Letter 1555

Posted on August 2, 2016 by -

James Keill to Hans Sloane – July 3, 1709


Item info

Date: July 3, 1709
Author: James Keill
Recipient: Hans Sloane

Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4042
Folio: ff. 1-2


Original Page


Transcription

Keill did not formally attend medical school, but through the patronage of Sloane he obtained the degree of MD from Cambridge. Sloane helped Keill enter into medical practice in Northampton (Anita Guerrini, Keill, James (16731719), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/15255, accessed 2 June 2011]).



Patient Details

  • Patient info
    Name: N/A William Fermor, 1st Baron Leominster
    Gender:
    Age:61
  • Description

    Keill describes Lord Leominster as being in a bad state of health.

  • Diagnosis

    Cold; great cough; difficulty breathing, especially at night; swollen legs; lack of strength in the blood; large quantities of pale urine.

  • Treatment
    Previous Treatment:
    Ongoing Treatment:

    A gentle purge with 'oxymel scyll'; infusion; flower of preserved garlic at night; milk in the morning.


    Response:

    Lord Leominster's cold and cough have disappeared, but the breathing difficulty and swollen legs remain. Keill will wait for Sloane's advice before proceeding.

  • More information
  • Medical problem reference
    Colds, Coughs, Inflammations, Lungs, Pain, Bloody stool