Case Histories

Summary

Lady Howard. Dec. 1 1635.

Hath had a dry cough for ten or twelve years and in the mornings she raises (with some difficulty) a tough and frothy white substance in great quantity. Menses suppressi (nisi in puerperio) per multos annos. Opinior a prima partu filia natu maxima. Hath had an unequal flux of humours for seven weeks continuing more or less (and sometimes as much at night as in the day) till Novemb. 28, at which time it stayed.

Of late she had much griping in her body and an unusual pain in her back which upon the taking of a clyster proved a fit of the stone, which she voided.

She is now very feeble, faint and languid, looks very thin, her cheeks fallen much, her hands lean, her pulse swift yet high as in a feverish distemper, yet complained of no heat at all nor desires drink all the day long. Her stomach is, to her thinking, good; feels no trouble of any meat she takes, whether of bacon, salt beef, mutton or the like, which kind of food she desires rather than finer meats as chick, rabbit, etc. At supper she can eat again, yet without much appetite, which is much amended since her late flux of humours. She sleeps well at night, but her sleeps are so unquiet that she finds no benefit thereby.

Head and breast sweat in the night. Breath smells. Skin rough and shrivelled.

Mr. Egerton, 1648.

August 23 1648. I came to Mr. Egerton, youngest son of the Lord of Bridgwater at Melchburne, who had been about 9 or 10 hours in an apoplexy before I came. I found him in an abolition of all animal functions. His pulse pretty good still and his breathing inequal and interrupted. I caused the smoke of tobacco to be blown up into his nostrils, which he had intermitted; chafed his head with warm cloths, and his neck, crown and ears with the oils of marjoram, sage and amber; put some of them into his mouth and some into his nostrils, which caused his nose to void some drops of blood; and because his frequent bleeding at nose (being lately interrupted) might be some cause of the apoplexy, I presently, with hot sack, fomented his head round about as strongly as might be with the same to further that motion.