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Case of Robert Hunter in Montrose Presented
to Doctor William Cullen for his Advice.

Robert Hunter is aged about 59 was remarkably
healthy all his life long, but now and then subject to
bleedings at the nose since he was a school boy, tho the
Hæmorrhages were but small; he led a pretty active
life till May 1767, when by a sedentary employment,
[Start of margin text]1767[End of margin text] he became a considerable deal more corpulent than
usual, so much that it became uneasy to him; about the
[Start of margin text]1768[End of margin text] beginning of January 1768 when washing himself in a
morning, in a fit of laughter he had a profuse bleeding
from his nose, which alone was not sufficient for the
evacuation, but gushed from his mouth also; V. S. was
used which stopped it for that time, three days.
Afterwards it broke out again, arising from his not
using that precaution in his dyet that was necessary,
and therefore was again blooded, and took some
Glauber Salts, and Nitre, which stopt it the second
time; It burst out a third time, two days after which
stopt of itself, but was not then bleeded, all this
procedure took up about six days. This evacuation
emaciated him greatly, But by his sedentary way of
life he again soon became over lusty, tho he enjoyed
[Start of margin text]June 1769[End of margin text] very good health till June 1769, when he compleaned
of a dimness of sight, and taking it himself for a ocase (↑disease↑)
in the Eye's alone, he washed them with Rum & Water
every morning for some time, which had no effect, and
a Surgion being called blooded him, which restored
his vision perfectly. All the remaining part of the
summer and autumn he was well in his health

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only complaining of his corpulency which he imaged
affected his breathing a little; About the middle of
[Start of margin text]November 1769[End of margin text] November he observed his legs a good deal swelled,
and was Odematous on both sides of his ancles, and
along the inside of the tibia of each leg; he also
complained of a more than ordinary [Tonsness?] of his
Belly, and his breathing more uneasy, but not at all
difficult only an uneasiness about his chest, that he
cannot well express; He continued in this way till
the end of the month, when one morning after
breakfast that he was proposing to take a ride, his
hands were observed to shake by some of his family;
and his look being very uncommon and stupid; he
asked several times for the same thing, which at the
same time he had in his hands; He continued in this
situation about a quarter of an hour, when he fell back
in his chair in an apoplectic fit, his face and neck
being very red and swelled, his Eyes a
little disorted, his head drawn to one side, and
his whole body in a kind of Convulsion, which last
ceased in a few moments, but still he continued
insensible; he was immediately let blood of, and
put to bed, and in about 12 or 14 minuets from the
seizure of the fit he recovered his senses, tho -
imperfectly, and swallowed a little water, in which
were a few drops of Sal. Volatile; he after this
vomited a little and then fell a sleep in which he
continued for about two hours, when he awaked he
was ignorant that any thing of this kind had
happened to him; He rose and was tolerable
well only complaind of a dimness or indistinct
kind of, and double vision; in the evening he

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recieved a blister, but took no other medicines; was
restricted in his dyet and drink, and forbid all
animal food, and spiritous, venous and fermented
Liquors, by which he soon became emaciated & his
belly considerably less protuberant, and now found
himself more agile and active than he had been
for many years before; all this time the swellings
in his legs and ancles continued to come down in the
evening, and but vanished before morning, and went
[Start of margin text]May 1770[End of margin text] off all together about the begining of may last.
Constitutionally he is remarkably Costive, and it is
with the greatest difficulty and not without the aid
of Laxative medicines, such as Tinctura Sacra,
Cream of Tartar, Tamarinds and Glauber Salts, can
he get his belly keept open.

[Start of margin text]January[End of margin text] In January last he had a perpetual issue put
in the Crown of his head, which is regularly drest
daily, either with blistering plaister or Basilicon,
which keeps it running; He has since January been
attacked some times tho not frequently with a
stupor and Dimness of sight, in cold, raw and
moist weather, for which he either lets blood or takes
a dose of Glauber salts and this gives him some relief.
In the month of may last having gone out in the
morning about seven o clock as he usually did to take
[Start of margin text]May 1770[End of margin text] a Walk, which being very Cold and bleak, he was
seized that day about eleven o Clock, with an
indistinct vission, and imagined that a key that
was lying on the table before him was moving, and
having some time after sat down to dinner, and
attempting to lift a fork, he found that he had lost
the use of his left hand, and a little thereafter

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was Attacked with a Palsy in his head, which shook
greatly and deprived him of the use of speech, at
length a large salivation came on which relieved
him, but [stooping?] from the bed wherein he had
been put, which is pretty high above the floor, for the
necessary utensil, he fainted away, and while he
was in this condition, he was let blood of, as he had
been before about the 22d march; at this time he
sweeted greatly. Since this last Period he has enjoyed
tolerable health, being blooded upon the 19t June &
[Start of margin text]July 1770[End of margin text] 14 instant, by way of precaution as the weather was
warm.

This being the History of Mr Hunters Case he shall
now proceed to give Dr. Cullen an Account of the Regimen
he has followed since his first attack; he goes to bed every
night and at eleven or rather a little before it, and rises at
six being never in bed above eight hours, about seven he
goes out and performs a walk of about an English mile
and a half, comes into breakfast which consists of an
infusion of Tamarinds with Bread made of coarse
wheat flour & Rye meal, and after this a chopin of Cow
milk whey; Half an hour after midday he performs
the same walk, which takes him up about 45 minutes,
At dinner he constantly makes Greens, such as Spinag[e?]
Colworts, or Cabbages constitute two third parts of his
Dinner, Eats but little flesh and that but of the white
kind still using the Coarse Bread, at five afternoon
he takes the same infusion of Tamarinds in boiling
water and coars bread as aforesaid, sometimes he eats a
salad of Lettuse with sugar & Vinegar: Since may
that he was attackt he has constantly taken every
morning after he rises the sixteenth part of an Ounce

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of Nitre dissolved in a glass of water, except three
mornings that he takes the eight part of an Ounce of Cream
of Tartar, and every night he takes the like quantity of
Nitre also before he goes to bed. Mr Hunter performed
the above mentioned walk thrice a day till he was
oblidged to desist, from some symptom of a Rupture,
occasioned as he imagines by the drinking of the whey and
making use of a thin diet, and taking rather too much
exercise on Foot, altho he has sufficient strength for the
fatigue. In the month of January last he was seized
with a Deafness in his left Ear, and both before and
since his first attack, he hath been troubled with a
Coma or drowsiness, he is never hot but rather Coldish,
and remarkably so after dinner; He is also much
pained in the back part of his head, or about the nape
of the neck which goes off when walking, but returns when
he sits down. The pain of the issue is sometimes
intolerable in cold weather, or when the Wind is easterly;
It is very remarkable that his blood has always had
upon its being taken from him the appearance of its
being inflaimed, and is very sizy, with pretty much of
the buff coat on it, His sleep is very good, His stomach &
degistion [also?] likewise.

The deafness in his left ear together with a degree
of dimness in the sight of his left eye, which still continues
inclines him to believe that both proceed from a
Paralytic affection, but the painfullest part is that of the
Issue in his Head, which deprives him often of all temper.