The medical side of Benjamin Franklin / by William Pepper.

  • William Pepper
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The medical side of Benjamin Franklin / by William Pepper. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    as well as myself. I have try’d all the noted Prescriptions for diminishing the Stone without perceiving any good Effect. But observing Temper¬ ance in Eating, avoiding Wine and cyder, and using daily the Dumb Bell, which exercises the upper Part of the Body without much moving the Parts in contact with the Stone, I think I have prevented its Increase. As the Roughness of the Stone lacerates a little the Neck of the Bladder, I find, that when the Urine happens to be sharp, I have much Pain in making Water and frequent Urgencies. For Relief under the Circum¬ stances, I take, going to Bed, the Bigness of a Pigeon's Egg of Jelly of Blackberries. The Receipt for making it is enclos'd. While I continue to do this every Night, I am generally easy the day following, making Water pretty freely, and with long intervals. I wish most sincerely that this simple Remedy may have the same happy Effect with you. Perhaps Current Jelly, or the Jelly of Apples or Raspberries, may be equally serviceable; for I suspect the Virtue of this Jelly may lie Prin- cipally in the boiled Sugar, which is in some degree candied by the Boiling of the Jelly. Wishing you for your own Sake much more Ease, and for the Sake of Mankind many more years, I remain with the greatest Esteem and Respect, dear Sir, your affectionate and most obedient Servant. Philadelphia, Feb. 11, 1788. To Jan Ingenhousz. My Dear Old Friend: Your Letter of Sept. 28, 1787, came to my hands but about two Weeks since. It found me very ill with a severe Fit of the Stone, which follow'd a fall I had on the Stone Steps that lead into my Garden, whereby,;. I was much bruised, and my Wrist sprained, so as not to be capable of Writing for several Weeks. . . . Again Franklin discusses ophthalmological subjects. Philadelphia (Oct. 22, 1788), To the Due De La Rochefoucauld. . . . I thank you much for the Dissertation sur la Nyctalopie. It was quite a Novelty to me, having never before heard of such a Malady. One of our most ancient Physicians assures me, that tho' he had some knowledge of the Distemper from his Reading, he never knew of it in any Part of North America. Indeed we have no Chalk in this Country, nor %J *
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