ABSTRACT
A Young Lady under my Direction, being naturally of a tender and delicate Constitution, had by a Mal-Regimen, and too strong and high Food while at a Boarding School at London, fallen into hysterick Disorders of all the Forms and Shapes were ever observ'd or describ'd; some-times Laughing, Dancing, and all Jollity at other times Weeping, Crying, Sighing, and Melancholy; often The was taken with Fainting Fits and Convulsions: now in great Chills, again Hot and Feverifh; sometimes great Quantities of pale, at other times but a little high-colour'd Water; sometimes Costivenefs to an Extremity, at other times purging and Slippery Bowels; and most, if not all there Symptoms, sometimes three or four times in twenty-four Hours, infomuch that ignorant People thought it Witchcraft and Inchantment. Various Nervous and Antihysterical Medicincs had been prescrib'd by the Physician in Ordinary at London, which had reliev'd and eas'd her for a Time, but still the relaps'd in a Month or two; and Rideing, Country Air, and even Changes of that Air were try'd with little or no Success. At last, her Parents being under the greatest Concern about her, and fearing left her Faculties (which were above Mediocrity) might be impair'd by so tedious and unaccountable a Distemper, put her intirely under my Care, with an absolute Power to do by her, both in Diet and Medicines, as I should think best. I first try'd all the common Nervous and Antihysterical Medicines over again, under a common Diet, with no Manner of Benefit. But tir'd out at last, I resolved to put, her upon an entire Vegetable Diet, without Flesh, Fish), or fermented Liquors; Milk the lik'd not, besides, by its Curdling on a bilious Stomach, it both inflated and made her more sick; the only Medicincs I ever after used in the whole Course, were gentle Vomits, when the Bile seem'd to be gathered or flow (which the always found by a greater Degree of Sickness, Oppression, and a greater than ordinary Headach that recurred Monthly) and a constant Course of Cinnabar, fresh and finely levigated, half a Dram Morning and Night for a long Time, and once a Week the Pilul. Gummof. & de Slloe lota ā p. æ, with Bath Waters in a Morning in the temperate, and Pyrmont in the hot Weather: sometimes Riding a Horseback, other times Walking, as the could best like, or could bear them. After the first Month of this Diet and Medicines, the never had any one Fit more to be observed; sometimes indeed the had a good deal of Lowness, Headach, or Sickness, but a Vomit always relieved her. By going on steadily in this Course, the grew sensibly better every two or three Months, and in less than two Years was perfectly cured of all her Complaints, and then returned to common Life, though with great Care, Caution, and exact temperance, drinking not above a Glass or two of Wine a Day, and for most part eating only the tender, young Animal Foods, being but of a tender Fabrick and weak Constitution by Nature, though now the is perfectly Well, Chearful, and Healthy.
