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Mr. Cathcart has this morning
the favour of your Letter, with one enclosed for
Dr. Hamilton, knowing that it concerned himself alone
to being anxious to know your Opinion of his Complain¬
ts he opened it & has transmitted it to Dr. Hamil¬
ton who no Doubt will answer all your Queries
but as he has a large extent of Country under
his Care & often from home he may perhaps
not get it done so immediately, as I could wish.
The Life & Health of a Husband & Father of a family
are too important to admit of a delay, & too interesting
to me not to have observed with attention the
effects every Medecine had upon him, & I should
think my self to Blame - if an Idea of Delicacy could
prevent my giving you any information that
could be usefull to him. I wrote to Dr. Gregory
who I was in hopes would have been so good as
Comunicate his observations, but as that has
not happened, I beg leave to give to give you all the

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information I can -- Mr. Cathcart has always
been remarkably healthy of a Vigorous Sound
Constitution. perfectly temperate both in eating &
Drinking. Very fat & much too averse to Exercise
has never had a complaint Since his childhood except
a little Rheumatism in one Leg. when he was at¬
tacked with the swelling in spring 1782, we had had a very
rainy bad Winter; & a cold late spring, & as far as I can
Judge having his appetite well & getting little or
no excercise; was in a great measure the cause of it.
he always used to perspire a good deal in the night¬
time, but had very little or non at all that season
when Dr. Hamilton was first called he. gave him two or three
Doses of Something stronly physicall, - which had
not the Smallest effect on the swelling, on the contrary
it was increasing very fast. when Dr. Gregory came
he ordered the Aperient Pills, which were likwise phy¬
sical & had not much effect upon the Swelling
he then prescribed the sweating powders, which
reduced the swelling, but as Soon as he got out of bed
it was returning very rapidly, Dr. Gregory then ordered
the Fox Glove, which reduced the swelling, bat at
same time relaxed & weakened him so much that

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he took a dislike to it & gave it up, Dr. Hamilton then gave
him some white powder, which had little effect, but
his health by that time was pretty good, he then took
a Jaunt of 20 or 40 miles in a carriage with a led
Horse, but unluckely he got very rainy bad weather
never got on Horseback & when he came home, his
Legs were a little swelled. He took immediately the
Aperient Pills, after which he got the Squill wine
which had a very good effect, & ever since upon any return
of Swelling, from cold or any other accident, he always
took the pills & then ↑the↑ wine till the swelling was
removed, & it always has agreed very well with him
nor did I ever know it fail; till just now, but I
imagine the Squils had been long keapt & became
useless, for he has within these few days got a new
Bottle; which he is sensible has a much strong taste,
is beginning to have a Diuretic effect, & always
when he gets it first, it has a physical effect
& I would fain hope in a little time it will diminish
the swelling & tho' I cannot say that it is any less,
yet, he is apparently better being more active &
chearful, his appetite is regularly good, he sleeps per¬
fectly sound & soft, with his head quite low, lays equally

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easie in all possitions, has never had any shortness of
breathing in bed, & any little quickness of Breathing
which he complains of in walking, I imagine is
in some measure owing to wind in his stomach
& my reason for thinking so is, that I have observed
his breathing more free at the end of a walk then
at the beginning, these Sir ↑are↑ all the observations
I have been able to make, & I hope you will forgive
my troubling you with them, they require no answer
as the are only meant to inform you of any particular
Circumstance which Dr. Hamilton in his Hurry of
Business may ommit -- Mr. C. always wears very
warm stockings, & over them very thick Brute stock¬
ings, I do not very well anderstand these Laced stockings
which you recommend, is swelling the better of being com¬
pressed, I always imagined that is was better it was
in the Extremities then being forced higher up.

I intreat Sir you will have the goodness to
forgive all this trouble. & give me leave to add
that I remain