Unknown author, letter, after 1821, describing cases of rheumatism
CWF Rockefeller Library Special Collections. SCMS2001.22
in suppuration _
1st of a negro woman Louisa, belong-
ing to my father- after exposure to
cold suffered pain in the extremeties_
The fingers were much swollen and
both ancles stress. after some months
the pain + swelling left every part ex-
cept the right knee_
I first saw her in this disease on the
30th April 1819. Knee much swelled
and incapable of motion_ By resort_
ing to the ordinary means of leeching,
cupping, blistering, and v.f. & long, con
tinued purging the pain in seven weeks
was entirely relieved, and the knee reduced
almost to the size of its fellows_ about
this time I removed to Richmond_
In two months I returned & found by too early
discontinuance of the treatmt. the in-
flamation had return with great violence
and now suppuration had taken place.
near two quarts were discharged by an
incision I made just above the knee
Extensive sinuse existed_ one leading to
the groin_ She now had [kostic] fever.
In consultation on the case Drs. Kliet
G- in favor of amputation - Dr. Hos-
kins & Dew proposed to try alteration done
of calomel_ I yielded to Dr. H.'s experience,
and after six weeks returned when the
infl. had reached the body, thigh enormous
ly swollen and I never again had the
opportunity of operating - she died after
some suffering, of colliguative diar-
rhea__
June 1824
Frederick set. 43_ a servant of Mrs. Camp
bell's- suffered for months with well
marked Rheumatism, which terminated
in supplication and entire destruction of
of the structure of the knee-joint, ca
ries, great emaciation- + heatic fever.
I visited this man at the request of my friend
D. Hoskins in May 1820 & in visiting taught
him in the propriety-necessity of the
operation, I amputated the limb_ he re-
covered most perfectly, and now enjoys
good health- Decr. 1821- - supplication of
the joint had existed more than 18 mos.
previous to the operation- I used animal
ligatures around all the arteries except two
the femoral profused a - one of the silk
ligatures came away on the 16th day, the
other remained near six weeks, at the end
of wh. Time the stump had almost entirely
healed I had directed that the ligature shd.
be slightly drawn every day, but this not
being attended to and adhesive plaister not an-
swering the purpose of keeping it tense I tied
a leaden bullit to it, and then brot. the
ligatures off it 24 hours_ no accident I
thot. cd. result + no danger of hemorihage
be apprehended as the cavity of the vessel
up to the last branch must long since have
been obliterated, from the stop point to
the circulation of the blood.