English medical and pharmaceutical notebook

Notebook compiled by or on behalf of an unidentified English apothecary who seems to have been based in the city of Lincoln. The work is mainly arranged by disease category and includes prescriptions for named patients, mainly from the city and county of Lincoln, recipes, medical observations, and copies of authoritative medical opinions, including two by Herman Boerhaave. Most of the prescriptions are ascribed to physicians who can often be identified, either as elite metropolitan practitioners, such as Dr Barrowby [William Barrowby FRCP d.1758], Dr Cade [Salusbury Cade FRCP d.1720], Dr Coatsworth [Caleb Coatesworth FRCP d.1741], Dr Grew [Nehemiah Grew FRCP d.1712], and Dr Mead [Richard Mead FRCP 1673-1754], or as local men, including Dr Nelthorp [Edward Nelthorpe MD, of Lincoln] and Dr Wallis of Stamford [Thomas Wallis MD d.1753].

Longer entries in English comprise 'Directions in[sic] the gout for the Right Honorable the Lady Windsor. R.S. June 9 1726' (pp. 58-63); 'Of a Gonorrhoea' (pp. 66-82); 'Of a Gonorrhoea in women' (pp. 104-106); and 'Of the Lues Venerea' (pp. 111-120).

early 18th century

1 volume 1 volume: approx. 200 x 120 mm., 4 leaves (2-4 blank) + 465 pp. + 40 leaves (6-40 blank). Blind-stamped reverse calf binding.

Purchased from Mr. and Mrs. T. Hines, Cambridge, February 2016

The volume is inscribed on the first leaf 'B.D. Xber 29 1732 pr. 4s 6d'. Many of the earlier prescriptions are annotated 'a Dom. Johannis Dixon', indicating that they were filled by an apothecary of that name: this must be John Dixon, who is recorded as an apothecary based at the 'Baile of Lincoln' in 1732 (Eighteenth Century Medics). It seems likely that there was some connection between John Dixon and 'B.D.' (presumably the compiler of the contents of the notebook); it is tempting to speculate that B.D. was Dixon's amanuensis - possibly a family member - who was tasked with systematically writing up prescriptions and other medical information dating back to the beginning of the century. The earliest prescription appears to date from 1704 (p. 28).