Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

List of Books for Mr [Brinans?] Benvenuto Cellini rec'd by Johnson Burtons Anatomy of Melancholly rec'd by Johnson

Louisa L. & Mary H. Ware

7 Watertown Str.

Cambridge

May 21 02 1809 No 1 Tomorrow Genl D- will send per mail my Defence at the same time I send - No 1. Letter to Genl [Lancolr?] of May 9 h 1808 - to J. Bullard May 17 h 1808 - and D John Randal's cetificate No 2 James [Kithy?] certificate Wh. J. Joney Concerning Bates - No 3 RwnDn Morse - Dr Lloyd. Dr. Darforth - Dr. Shaw. Dr. Coney - No 4 Andrew Nichols & [Thomas?] [Troser's?] [contrlpiates?] with a copy of printed [Nules?] -

Archiver GA 91 V1

Marine {Hospital} {January} 7th 1808

Johonnet Esqr.

Navy Agent Boston

Sir

There are now in this hospital three seamen who were left sent here by the wasp, namely Thomas Daniels, Edward Hart & James Smith. They are well enough to be dismissed, but their distance from the ship to which they belong together with the inclemency of the season are good reasons for my detaining them until I know from authority what ought to be done with them. There is another named Wm. Kennedy who will probably be well enough to depart in three weeks being now under the operation of mercury. There is another named Thomas Williams belonging to the same ship who is incurable; one eye is was destroyed by the bursting of a bottle, and the other eye is going by sympathy into a ruinous state; so that he will in all probability become quite blind. Peter McMann belonged to the Constitution; he fell from one of her yards into her hole and injured his brain in a manner that has left such an affection behind as will forever render him unfit for service or for getting his living. He was I am told considered by the surgeon of the Constitution as incurable & sent to this hospital as such. Now I wish to know what I must do with these five men; and with Kennedy when he should be well enough to depart?

It may be a satisfaction to you Sir to be informed, that I have just established three dressers, after the manner of the European hospitals, & that I can treble that number should 20 wounded men be brought into [?] who go through the hospital every day with me from between 10 & 12 oclock being three well informed adroit young surgeons and that I am about establishing one in the house so that the institution will not be left as heretofore during the night wihout some medical aid. It will doutless give you satisfaction to hear that the three first medical characters in the state viz. Lloyd, Danforth & Warren have kindly offered that in case of any extraordinary emergency or my sickness to give their advice & assitance.

Marine {Hospital} {January} 8th 1808

{Honorable} {Robert} Smith

Secretary of the Navy Washington

Sir,

I wrote to you two days ago in consequence of some doubts resting on the mind of our Navy agent or rather his deputy Mr Prince, respecting the extent of my appointment. Since then another thing has occurred on which I wish your direction. I am almost every day examining recruits in order to determine their healthy & sound state of body. Among these, there are some from the country who are liable to the small pox. I wish to know from you whether I ought to vaccinate such subjects? Lieut. Caldwall thinks with me that they ought; but neither of us dare make a well man sick even for a day without the directions of our superior. If I must vaccinate them must I hereafter consider it as my duty? --They need not go into the hospital for this during the process; nor would it hinder their embarkation altho they could not carry arou firelocks while their arms were sore.

I have thought it entirely proper to inform you of my chief design in becoming the physician to the medical establishment in this place. I have therefore enclosed a letter written to {General} Lincoln & which he trans[mitted?] to the President about the time of the appointment of D Jarvis. I made no other application . When Jarvis died, the President remembered the design & I presume that on my application he gave me the appoint as much or more on that account than on account of my introducing & establishing that greatest of all medical blessings Vaccination. You will I trust see at once, that my design is to make this infant establishment a branch of medical education for rearing military surgeons. I mean to give a course of lectures on the a plan similar to that mentioned by Dr. Trotter in page 5 Vo. 2d. of his Medicina Nautica; at the same season that I give my lectures on the Practice of Physic in Camb. I shall give lectures on surgery & on the d. [?]- dat to seamen at the hospital at Charlestown. I communicated my plan to our {Governor}.

June 29th 1808

{Honorable} B. Lincoln {Esquire}

Collector & Superindent of the Marine Hospital

Sir

As making up the quarter bills of the Hospital is a new thing to our recently appointed Steward, I have superintended that business, and hope you will find no error in the form or the calculations. We have endeavored to make them more intelligible improve the general bill in its form & expression.

You will see that there is has been a very large number of patients in the house this quarter; this has been occasioned by the embargo. The boarding houses in almost all our seaports have been emptied into the hospital. When the Landlords have found their sick lodgers destitute of money & no immediate prospect of receivin more they have brought them here. We have probably sometimes been imposed on, but I have endeavoured to be as circumspect as possible. I have instituted what they call in the English hospitals out patients that is I have given advice & medicine to numbers, who brought certificates from the [different?] custom-house at certain & who call at particular times and thereby keep them from becoming boarders in the house. Many seamen when well enough to be dismissed & whose homes were at a distance, have represented to me that they had not a cent to buy them shoes or to carry them Home; to such I have given one, two, or three dollars, without knowing if I could be repaid. I have expended between 20 & 30 dollars in this way but have rendered no account of it, and shall be glad to have your directions on the subject.

