DEP/DUA/1/44/27 (Transcript version)

Jacobina Robertson

(1788)

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Jacobina Robertson at 9.

In case of this patient formerly remarkd that had distinct markd case inst of Epilep.

And since came under our care no reason to alter opin resp. it.

Unless perhaps with regard to what formerly said of be its being a fav case.

For since had oppor. of obs this affect, sever seems rather to be encr. than otherwise.

And no reason to think that is affect of any accid which will soon of itself spont. cease.

While at same time has in no degree yeilded to remed hitherto empl.

And that too although have tried what consid as most powerful.

Besides progress of life chance of recovery also by change of [situa] & of diet.

Circum from which obs as early as days of Hippoc. that affect sometimes overcome.

Well known that in very consid maj of inst. proves incur. by any pract which can employ.

And that cases app. most slight will baffle utmost efforts.

Still however, ought by no means to consid pres case as desper.

And although hitherto no change for better, yet some fav. circum.

Among these may ment. age of patient.

Is yet only at an early period of life.

And in course of nature, her syst of course necess. subj to many & these too consid changes.

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Disease hitherto but of short durat. & of course has not become habit.

Though some remed tried without effect yet have not been pushd to great extent

And although under use, affect for pres. seems to be augm, yet at after & more fav period, may be attended with bettr conseq.

Or other remed though in gener less powerful may here even at pres succeed.

From these reasons then may still here enter some hopes of cure.

And this hope suff to lead us to trial of diff pract.

Of these some employd immed before parox to prev or anticip attacks.

Others during parox to shorten course.

But what chiefly to be relied upon & prod of greatest benef. are those empl. between parox. to remove dispos to these.

In what this consists however very diffic to say.

For theory of this disease it must be acknowl. in many respects in dark.

Some ground however for suppos. that in every epilep access. there takes place a pecul. morb. action of brain.

And that this induces convuls. motions only in conseq. of pecul irrit in moving fibres.

Former may be counteracted either by remov. of irrit causes prod morb. [action]

Or by induct of diff state of action.

Latter again by remov. morbid disp to action in mov. fibres.

On these prin am inclind to think that pract. success in remov of Epilep to be expl.

But whether conj as to operat of remed well founded or not, certain that in some cases at least by aid of [partc] pract, this disease although gener obst. sometimes has been overcome.

And of all these as far as my own exper goes have found none more success. than that to which had at first recourse with pres pat. viz Pil e Cupro.

These need hardly obs. consist of Cup. Ammon. formd into pills with bread.

And in Cupr. Ammon. have copper brought to saline state by means of Vol Al

To prev. decomp. volat. alk spirit in place of water or Syr. used in form pills.

In Cupr. Ammon. have a milder artic than when copp. brought to saline state by acids.

For most of these as Oerugo Cupr vitriol &e. even highly corros.

In this form however an active med prod no such affect.

And accord long a place in our Phar for internal [use].

Adopt also into sever of foreign Phar

And besides this in some as Pham Genev. a place also given to [remed] a formul. perf. analog Tinct. Cup. Vol.

And this at least has adv. both of admitt of more min divis & of [more] immed action.

But in my own pract must own have no exper of it.

To Pil e Cupro howevr, or Pil Caerul as formerly stild have had freq. [recour] in former inst.

These taken even to no great extent as well as other prep of copper excite [sick] & vomit.

But in more moder. doses, act only as giving pecul. impress on stom.

Not improb. that from this comm to brain morbid state of action giving rise to epilep may be susp. or [counter.]

At least some circum which would lead to such suppos.

But prob. that much more effect as influ state of mov. fibre.

As dimin tend to inord action an effect which may be conseq of [illegible] power.

But in whatever manner oper. no quest, that with some epilep. empl. with great adv.

Many cases now on record of cure perf. by means of it.

And to testim of others, can add my own, having met with indubit inst of recov. by means of it under its use.

For most full acct inaug. dissert de Cupro by Dr Russell.

For obtain advant howevr, contin use & to some extent requis.

Only thing to be guarded against is that be not pushed so far as to excite vomiting.

For by this disappointed.

With our patient tried for space of three weks.

And given in end to extent of gr, of Cupr. thrice a day.

From this no inconv.

And might both have pushd farther & cont. longer with some hopes of ben.

But during use disease in place of being dimin had encr.

Thought it therfore most advis to try anoth med.

And as such had recourse to calx of Zinc.

This artic also have of late often empl.

And am much deceivd, if in some Epilep use has not been attend with success.

Still oftener have I seen it success in other nerv affect as Hysteria.

Not many years ago recommend internally by Dr Gaub. of Leyden.

And by him [illegible] as highly success in cure of Epilep.

Was led to it from hearing of many cases of that disease cured by a nostr. sold by an empyr of name of Luddem under title of Luna fixata.

From analy. found active basis of this med to be Calx of Zinc.

And in pract answ. his expect.

When however used in every Epilep. not wonderf. if many cases in which [faild]

And accord some who from freq disapp. look upon it as of no effic.

But since public of Dr Gaub. have testim of many other accur pract in supp of it.

And for my part no doubt that in some cases prod of best effects.

Reason even to think that some failures from being improp prep or adult.

This has led some to give Zinc rather in saline state than that of calx.

And for this purp. White Vitriol some success. empl.

This also used with benef.

But has more tenden to excite sickness at stom & vomit.

Hence cannot be pushd to same extent.

Of late an ingen Lond pract. has introd anoth prep of the Zinc.

Calx viz obt not by calcin by fire & cur but by precipit, after calcind by acid.

In same manner viz as Calx of Mercur from Calomel.  Pulv. [Ciner].

For this purp. white Vitriol dissolved in water.

And calx precip by addit of Alk.

This calx have never tried.

But am told on good author. that has succeeded where othr faild.

And as will cert. be at least a purer calx have given direct for prep it, & shall perhaps by it even for exhib it in pres. case.

Here calx given in comb. with Valer.

An artic by some repres. as having even of itself prod cure in Epilep.

And which certainly instinct empl. by some anim very liab to convul ex Cats.

On their system no doubt that exerts very pecul effect.

And as little that has likewise pecul influ on hum system.

For my own part howevr can not say, that have ever met with case in which prod cure of Epil. by itself.

But have often thought that aided influ of others.

And in partic have freq. given it in conj. with Zinc.

If both Copp. & Zinc unsuccessfu still anoth artic, of which, if can procure it may perhaps make trial.

Of this however can say [nothin] from my own exper.

And have heard only of one case in which used.

That case treated at one of Lond hospit.

And there was attend with wished for success.

[Prescribd] by a very ingen & able pract who has fav me with acct of his pract

The artic to which I allude is the Potassa Arsenicata.

That is acid of Arsenic united to the Fixd Veget alk.

This however an artic of very great activ.

In so much that even 40^th part of grain suff. dose.

Perhaps have a better form under which may exhib Arsenic in [miner] solut of Dr Fowler.

There arsenic dissolvd in water by means of vegetab alk.

Under this form of late freq empl. in cure of interm.

And in many obst. cases with great success.

In all prob. [furnish] med analog to tasteless ague drop.

To this as have often used it before shall have less scruple in having recour

And is a form which readily admits not only of most minute but also of most unif divis.

For may diffuse even single drop in any given quant of menst.

If empl. with success in this case shall look upon introd in this case as a useful discov.

Espec. after both Copper & Zinc have faild.

But although all these fail in pres inst. would be improp to draw from thence any gener. [conclu] again effic.

Or even to lead us to pron. that affect may not be overcome by still more simple means, as progr of life chang of situat or alter of diet & mode of life.