Letter 1682

Patient Details

• Patient info
  Name: Lord Lempster
  Gender:
  Age:
• Description

  Lempster 'had caught cold about a fortnight before'. Ten days previous he had a coughing fit that lasted 'some hours', followed by difficulty breathing at night and the spitting up of blood.

• Diagnosis
• Treatment
  Previous Treatment:

  Lempster took Sloane's 'bitter Chalyboale Infusion', which induced vomiting as expected. After the bloody spitting, Keill 'ordered ten ounces of blood to be taken away', which caused an excess of eight ounces being drawn. The bleeding led to a quickening of the pulse. Another 'seven or eight ounces more [of blood] were twice taken away' and Keill prescribed 'Lin: Sgr: Balsam: in good large quantities'. The bleeding did not relieve any of Lempster's pain. Keill thought Lempster was going to expire 'On Sunday last', for his breathing was burdened, pulse quickened, and he was spitting blood as before.

  
  Ongoing Treatment:

  Keill believes that 'tho all other Symptomes require bleeding I do not think of doing it, but rather to apply blisters, purge him tomorrow and to continue the other medicines', which he had him 'drink [with] some of the Bath Waters'. Keill is worried that he should have bled Lempster more, as the symptoms suggested that 'he was not so subject to the Dropsey than formerly'.

  
  Response:
• More information
• Medical problem reference
  Coughs, Lungs, Tuberculosis, Blood