| Description Of Item | The flyleaf is signed 'Dr Adam Austin 5th July 1759' and contains a note of a book lent in 1755. The volume starts with lists of books in folio, quarto and octavo, with place and year of publication and in some cases cost, and a list of manuscripts. The lists may be Austin's library. The library catalogue is followed by 'Rules to be observed by the Apprentices in regard to the Shop and Patients' which relate to the operation of a pharmacy, Mr Smyth and Dr Austin being named as those issuing prescriptions.
Dr Rutherford's clinical lectures start after the rules and give case studies for three patients, giving the patient's name, complaint and treatment. At p16 there is a new heading 'Clinical Lectures delivered in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary by John Rutherford Professor of the Practice of Physic in the College of Edinburgh begun 1749' although this might indicate the year Rutherford started lecturing rather than when the notes were taken. These also include case studies. The dating here is unclear although some of the case studies include dates of admission to the Royal Infirmary. From p192 a letter from John Pringle has been copied into the volume on the case of Mrs Dowal, giving prescriptions and suggested treatment. On p206 an item from 'The Pennsylvanian Gazette' has been copied into the volume on inoculation against small pox. After this are other letters from James Bales (1758) and James Aikman (1762) interspersed with further case studies. At the end is a case of 'gravelish complaints' which includes a page headed 'Dr Austin's opinion in regard to Mr Elliot's Case'. There is an index at the rear giving the patient's name and condition.
There are also lectures on specific subjects rather than case studies. These are: inoculation, epilepsy, scrophula, venereal disease, scurvy, headache, ague and measles.
Throughout the volume it is not clear whether the first person used is Rutherford or Austin. Austin had started working at the Royal Infirmary by at least 1763 although many of the cases do pre-date that. There is also more than one hand used in the volume so authorship of specific parts is not clear. |