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Mr Maclean of Stranrawer.

Whatever was your original disease, your present ailments
depend upon the constitution of your nerves being exceedingly
shattered and broken; and unless this can be recovered you can
have no health - However after matters have gone so far
it will be a difficult task and require some pains and some
courage on your part, for nothing can be done, unless you can
be brought to bear the Air, which I am persuaded you shrink
from at present more than you ought - Here is the method
I would have you pursue and now is the season for executing
it. - You must first bring yourself to live in a room without
any fire in it - you must in the next place try to sit in the
room with the Windows open, at first for an hour or two
in the middle of the day, but every day opening the Windows a
little more early and shutting them a little more late. When
you have thus accustomed yourself to an open room, you may
then step into the open air and avoiding any wind or stream
of air you l must by degrees increase the time of your being in it.
For some days before you go into the open air lay aside some

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part of the clothing that you are accustomed to within doors
for I suppose you can cover yourself a good deal, and you are
to lay aside clothing within doors, that you may put it
on again when you go abroad without being even then too
much covered. Mind that by degrees our bodies may by degrees
be brought to bear anything, if we will always admit it
by degrees only. To prepare you better for bearing the
Air take this Course - Take three Chopins of cold water
from a spring or well, (not from a brook or river) and mind
in the after use of it to take it always from the same
Spring or Pit well, and take it up early immediately
before you are going to use it in the manner I shall
just now say - To the three Chopins of cold water, put
one Chopin of boiling water and with this Mixture wash
your hands and face before breakfast and again before
Dinner. This you must do everyday, only every day keep
out a Gill of the boiling water so that I in the Course of
eight days you may come to use the Water cold as it comes
from the spring -- In beginning this washing you may
confine it to your face and hands only, but by degrees
you might in time bring your whole body to bear cold bathing
much to your advantage - But however this may proceed

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as soon as you can bear a little of the open air
try to get on horseback and proceed by degrees in employing
that exercise as far as you can, both in good weather and
bad, for your riding at length must be very constant
and if you can come to that I am persuaded you will
be much better than you have been for many years past.
I am persuaded that nothing can do you any material
service but riding on horseback or cold bathing and I am
clearly of opinion that by the proper and gradual mange¬
ment you may come to both. - I believe it will be much
to your benefit if you could for a Winter or two go to
your a warmer Climate and in the present circumstances
of things Lisbon is the only place you can think of
and you must judge how far that will suit your cir¬
cumstances, but if it does it will not be difficult for
you to get there without hazard of Capture

I think you have been much hurt by most of the
Medicines which you have taken and there are few that
can be of use to you at present, but there is one, which
I think you may taken with advantage and I have
prescribed on tother page - It is some Drops to be taken
in Water, but the Water at first must not be quite
cold but tempered as your washing water is to be
By degrees however you should substract the hot water
till you can come to take your drops in water
quite cold, & then too you should take them three

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times a day, In the morning, forenoon and towards
Evening -- I have nothing to say about your Diet but
that you should take only what you find digests easily
and that you should take no Supper at all or a very light
one -- A Glass of Wine or two you may take at dinner
times, but hardly more -- You seem at present to take
your drink warm, but you should come by degrees to
take it quite cold. I conclude with bidding you mind, that
we can get the better of any col old habbit and induce
any new one if we will proceed by degrees. it may
be and it should be by slow degrees only, but the procee¬
ding should be constant and steady. ---