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For Sir Thomas Heaggerston Baronet

from a long acquaintance with Sir Thomas's constitution I have no diffi¬
culty in Judging of his complaints. There is a Gouty disposition prevailing in
every part of his body & when it does not produce painful Inflamation in
some of his Extremities it must affect his Internal parts, His stomach has
been frequently affected in a troublesome & even a dangerous degree. Hitherto
however the danger has not been immediately threatening but if a great deal
of care is not taken both by medicine & Regimen the disease may attack at his
stomach or head in the most dangerous manner. It is therefore from a sincere
concern that I earnestly offer the following advice. The first thing to be wished
for is that Sir Thomas should have as much fresh air & Exercise as his strength & state
of health can admitt off or easily bear. Everyday that is tolerably mild & fair he
should go on horseback & when the weather is more uncertain or he is more infirm he
should go in a carriage. When Sir Thomas's appetite is bad & his stomach squeamish
he must endeavour to get in some nourishment as well as he can by taking
some light & liquid things as broth Jellies, caudle & the farinaceous things as barley
rice & sago dressed in the manner he likes best but his pallate & stomach may
be reconciled to them by a little Madeira or other wine. A weak chocolate may be a
proper nourishment either in the morning or at night, neither Tea nor Coffee are
proper for him at any time. The diet I have mentioned is designed for the
times when his stomach is weakly & his appetite bad, but it will be always
of great advantage to him when he can bear it to take any little solid food but
it should be the lighter kinds & plain dressed without Bacon frying or
Boiling. The lighter kinds of white fish if boiled & taken with a light sauce are very
allowable if not taken together, Raw Oysters in a moderate number are also
allowable but all sort of dressed Oysters or other shellfish are of difficult digestion &
unfit for Sir Thomas. A potched or soft boiled Egg maybe frequently proper but not
too often. With all or any of his Victuals Sir Thomas may take some spiceries
but the frequent & large use of these are very improper & the same thing is to
be said of salt or salted meats. All the vegetables from the Garden are to be taken
with great caution & for the most part they will be too cold & flatulent for the

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stomach. In drinking, every kind of Malt liquor must be avoided. For
ordinary drinks Water with a little spirits, or a litle Madeira in it is the
only proper. When Sir Thomas has no feverishness upon him 2 or 3 Glasses
of wine at meals are not only allowable but proper & supposing the safer
Glasses only are to be taken they ought to be of the stronger kind of wine
as Madeira, Good Sherry, or Red Port; all the weaker wines as Claret
french white wine or Rhenish are very improper. It is possible that Sir Thomas's
stomach may bear no kind of wine & may require spirits & water, or perhaps
plain spirits in so much that I cannot put an absolute negative even upon
the last but I must say that the use of them is ready to draw into a habit
& there would be nothing more certainly pernicious. With the above manage¬
ment of Exercise & diet it is to be hoped that Sir Thomas's health may pre¬
served & for prescribing his constitution & determining the Gout to take its pro¬
per course I depend upon his regimen more than upon any medicine, but
his constitution has been shaken so much & the Gouty affection has of late taken
so much hold of his stomach that I do think it necessary for him to use some
medicines to prevent the Gouts taking a firmer seat there. With this view
I have ordered some medicines on a paper apart which I hope Sir Thomas will
employ & I would not have him employ them but for a fortnight at one
time or at least no longer till I have a report of their effects Besides
these medicines which I have now advised I think it will be very proper
for Sir Thomas to have his body frequently opened with the Guaiacum but it
should not be too frequently & always moderately as I have settled the
matter with Mr Wood. I think also that when his stomach happens
to be in the same low state as it has been of late the Cordial
mixture he has of late employed will still be very proper