1804


Thomas Beddoes to James Watt, 6 March 1804

6 March 1804

Dear Sir

I have not been able to collect any certain information, relative to Gregory either here or in London – I shd be very glad to know how the hydrocarbonate or calomel answered if either were employed – What occurred to me – on the idea that his complaint may have continued to be unaccompanied with fever or expectoration – that the warm (hot) water or vapour bath immediately succeeded by hasty affusion with cold water might raise the mucus membrane to more healthy activity – There is proof enough (& I have seen the fact often enough lately) that this succession is very well borne by weaker people – And indeed if you cd refer me to any description of a cheap & simple apparatus for the purpose, or if it wd not take up too much of your time & attention to sketch a thing of the kind, I cd do much service by it – A simple vapour bath is the great requisite – for as to the affusion, a shower bath wd do well enough for that –

I have my hands full – private business enough – the Instn answering wonderfully – our patients though we have 4 open days & are 3 of us pour in so that I cd employ 2 or 3 more hands – I want a young man or two between the time of attending lectures & settling –

The public has been good natured enough to buy most of my Essays – which I wonder at as the manner is very bad – I am going entirely to newmodel them – & if anything strikes you, as contributing to health <directly> or calculated to obviate hurtful practices, I shd be glad of the communication.

If I can get hands, I am ready witht delay to begin the practice of pnc medicine anew – I shall attend to yr repeated hints in former letters – & have some ideas of my own – Can you tell me where to get bags – I cannot get our umbrella makers to undertake them – If there are any at Soho, I shd be glad to have them – If I were to bespeak new ones, they shd some of them be but half the old size – Mrs Beddoes desires me to remember her to Mrs Watt & to you & to Mr J Watt – great talk about ye discovery of ye gout medicine – my tongue is tied – but the discovery wd rejoice me, as it wd introduce a most noble medicine in various disorders

Yrs truly

Thomas Beddoes

Address: James Watt Esq / Heathfield / Birmingham
Endorsement: Dr Beddoes / Mar 6th 1804 // Gregory’s case
MS: LoB MS 3219/4/115/04  


The full versions of these letters with textual apparatus will be published by Cambridge University Press.