[Page 1]

[Page 2]

[Page 3]

[Page 4]

The medicines you advised for Mr. Stevenson
have been carefully used. only the ointment he has
been afraid to meddle with, as repeatedly he has re¬
marked that the smallest things of Mercury externally
has had the effect to inflame his skin & swell his
body. The nitre he persisted in for a long time the
Decoct. with the antimonial also he has taken.
We prevailed on him to take a weak dose of pil.
Plummer. There is no very great odds upon him
since I had occasion to mention his situation in
my last in answer to yours; I saw him yesterday
when he resolved to use the ung. citrin. he has
had a very great discharge from the surface of
the whole body; the chief difference of appearances
now & formerly is that now only a very thin cuticle
comes off not thicker than Gold=beater leaf -- the
parts below being not wet but just moist -- this
thin cuticle is, after sloughing off, very speedily re¬
newed -- the itching is much greater than it was.

What makes his Brothr. & me very uneasy about him is
that his body is greatly reduced his flesh much
gone & still that filmy discharge & waste going
on also his strength much impaired.

Yesterday before dinner I measured his pulse; 84.
after he had taken some chicken broth I found
it 76 he had in the forenoon been complaining
of sickness his pulse upon the whole has been
very much the same 80 -- -- 84 & yesterday 76.

His Brothr & I frequently had Mercurials in our
eye, but, for the reason I have mentioned above,
were deterred from employing them. his tongue
is moist as before he has cast the scarf=skin
more than a dozen of times. It is mostly by
injections that he gets ease of his belly.
his rest is very indifferent -- sometimes he tries
to do without the opiate. When the discharge
was great he complained of no pain or smarting

Enclosed
Two Guineas

Dr. W. Cullen
Physician
Edinr.