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Mr. Aitken

I am favoured with yours concerning
Mr. Aitken, and I am always pleased with
such correspondences, as are full exact and
judicious.

I am entirely of your opinion that
this disease depends upon a general debility
of the System, which will at a certain period
of life come on upon persons formerly sound
and healthful. Though there are symptoms
which show some affection of the breast, there
have been none that decisively mark a Hy¬
drothorax, and though there were, you have
employed the most probable means of relief
by the use of Diuretics and Tonics. For the
first, your pills are extremely proper, and in
my opinion should be continued, but the
mercury [cannot?] be pushed far, and therefore
I would {illeg} you to have {illeg}

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one of the dried squills alone, and the other {illeg}
the mercury as before. The squill may be [given?]
for two three days [increasing?] the dose, either
by the quantity or number as his stomach
bears it, and it may be enough to give the
mercurial every third or fourth evening
and by this practice I hope the flow of urine
may be continued and increased. If the squills
are disposed to purging (e) him as this will
prevent their going to the kidneys, it is
to be prevented by the use of an opiate. But
at the same time, as the water may in
part be drawn off by purging, it may be
useful to give him frequently the following
purgative.

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may I hope draw off the water, but [at the?]
same time it will be very proper to {illeg}
the return of it by tonic medicines, and you
very properly employ the bark, but as I
doubt, you cannot give in so large quantity
as might be wished I advise you to join with
it the Limitura martis preparate
in pretty large proportion, as the,
stomach will bear more of it than
we commonly imagine. These are all
that I think of in the way of medicine, and
you will certainly continue your attention
to the state of the Scrotum &c. and I find
you have ordered his diet as properly as I
could wish. When you think I can be of any
further [service?], you will find me ready and
attentive to give you every thing in my power