[Page 1]

[Page 2]

[Page 3]

[Page 4]

[Page 5]

[Page 6]

I am favoured with yours concerning Mr.
Alston and should have answered it some days ago,
but have been prevented by unavoidable accidents.

It gives me great pleasure to think that Mr.
Alston is better and I hope that a Goat whey course
has a chance to relieve him from all his complaints.

I think Crief is a proper enough place though
it is not the very best as it is not so near the
Goats as I would wish my patients to be. The
carrying the milk from any distance that requires
it to be heated over the fire before the rennet is put
to it is with some disadvantage and if Mr. Alston
can get the milk yearned with the heat it has
from the Goats I would wish him to have it done
but it requires such attention and apparatus that
I cannot insist upon it and for the rest of the conduct
I offer the following directions.

The whey need only to be drunk in the morning for
drinking the cold whey at other times of day is improper
and drinking it in the Evening after various other
matter have been taken into the stomach is hardly of
any service.

He should begin to take the whey by degrees hardly
above half a muchkin at two draughts for the first day
and increasing only by a Gill every day after till he
takes what quantity his stomach easily bears and
generally a Chopin is as much as is proper. The
going faster or gorging the stomach with too great a
quantity often prevents its being at all properly digested.

He should always take it in divided draughts
never above half a mutckin at once. He may begin
pretty early and he may take his first draught abed
but I would wish him to be up before he takes the
second. The draughts may be taken at the interval
of half an hour and he should walk about ↑gently↑ during
that interval if the weather allows of it but in cold

If taking the whey hurts very much his appetite
for Breakfast or if he finds the whey does not pass fully
the urine and moderately by stool, he should judge that
he takes it too largely and therefore should diminish
the quantity but if the contrary of these happens he may
indulge in it a little more than I have mentioned. It
is particularly to be observed that if it proves remar¬
kably purgative it may do much harm and he must
perhaps abstain from it altogether.

At Breakfast he may take Cocoa Tea with dry
toast and a very little Butter and at least a little of
this will be safer than Currant Jelly, marmalade
or other sweet things.

At Dinner he may have some Beef tea and

His drink must be plain water. Malt liquor
of any kind is improper and neither wine nor Spirits
and water can be quite safe for him but the latter in
very moderate quantity is the only one that can be
admitted for correcting the flatulency of the whey.

A great part of the benefit Mr. Alston can receive
from the Highlands must depend upon his being much
in the open air and in gentle exercise. He may walk
out as often as neither rain, cold winds or great heat
of the Sun do not prevent it and that he can always
find a perfectly dry walk but he must always walk

I can hardly think of any medicines that can
be necessary or proper to mix with his course of Goat
whey. The only remedy that I can suspect might
be occasionally proper is the taking a little blood from

I am very willing to give the best advice I can to
my old acquaintance Mr Alston Senior. I am persuaded his
Case is a Stone in the bladder and I think you should propos[e]
to have the matter ascertained in one way or another by the
Catheter. In the mean time I think you are using very
proper remedies in the Lime water and Uva Ursi and
if these seem to have little effect, especially after giving
the Uva Ursi for some time in double the present quan¬
tity you must have recourse to the Lixivium and if a
stone should be actually found you know the only certain
remedy and which I hope his Constitution is very fit to
bear. With my Compliments to all the Family I am
most sincerely