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DEP/HAJ/1/65

Draft letter from James Hamilton to Charles Morgan

Draft letter to Charles Morgan in response to his of 3rd July (HAJ/1/63). He quotes at length from [Herman] Boerhaave in support of his use of purgatives and argentum nitratrum.

10 Jul 1807

DEP/HAJ/1/66

Draft letter from James Hamilton to John Rutter

Draft letter to John Rutter in response to his of 5th October (HAJ/1/44). He discusses the use of purgatives in treating typhus and thanks Rutter for his suggestions about treating rheumatism.

27 Jul 1807

DEP/HAJ/1/67

Letter to James Hamilton from John Rutter, Liverpool

He further elaborates on Hamilton's comparison of treating febrile diseases with purgatives or affusion. He gives his observations on cold affusion and treating rheumatism with purgatives and bark.

10 Sep 1807

DEP/HAJ/1/70

Letter to James Hamilton from John Armstrong, Sunderland

He sends Hamilton a copy of his inaugural dissertation. He gives examples of the success of purgatives.

24 Oct 1807

DEP/HAJ/1/73

Letter to James Hamilton from [Ross?] Munro, Calcutta, [Kolkata] [India]

He thanks Hamilton for his book and, as a military surgeon, believes purgatives to form the basis of 'all sound practice in the east'.

10 Jan 1808

DEP/HAJ/1/75

Letter to James Hamilton from Richd [Richard] Millar, College Street, Glasgow

He thanks Hamilton for the third edition of his book. He gives a case a young girl with epilepsy cured with purgatives.

10 Mar 1809

DEP/HAJ/1/76

Letter to James Hamilton from John Rutter, Liverpool

He thanks Hamilton for the third edition of his book and congratulates him on the increasing circulation. He writes of a case of haematemesis where purgatives were successful.

15 Mar 1809

DEP/HAJ/1/77

Letter to James Hamilton from T C Morgan, Ramsgate

Hamilton had wanted to see his thesis but because he went to Cambridge he did not have to print it. His thesis had compared the use of purgatives in three chronic diseases.

19 Sep 1809

DEP/HAJ/1/78

Letter to James Hamilton from William Hamilton

He encloses a case of chorea which he treated with purgatives.

c1809

DEP/HAJ/1/79

Letter to James Hamilton from D J W [Dickison?], Mull, Scotland

He is in favour of the use of purgatives and blood-letting and quotes from recent works that support him. He goes on to describe the incidence of tetanus in Jamaica [West Indies].

8 Jun 1818

DEP/HAJ/1/84

Letter to James Hamilton from William Cameron, Calcutta, [Kolkata] [India]

He had written previously telling Hamilton about medical practice in India. He has had a much wider general practice since returning to Calcutta due to the support of Dr Macwhirter to whom he was introduced by his cousin, Frank Cameron as they had studied together in Edinburgh. Macwhirter follows Hamilton's purgative treatment and favours blood letting. As Macwhirter intends to retire to Edinburgh. Cameron hopes Hamilton will meet him.

6 Nov 1821

DEP/HAJ/1/90

Letter from James Hamilton to Dr Woodforde, Castle Cary

Letter from James Hamilton to enclose his pamphlet refuting Sir Gilbert Blane's claims about purgative medicines.

9 Mar 1822

DEP/HAJ/1/103

Letter to James Hamilton from [Nail?] Thos [Thomas] Smith, Newcastle

He thanks Hamilton for sending him the case of chorea: 'fears as to the debilitating effects of purgatives in this and most other diseases are groundless'.

26 May 1823

DEP/HAJ/1/104

Letter to James Hamilton from J A Paris, Dover Street

He thanks Hamilton for his work on purgatives even though he may disagree on 'some particular points of doctrine'.

2 Jun 1823

DEP/HAJ/1/106

Letter to James Hamilton from James Woodforde, Castle Cary

He includes case notes on the use of purgatives in cases of typhus fever.

Oct 1823

DEP/HAJ/1/110

Letter to James Hamilton from James Wardrop, Charles Street, St James' Square

He congratulates Hamilton on his retirement and gives the number of cases he has cured with purgatives as reason to give thanks for Hamilton's career.

10 Apr 1824

DEP/MCC/3/9

Photocopy of 'Bollettino dell'Istituto Storico Italiano dell'Arte Sanitaria' 1932

Includes an article on antimonial purgatives part of which Ian McCallum marked for translation. He has annotated the copy 'Wellcome Library March 1983'. Two versions

1983

DEP/MCL/1

Student notes taken by Robert McLean from lectures of William Cullen on the practice of physic

Title as given on volume is: 'Robert McLean - Student of Physick Edinburgh October 31st - Notes from Dr Cullen professor of the practice of [physick]'. The first page of the volume is titled 'Notes on Dr Cullen's Practice of Medicine Jan 16th 1775'. The following headings are given: 'Prognostics of Fevers' (p1); 'Of the state of debility' (p7); 'Of the vital functions' (p8); 'Of the critical days in fevers' (p13); 'Of the cure of fevers in general' (p18); 'Of the proximate cause of fevers'; 'Of blood letting' (p26); 'Of purging' (p31); 'Of emetics' (p40); 'Of antispasmodics' (p44); 'Warm bathing' (p50); 'Tonics' (p54); 'Of direct stimulants' (p57); 'Of Intermittant fevers' (p64); 'Phlegmasia' (p71); 'Of grangrene' (p75); 'Of the remote cause of inflamation' (p77); 'Of the cure of inflammation in general' (p79); 'Ophthalmia' (p83); 'Of the visceral inflammation' (p87); 'Cynanche or angina' (p88); 'Peripneumonia and pleurisys' (p93); 'Pericarditis' (p109); 'Peritonitis' (p109); 'Gastritis' (p110); 'Hypatitis' (p112); 'Nephritis' (p113); 'Cystitis' (p115); 'Of Exanthemata' (p115); 'Erisipelas' (p117); 'Pestis and Typhus' (p120); 'Variola' (p130); 'Of inoculation' (p133); 'Varicella' (p1410; 'Rubeola' (p141); 'Scarlatina' (p144); 'Milliaria Edinr 10th Apr' (p149); 'Phlegmasia' (p152); 'Rheumatism Apr 12th' (p152); and 'Athritis' (p164).

Jan 1775-Apr 1775

DEP/MJF/3/29

[Notes by John Munro on general anaesthesia]

Includes section on the alimentary canal, purgatives and diarrhoea.

1950s

DEP/MOR/4/15

Illustration captioned 'Eliza Viney hysterical mania March 1846 Bethlem'

Illustration from the collection of Alexander Morison. Signed C [Charles] Gow. Reproduced in Morison’s 'Outlines of Lectures' (1848) plate 4.


'Eliza V: Aged forty-three, unmarried, a lady's-maid, was admitted into Bethlehem Hospital on the 27th March, 1846, labouring under an attack of Mania, complicated with Hysteria, of two weeks duration. The causes of the malady are stated to have been disappointment in love, and erroneous views on religious subjects. Her temper is passionate and her habits were sober, until within a short period of the attack. On her admission, her conduct was found at times to be very spiteful and unmanageable. Her memory was impaired; she was subject to violent fits of Hysteria, and expressed herself in a very loose and sometimes incoherent manner. Purgatives and tonic medicines were employed in her case, and she was discharged cured, after about two months treatment.'

1846