Victor Ferguson to Hans Sloane – July 23, 1700
Item info
Date: July 23, 1700 Author: Victor Ferguson Recipient: Hans SloaneLibrary: British Library, London Manuscript: Sloane MS 4038 Folio: ff. 38-39
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Language
English
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Library
British Library, London
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Categories
Medical
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Subjects
Coucher
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Date (as written)
July 23, 1700
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Standardised date
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Origin (as written)
Hills burgh
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Others mentioned
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Patients mentioned
William Nivin
Original Page
Transcription
Victor Ferguson (d. 1729) was a physician of Newtown, near Belfast (Toby C. Bernard, A New Anatomy of Ireland: The Irish Protestants, 1649-1770 (Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2003), ch. 5; “Fergusons of Belfast” URL: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~colin/FergusonsOfIreland/Belfast.htm).
Patient Details
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Patient info
Name: N/A William Nivin
Gender:
Age:60 years old. -
Description
If the patient went longer than four hours without eating or drinking, he became 'insensibly positive and willful'; he spit constantly (clear spittle), and became senseless, recognizing no one. He staggered around like a drunk for a considerable time, and then sank down, foaming, and 'would choke if left alone'. When on horseback, he reeled side to side and bent backwards until he fell off; the patient slept soundly, but foamed while doing so, and could not be left unsupervised. If one attempted to feed the patient mid-episode, he thrashed and resisted.
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Diagnosis
'A species of epilepsy' which Ferguson has not encountered before.
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Treatment
Previous Treatment:
Ongoing Treatment:Ferguson obtained the patient's consent to trigger an episode so he could observe; the patient remembered nothing afterward. By regulating the patient's diet (eating every four hours), Ferguson was attempting to manage the episodes.
Response: -
More information
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Medical problem reference
Age, Eyes, Dizziness, Epilepsy, Balance