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I have been favoured with yours of the
8th currt. but as no post went out for the south yesterday I
could not answer you till to day.

I have very attentively considered your judicious ac¬
count of the gentleman you write of and tho I cannot say -
much to inform or improve your judgement I shall offer my
opinion. I agree with you in thinking that the gentlemans
breast is in danger and I have generally found a blue spitting
to be an unauspicious symptom but it is not constantly so
and as you find neither any marks of purulency nor certain
symptoms of hectic I think no Phthisis is yet formed. I
am much disposed to think that we have no formed disease
to treat and that the whole of the symptoms show only a con¬
stitution shattered by those manners too common with young
people but which this gentlemans original delicacy was not
fit to bear. I hope it is a case still recoverable but as you
observed it must be by a regimen rather than by medicines.

The first step that I think necessary and absolutely necessary
is to avoid everything that can irritate the system already too
much fretted and ↑therefore↑ the use of all fermented or spirituous liquors.
As the gentleman however has been in the habit of taking some wine
every day I would not advise his laying it aside all at once but if
↑he↑ will measure his wine exactly and diminish it by an ounce every
day I will answer for his doing it with safety and advantage.

As his appetite is pretty good he may be in great danger from too full
a diet and I would earnestly advise great moderation. He should take
animal food only once a day that is at dinner and then too he should
prefer the lighter kinds and never make a full meal of any kind but
always make a great part of it of weak broth, light pudding and such
garden things as the season affords and his stomach easily digests.
His supper should be always of some kind of milkmeat and if he
digests milk easily his breakfast may be of ↑the↑ same kind. With this
regimen I promise that his sleep will be without dreams and that
his spirits shall be less liable to sinkings than they have been.

Tho the season is at present unfavourable I advise him as often as
the weather is tolerably mild and fair to get on horseback or into a
carriage and to spend a great part of the forenoon in such exercise.

What I think of the utmost consequence to this gentleman is
his taking the greatest care to avoid cold and for this purpose he
should constantly wear a flannel shirt next his skin, he should
in general be warmly cloathed and take particular care to keep his
feet and legs always warm & dry. He should take every other pre¬
caution that can be taken. agst. cold and what these are you can
inform him. With these precautions and with the above regimen I
hope that all danger may be averted but he may be also rendered more
secure by some medicines and I think the infusion of bark which you
advised was very proper and very safe. I shall only propose
one other medicine as follows

This is all I
think necessary at present and for the future I think you have pro¬
posed an excellent course for him. For the first part of summer I -
would preferr the goat whey to the Bristol Water but as the Goat Whey
is seldom good after the middle or end of July it will then be very proper
to go to Bristol. What is to be done next can only be determined by the
circumstances of his health at that time. If then or at any time

before my advice can be usefull you may command me.