DEP/DUA/1/42/47 (Transcript version)

John Hume

(1787-1788)

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John Hume at 15.

Of case of this patient little to add to what before obs.

Was as then remarkd an evid ex of Hydroceph of chron kind from water within Cran.

But whether between cran & brain, or within ventric of brain itself, cannot pretend to say.

For water sometimes in one situat sometimes in anoth.

But wherever situated disease [equ] diffic to overcome.

At least as far as my own exper & observ. goes have met with no inst of this affect from which recov. after disease distinct markd to have occurrd.

Hence reckon it more certainly fatal than even acute hydroceph

For in that affect have I think seen some inst of conval. both by aid of med & by operat of nature.

But in this probab. that before any consid obv. enlargem of head has taken place text of brain very much injured

And indeed in some inst as app. from dissect is almost totally oblit.

But if disease thus gener. fatal had no reason to entert. uncomm fav hopes in pres. inst.

For every circum rather unfav than otherwise.

Disease had subsist. with inf. even from birth

And had arisen to such height as not only to give very consid enlarg but also to induce idiotism.

Had therefore attend been contin entert no expect of doing service.

But as suspected by what fell from mother, from little expect that could give her of recov. very soon deserted us.

Hence no opport. of trying either mercur course which had directed or electric to which afterwards prop to have recourse.

Must indeed acknowl. that consid neither one nor other as adeq. to cure of this case.

But am inclind to think that in both powerful means of encr. ab.

And no room to doubt that [lymph] absorb. arise from brain as well as from other parts.

While is I appreh. alone from abs. by natural outlets that even most distant prosp. of cure can be entert.

Water indeed can in this case by easy operat be immed [abst].

But where this tried very gener imm conseq. fatal convuls.

And as far as I know, no inst on record of cure.

While in many has certainly precip fatal termin a circum always to be avoided.

Will not pretend to say, that this may not have been conseq of Mercu even of Electric.

But at least no facts by which this demonst.

And may have had opp. of seeing whethr either one or other any influ as prom absorp from cran.

And if this found to be case, [altho] no cure might yet have been of som use in practice.