1794

Thomas Beddoes to Thomas Wedgwood, 7 November 1794

7^th Nov^r 1794

My dear Sir

I am much gratified & inspirited by your letter. I particularly coincide with what you say of not deterring others by too large a subscription. The Dss of Devonshire & I believe the Duke will pursue the same idea. I mean soon to advertize (in the London papers) a few subscriptions of men eminent in medicine & science as well as in rank, for the sake of giving the proposal credit with the public – I shall have the names of Drs Black, Darwin sen., Ewart, Withering, Gregory of Edinburgh, & some others, of Boulton, Cavendish I hope, Keir, Kirwan, More, Henry, Watt, Wedgwood & several others – which I hope will create a favourable impression in the public mind. You will perhaps expect benefit in some cases of palsy from oxygene, as I do, yet some well-attested facts stagger my faith – I do not doubt the facts themselves, but I set it down as a matter for future determination whether cause & effect are justly stated. But in 2 cases of gutta serena, after electricity & other things had been tried in vain, the sight was restored while patients were breathing oxygene air diluted; & in one boy, who had for 15 months been so deaf that he could not hear the Tower guns when fired close to him, the hearing is so far restored that low sounds are now perceptible; & the patient is in a state of progressive recovery – These facts will soon be published by Mr Watham, I believe, of Pall Mall. In a book of Mr Townshend’s (the Spanish Traveller) which will almost immediately appear, the case of Mr Page MP for Oxford & of Mr Russel Engraver London, who had affections of the stomach, in removing or relieving which the action of oxygen was strongly marked will be related, <with their names, at length> – I am now going to try oxygen in gutta serena & will acquaint you with the result – I will send my few obs^ns on flints to your father in the way you mention

I have within a few days written scarce less than 100 letters on the subject of the Institution, which I mention as a matter of complaint but as an excuse for the manner I have now written to you – If you can with propriety send to London correspondents a few proposals, I sh^d be glad. It is there I have fewer advocates for the plan – I have no pretensions to apply to certain fashionable Doctors & if I had, I w^d almost feel degraded. I am Dear Sir

Yours with sincere regard

Tho^s Beddoes

The abstract of the proposal will appear, I think, in 14 or 16 country papers, soon

Address: Thos Wedgwood Esq. / Basford / Leek / Staffordshire
Endorsement: Dr Beddoes / 1794 // [TW to JW] Answer this tonight – begging for a bundle of proposals & asking in what way the Duke intends subscribing – as it was his intention to give £100. – We can adopt the same plan — I am but just got here & as the Messenger is leaving I have not time to consider much about it – but will before I answer TW
MS: WE/WM/1/1/1/WM35.7