[Science, Medicine & Mathematics] 18th-Century Manuscript Diary

18th-Century Physician's Diary, Including Entries Related to London, Philadelphia, and Edinburgh

London, Edinburgh, Philadelphia, etc., ca. 1752-84. 8vo. Comprising 100 pp., plus additional manuscript material bound in at front. Manuscript journal, in five or more hands, largely of a medical nature, with some related to cases at St. Thomas's Hospital in London, and others related to cases in Edinburgh and in Philadelphia, ca. 1750s-60s; other entries include a transcript of Dr. Nicholas Munckley's An Account of an Extraordinary Case of the Efficacy of the Bark in the Delirium of a Fever, and transcripts of entries from John Quincy's pharmacological dispensatory; bound in at center is a 12-page journal of a religious nature, dated 1784, seemingly unrelated to the bulk of the journal; manuscript material at front includes an account of the 1752 hurricane that hit South Carolina and a short biographical note on French King Charles VII, signed Jno: B (based on provenance this could possibly be John Biddle, 1707-89). Full 20th-century tan calf, stamped in blind and in gilt, red morocco spine label; all edges trimmed; (presumably) original limp vellum binding bound in; final 28 pp. bound in upside-down; trimming just touching some letters.

A unique 18th-century medical diary, featuring over 40 entries, with some related to St. Thomas's Hospital in London, and others related to Philadelphia, as well as Edinburgh, Scotland. A few of these entries touch on cases of smallpox, smallpox inoculation, as well as other ailments involving fevers, epilepsy, palsy, etc. The majority of the entries are dated to the mid 1750s--the period immediately following the English smallpox epidemic of 1751-53--and provide a distinct viewpoint from a practicing physician of the time. The many entries detail at great length the patient's symptoms, sometimes their occupation, various courses of medical treatment--including pharmacological prescriptions and apothecary remedies--and the trajectory of recovery. Although the author(s) of the various entries is not known, as they are not signed, many of them appear to be in a single hand, and make reference to many colleagues, including a Dr. Lewis, Dr. Milner, Dr. Reeve, Dr. Letherland, Dr. John Rutherford (1695-1779), Dr. Sedwick of Manchester, Dr. Jones of Bradford, etc. Other entries in this volume are seemingly unrelated, and in different hands, including a partial diary entry of a religious nature, dated 1784, and an account of the 1752 South Carolina hurricane.

Passed down within the Biddle family and never before offered for sale.

Provenance

From the collection of Edward Biddle Clay