DEP/DUA/1/43/01 (Transcript version)

Mary Wallace

(1787-1788)

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N^o35 Mary Wallace at 17.

Resp. disease of this patient many diff. suppos may be formd.

At first sight might pron her subj to compl. of affect.

And this may be in reality case. Yet not improb. that all [ultim] from same origin, & to be consid merely as sympt of same disease.

Sympt though not most distress, yet most alarm to her, swelling of legs & thigh

This from encr. in evening & from pitting on press. would seem to be of oedem. kind.

And that depend on watery effus, rend still more prob. by thirst.

But not here with any remark affect of urine.

And though may have been [consid] at evening, yet so little so when we saw her, that pitting then hardly obs.

Hence if to be calld Anasarca but to slight degree only.

But besides swelling, affected also with pectoral compl.

Partic pain of breast & sides, coug & dyspn.

These may arise from diff. cause. May be effect of effus of water in breast.

And accord no unfreq. attend of Anas.

Often merely [catarhal].

And sometimes conseq. of state of circulat, through the lungs.

Besides these, still a third set of sympt.

Sympts viz from flatul. occas distens of stom, attended with headach & vertigo.

Thus then app. that in hist of this patients case, have a collect of Anasarc. Pneum & Dysp. sympt.

All these attrib, to hard lab. & expos to cold.

A cause it must be allowed cap. of inducing them.

And as thus induced, may be either separ & unconn affects or may have given rise to each other.

But while this suppos of patient, am of opin that anoth view may be taken of cause with no less prob.

Patient you will obs. has arrived at 17^th year of age.

And has yet seen nothing of menst disch.

Is indeed true, that with females no stated [time] for comm.

And with some no inconv [whatv] though not app even later in life.

Knew one inst of sever females in same family, not one of whom mens till after 18^th year.

And with none of them any incon from want.

But this to be consid as a very singul. occur.

And with much greatest part of females begin by 12^th 13 or 14^th year.

Want after that period comm. gives rise to many sympt.

What comm disting to title of Emmans. mens. in contradistinct to Obs

And what by nosol. stilld, [Amme] emansionis

Need hardly obs. that sympt from this source extremely diversif & [alm] incredib.

But among most freq. are such as here occur.

Affect. viz of Anasarc. Dyspep & Pneum. kind.

From this one cause then think it very prob. that all sympt in pres case origin.

And that too even supp her own conj well founded, that were conseq of cold & fatigue.

For by that means app. of menst might have been prev. although would have occurd in more fav. circum

With this view of nature of diseas are led to fav progn.

For even in progr of life without aid of any med app of disch to be expected.

And esp. if patients circum more fav. by having liberal diet, air & exercise, without fatigue.

But besides this may be aided [als] by med.

Not only as obv sympt. but as giving both due circulat in uterine vessels, & due dispos to action.

Is accord with these intent, that have here had recourse both to Aloe Pill & to Rubia.

And may soon empl. pract. [which] I esteem more than either such for ex as Electric.

But prior to this shall wish to be satisf. that nothing defect in state of passag. such for ex as imperf. [hy]

Of pract however observ. will more prop. fall to be ment. afterward