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I give your Ladyship the trouble of this Letter to
inform you about my Patient here, Mr. Bob: and am
very happy that I can say He is now quite free from
the pain of his side or breast, for which I was called to see
Him, as well as from every other complaint at present,
excepting such lesser ailments as He has had for some years
past.

It was by blistering his side that the pain was re¬
moved, which happened in a few hours after the
application, I mean now to try the experiment of a
small blister betwixt his shoulders, to be kept open
for some time, in order to attempt the lessening of that
wheezing noise, or Hurt, in his breathing he is so frequently
attacked with. –––– However, as I am not very sanguine
in my expectation of removing it by this method, I
would be very glad, if it seem agreeable to your
Ladyship, that you would cause consult Mr. Bobs
case with any Physician in Edinburgh whose skill
you can confide in.

Your Ladyship can give a better information than I
could procure here of your son's constitution & state of
health since his infancy, & therefore I leave that part
intirely to your Ladyship, only adding a few circumstances

He is at present growing pretty fast, & is of a delicate
appearance; but I think no thinner than when your
Ladyship saw him last. His flesh is very soft, & his
colour variable, seldom ruddy. ––––

His Breath is sweet & slow enough: but he is frequent¬
ly attacked with an uncommon noise in his breathing,
not easily described, but seemingly occasioned by some
viscid substance straitning the passage of the air: and
accordingly he is relieved from it by hemming, or hawking
up a little viscid mucus. Its return or continuance
are quite irregular, exciting no pain, cough or shortness of
breath. He feels the straitness or obstruction distinctly at the
upper part of the windpipe

His Pulse is for the most part natural. However some
days I observe it quickened, to 90 or 100 in a minute: but
but this seems not occasioned by any settled disease, but
rather by a Delicacy & Sensibility of constitution, too easily
affected by accidents, such as a full meal, strong food,
too much exercise & the like: at any rate it is by
no means regular, as I have often found his pulse
slow from morning to ↑mid-↑night.

In the same irregular way, his skin is sometimes warm
especially in the nighttime, but generally is cool enough.

His appetite is tolerably good, not constant, but gene¬
rally he has it pretty well once a day. ––––

He is commonly costive.

About 8 Days ago He was seized with a pain in the
left side of his belly, a little below the ribs, attended
with a feverishness & sickness of stomach: next Day
the pain left that place & affected the right side, im¬
mediately under the right breast, attended with diffi¬
culty of breathing. By applying a Blister near the
part affected the pain was quite removed, as well as all
his complaints next day, without any return of them
since.

I intend to restrict him to a cooling Diet & moderate
Exercise until I be advised what other method is to be
followed. And I beg your Ladyship will procure, with
an opinion of the nature of his case, full Directions
as to the Diet & medicine proper for Him.

I beg leave to offer respectful compts. to you & Sir William
& am Madam