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For Mrs Oswald of Raphoe

It was only yesterday that I recieved your Lordships
Letter of the 12th current & by the Postage it appears to have gone
a good way about. This is the first post day in Course & I am
sorry it is so late after yours. By Your Lordship's & the
Journal Inclosed I have a very distinct notion of the Condict
of the medicine. It has had more tendency to the Bowels & more
power in the mouth than I expected but I think you have
conducted both extremely well & if it has been continued as
I believe it would continue itself for a week after the 12th or 13th
when the Journal seems to have been finished I hope it is enough
for one Course, especially as its effects upon the Skin have
been considerable -- Tho there has been no Sweating
as we expected there can be no doubt that it has gone
freely by the Skin & no doubt the frequent bathing has contr¬
buted a great deal to this. I I was afraid that the
bathing might encourage the Sweating too much & therfore
avised a particular management but as no Sweating
happened I have no fault to find with the manner that was
followed - Tho the Use of the Mercury should be continued
till now I believe there is no harm in it - the Cure will be
rendered more certain & it does not appear that Mrs Oswalds
Strength or Spirits are much affected by it -- I should not have
been concerned to find that her body was taken down a little
more than it seems to be by your Lordships account - However
all that may be I have no fault to find with the Conduct of her diet

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& I shall always acknowledge that Mrs Oswald is no Slave to
her palate when her health is concerned - However you have
manged Since the 12th or 13th it is certainly time now to give up the
Mercurial Course entirely & I have only to Speak of what follow
it -- In the first place I must observe that Mrs Oswalds consti¬
tution is certainly disposed to make much blood & such constituti¬
ons do not commonly make it of the purest kind & this must
be forther observed that after a little exhaustion by Mercury the
body is liable to fill very fast From all these considerations
I must now earnestly recommend the keeping Mrs Oswalds
diet as low asit has been for some time to come & at least
till the Mercury is so entirely gone & the Spring so far
advanced that she can go abroad to take up a a great deal of
Exercise- I am perswaded this is necessary to the a Cure for
the Disease is of an obstinate kind & very liable to return
With this management of Diet I would recommend the continuance
of the Bathing but so as to wear it of by degrees going from twice
a week to three times in a fortnight then to once a week &
give it ↑up↑ for good when she is to be in Daily Exercise - Let her
now also enter upon a Decoction of Sarsaparilla making ↑it↑ with
three ounces of Sarsaparilla boiled with four pints of water in two {illeg}
& this may be sweetened with Liquorice or Raisins as she likes best
Of this [either?] take a bottle fresh made every twenty four hours
dividing it into such draughts and timing these draughts as most
agreeable to her let this Course be continued for a fortnight and

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for a fortnight longer at one pint per day -- Along with this
course of Sarsaparilla let her take the Antimonial ordered below
also for a month the Dose is to be a table spoonfull at bed¬
time this may possibly make her Stomach Sick and it is
right it should do so a little but if it goes so far as to make
her vomit it is too much & the dose it is to be taken done a
little but if it does not make her a little sick the Dose should
be increased a little & observe that the dose that occasions
sickness at first after being repeated some days will not have
that effect when this is observed that let the dose be increased a
little [it?] does go on to what the stomach easily bears.
I have nothing farther to say but when she mends her diet let
it be according to the directions given her last summer & as soon
as she gets into Exercise let her take as much as she convenient↑ly↑
can both in the Carriage & in walking

For Mrs Oswald of Raphoe>