1807

Thomas Beddoes to Josiah Wedgwood, 19 June 1807

19 June 1807

Dear Wedgwood

I flatter myself I can give you satisfaction on every point in your letter – Before I became unable to attend the Institution, above 10,000 patients had been registered, almost all with chronic complaints & among them an unusual number of children – You may suppose we had multitudes of curved spines & generally bones soft or ulcerated – not one I think whose parents were moderately attentive, with the degree of ailment you describe that did not do well & to whom it was not an advantage to have had such a complaint to bring him under our cognizance – I can say as much of various patients of another class

I have seen many patients treated by the person you mentioned & have examined some of the apparatuses – & they were not exactly consumptive cases brought to me, as perhaps curable by no method – but I had opport^y to make incidental observations – a daughter of Mr Anstes of B Water had been long under treatment – I saw her from a chance call at her fathers – examined & weighed the machine, ascertained that there had been no improvement – & her uncle, a surgeon & accurate anatomist, thought her pelvis distorted since she had gone from him – I have seen others where there was good reason to suspect such mischief – I am sure that in no instance I saw, any surgeon & perhaps any whitesmith but what might have done as well –

To straighten the spine I prefer lying down first, then raising the trunk by degrees on a chair with a moveable back first as equally effectual, 2ndly as incapable of doing mischief to other parts, 3rdly as more merciful – Then as much attention sh^d be paid to the constitution as to the weak part by giving the muriates steel or what may best suit –

The cry of the public being so much in favour of any man, you will perceive that the cure of the most easy cases will be attributed to his method as a peculiar merit – I feel assured that in 3 or 4 cases I c^d have done as much for the spine & saved the patients from consumption into which they fell under him & died after I think six months a very long time indeed for such a case as I apprehend yr^s to be – I sh^d imagine the treatment might be exceedingly relaxed in two –

My wife is out – & tolerable for her – The children pretty well – remember me to Jos – Davies Giddy goes tomorrow – not well at all

I remain Dear Wedgwood
Yr^s truly

Thomas Beddoes

MS: WE/EL/1/1/L40–7052