

Soon after begun use affect entirely ceased.

But accid happ. that wanted med for two days.

And During that intermiss fits again returned.

And attacks as freq as ever.

But as some proof that med hade prod effect on disease were less slight severe.

In this condit, on return to use of med, again ceased.

But after interm of some days, although persisted in med, had a second recurr.

This she ascribed & prob with justice to a sudden change of weather

For became then more cold than had been before.

And with this state of weather had on formr occas. obs sever of disease connected.

But whethr return from this or any other cause, affect soon again ceased.

And without empl. of any othr remed had so long an interv that consid farther attend as unnecss.

And dismissd her therefore with directions to return if any recur of affect.

As have since heard nothing of her concl. that contin free from affect.

And although not imposs. that may have got well without use of any remed, yet from circum ment. presumpt at least that recov. [effec.] by [Val] & [Zinc]