Thomas Beddoes to James Watt, 12 January 1796
12 Jany Clifton
Dear Sir
I thank you for yours of the 7 & 9. When Mrs Kerr & I felt a glow at the head & feet, the revolutions were near or above 100 per minute. At this rate we never felt any vertigo, but when the motion was changed to slower, we did, the eyes being shut. When Mrs Kerr thought she slept better, the motion I know was slow, but I know not how slow, – the nurse turning in the night – certainly not above 25 in a minute. – She has still been free from flushing, except one evening, for a month past – You ask what alterations we have made – they were alterations for local adaptation. But there is an alteration which I thought wd be an improvement, viz. to make the side pieces perpendr for the sake of more swinging – the pulleys are still as by your drt – I had spoken for a small pulley over the bed & thought when I wrote it was made & added, but it has not been & I believe will not be as the slow revolution is most agreeable to Mrs Kerr & she has long been witht those chills for which I wish a rapid motion. I shd think if the heart were in the centre of motion, it wd be advantageous – it might too in some cases, if the head were. I have no objection to your repeating in print any thing I have written on this subject. It amounts to this – superficial glow on rapid motion – no <contstant*> change in the frequency of the pulse, but pulse rendered more full – vertigo where the motion becomes slow from rapid; viz. 20 revolutions from +100. No unpleasant internal feeling when rapid, & indeed you are hardly, if at all sensible you are revolving, when if your eyes are shut. – A much reduced phthsical lady thought she slept better when the couch went slow. She certainly did sleep much [MS obscured] while it was going for her mother lay in the same room where the nurse turned to superintend her – The evening heats & flushings did certainly go away for weeks after this plan was entered upon <& still keep away: > and no known change in diet or medicine besides – but quere if owing to this –
The girl who took oxygene with lumbar abscess has now been well & gone about many weeks. Oxygene therefore did no harm – I will put Mr Shepherd upon the desulphurated HC. as you suggest.
The vertigo arising from the change from quick to slow I cannot say is violent. But the whole sensation is to me highly disagreeable –
I shd have written sooner, if I had not been so much from home. Mrs Kerr is extremely weak & gets weaker, but has no distressing feelings.
Even her cough does not hurt her – no chills, no sweats, hardly any flushing. It is the slowest decay I have seen
T.B.
*I say constant, for once or twice we thought she did observe a reduction
Address: Mr Watt / Heathfield / Birmingham
Endorsement: Dr Beddoes / Jany 12th 1796 / Rotative couch
MS: LoB MS 3219/4/28/27