An account of Peterhead : its mineral well, air, and neighbourhood / By William Laing.
- Laing, William
- Date:
- 1793
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: An account of Peterhead : its mineral well, air, and neighbourhood / By William Laing. Source: Wellcome Collection.
46/100 page 32
![either languifh out a life of wretchednefs, * or perhaps die more luddenly, -j- when they might have been expe- ditioufly cured at the beginning, if the difeafe had been known to be only a fymptom of a difordered flomach. Doubtlefs it is one of the moll frequently required ex- ertions of medical fkill, to make this diftinftion : and though the molt fkiful and fagacious phyficians will ge- nerally make this difcovery, yet the beft may fometimes fail to make it. If then any plan of remedy could be * A girl about twelve years, of good health in general, but of an irritable temper, was feized with a diforder about the throat threatening fuffocation, which came on always after drinking tea in the afternoon. There were fome appearances like convulfions, as froth at the mouth, turning up the eyes, and a xcceffity of fitting or falling down. Phyficians were confulted, and various re- medies, as flowers of zinc, cuprum ammoniac am. See. were advifed. Thefe things feeming to promife but a flow and uncertain cure, and the power of habit in fixing this difeafe being much to be dreaded; her pdrent wilhed an emetic to be tried, hoping that the fource of the difeafe might lie in the flomach. It did fo, as appeared by the corrofive acrimony of what was thiown up. Proper corrcftors, a courfe of Peterhead water, repeated occafionally for a year or two, and a due attention to regimen for ever after, [by which I mean, the proper management of diet, air, fleep, exercife, cloathing, evacuations, and the pajfms;] reftored her to her ufual date of health : and fhe now is, and has long been, ftrong and healthy. Had not this plan been tried, (lie might have been liable to convulfions for life.— The acrimony being four, the correctors ufed wer e,falt of tartar an hundred and thirty grains, compoundfpirit of lavender a table fpoonful, water an Englilh quart: of which a tea-cupful was taken twice a day. f A man had every appearance of confumption ; utter Iofs of ftrength and appetite ; conftant quick, fmall, hard pulfe, with regular aggravations daily, with cold fits, hot fits, and profufe fweatings, which laft continued thiough mod part of the day anil night; fevere and continual cough, with expectoration of matter fometimes fait and fometimes fweet. Little hope feemed to remain, and little good likely to be done, unlefs by opiates, &c. to alleviate the fymptoms. It foon occurred that even this might be a flomach cafe : but an emetic could not be ventured on. Being afked, he faid he had pains in the flomach and four er uft at ions, fome time ago; but that they had worn off as the difeafe advanced. Ide therefore got the medicine mentioned in the preceding note. The confe- quence can hardly appear more aflonifhing to thofe who read this than it did to thofe who faw the fad : but it was, that by ufing two quarts of the folution, and afterwards Peterhead water, he perfectly recovered his health : and within twenty days after his cafe had appeared defperate, he was working at his bu- finefs, which was that of a weaver. found.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28743738_0046.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
