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Tho' Mr. Burden is to consult Dr. Cullen in person, it
may not perhaps be amiss to mention some circumstances
relative to his Case, as they occurred to the Physician, he
at different times applied to for advice, during the course
of his Complaints. ––––

In consequence of some excess in drinking, commit¬
ted at different times in the Month of December last, he was
on the 24th. of that month seiz'd with a lightness in his
head, & a number of uneasy sensations going off and
returning at intervals, 'till late in the Evening, when the
symptoms became much worse; his pulse became extremely
quick & weak his Stomach & Belly distended, evidently
with wind; he had a sensation, as if ready to burst;
his Limbs bedew'd with a cold Sweat; a great nervous
agitation; remarkable dejection of Spirits, so that his
mind seem'd to be wholly engrossed with the thoughts of
present death: A Vomit, with an Opiate afterwards, relieved
him; he took a purge the next day, & continued well for
two months after. About the beginning of March, he

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was attacked with a fit, similar to the former, and this
was followed by a variety of dispeptic symptoms: His
marriage that took place a short time after was the occa¬
sion of great anxiety to him, and very probably aggravated
his complaints. –– For the loss of appetite, great flatulency,
ascidity on his Stomach, & Costiveness &c. infusions of Bark
laxatives, lime water, abstinence from flacculent vegetables,
Exercise, with a very cautious use of spirituous Liquors were
prescribed; He also took an infusion of mint with tincture
of Bark; however nothing more than a temporary relief was
obtain'd by those means; his Constitution undergoing all
that variety which dispeptic patients who have a tincture
of hypochondriasis are subject to. –– At length he rejected
food entirely, throwing up his slender meal of mild flesh,
which had been washed down with water, mixed with a small
proportion of Brandy or Rum; He was now desired to abstain
from flesh entirely, and to live on burst Barley, water gruel,
and such matters as would seem to require but small efforts
of his Stomach to digest, half a dram Sal. absinth with
as much Lemon juice as would saturate it, was prescribed

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to be taken in the effervescent state; two or three times a day:
This course most certainly agreed with him, and he seemed for
some time to be much benefited by it; but whether from care¬
lessness in observing the Rules prescribed, from some little excess
in venery, or some other constitutional circumstance, is not easy
to determine, but his Complaints are returned, loss of appetite,
dejection of Spirits, giddiness of his head, Costiveness, but
excessive flatulency is especially troublesome to him. – It is
to be observed, that for a number of years past he has been
accustomed to throw off wind from his Stomach; that for a
year or two, previous to his late illness, he attended a Club,
where he regularly drank a quantity of Porter & some spirits
every night, tho' seldom to the length of intoxication, and that
during this time he used very little exercise. –– He is much
fallen away, as he was remarkably corpulent for one of his years.
–– Upon the whole, there seems to be more of idiopathic
dispepsia, than hypochondriasis in this Case. –– He now
takes a bit of flesh to his dinner, with two or three Glasses of
Port after it, which seems to agree with him pretty well. ––
The only medicine he takes at present, is a cold infusion of
Bark & Bitters, with the addition of a little Brandy, & a little

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Cream of Tartar occasionally by way of laxative. ––––

✍
Captain Burden.
August. 1780.
XI. p. 49.