Owing to the age & ill health of our late steward the Hospital had become very filthy. It is now perfectly clean and may I think be kept so, if we have the much needed wooden building -- The chapel which had been used as a lumber room has been cleared out & whitewashed and Divine service is performed in it every week by the neighbouring ministers, wihtout any expense, as yet, to the institution. I have enclosed a printed copy of those rules & regulations, {which} you approved in this & have the satisfaction to assure that they have been hitherto adhjered to. A cleaner, more orderly, & grateful set of men are seldom

to be found in a hospital. Mr W visits every ward & room in the hospital / the venereal wards excepted / two and three times a week, and will continue to visit them, unless as Steward should take a second wife. The super intends & directs the female part of the help & has greatly improved the system in point of neatness regularity & dispatch, and has if I calculate right saved about 300 dollars per annum to the government; for the same work is now better down by three women, which was formely done by five.

To cut off the ill effects from east wind & fogs at certain seasons, I have caused nearly a hundred quick growing trees to be planted in that quarter. Lombardy poplars & masard cherries have been planted in the front of the hospital; and the burying ground is surrounded by ^{a nursery of} acacia trees; while the best grafted apple tres are planted in the middle space. of the fine cover of ground surrounding the hospital, ^we Ihave cause 1 & a quarter to be laid out in a garden, from which I predict manifold advantages to the convalescent. I wish I could devise some employment for thase who have the free use of their arms in the winter especially. They would be more happy & their ^{to their lower limbs} sores would heal quicker. My enemies have quickened my attention to this institution so that I wish to have it second to none in point of order, neatness, and successful medical treatment

Marine Hosp. January 11th, 1809 Honble Secretary [?] Pray sir, There is a man in this hospital named Thomas Williams [crossed out] who was an able seaman in [crossed out] [the ship? Consthihas?] and afterwards served on board the wash in the statue of the Captains Steward and while in the immediate service of Capt. Smith, as his steward, he lost [crossed out] his eyes, by the hurting of a bottle of [cyder?]. I found him in this hospital, when I first took [chargedit?], suffering greatly from the glass still in his eyes. He is now [issuably?] blind, the ongoing [?]. He is one of the fine [?] whom you ordered the paid off + [discharged?] the service of the U.S. But such was his miserable condition at that time, that I could not [?] him [crossed out]. I have written several times + layed several [fines?] upon [?] Capt. Smith, in hope, that we could do something for ammodating his [reteched?] situation. The Capt. S. now informs me that he has transmitted [toyon?] a certificate of his [?], and that he will probably be put on the [lift?] of pensioners. The man is about 30 years of age, + could probably contribute a little of his own [supportly picking?, but will ?] always need someone to take care of him. The rules of our hospital forbid us to consider it as a permanent [affliction?] [?] of some clothing suitable for the severe weathers of our climate. I write this ∴ for your order respecting him & whatever you will please to direct [shall the ?] [?] P, W -

I do hereby certify that I have had occasion to visit the U.S. marine hospital at Charlestown, both before & since Dr. Waterhouse's appointment to that department; am clearly of opinion that it has been much improved by the rule & regula -tions established by him; that he appears to have the interest of the establishment much at hear, and that I believe that the duties of his office are discharged with fidelity & ability. In difficult & extraordinary cases he is not above asking the advice of such of his medical friends as he thinks most capable of giving him ass. -istance for the relief of his suffering [begin crossed out] patients [end crossed out] & distressed patients. James Lloyd [Barton?] 2d March 1809

I hereby certify that I have several times visited the Marine Hospital at Charlestown by desire of the late Dr Jarvis - that since his death, I have been called on for advice in several cases in said Hospital by Dr. Waterhouse. I have been much pleased with the improvements which he has made, & the regulations which he has established, and am fully of opinion that the duties of his office cannot be discharged by any person with more ability fidelity or ability. Sam [C.] Danforth Boston April 15th 1809.

This may certify that when on a visit at Boston last autumn, I had the curiosity to visit the U.S. Marine hospital of which Dr. Waterhouse is Physician. I examined it pretty deliberately & in every department; and from my acquaintances with the larger hospitals in London, & from thirty years practice, I could form some tolerable judgment of this on a small scale, and I am disposed to declare that for neatness, order & comfortable appearance it exceeded any I had seen.

The patients appeared to have an aspect of cheerfulness, and were surrounded with every thing convenient & comfortable. I therefore join in what I [illegible]

I hear, is a general sentiment, that the reforms made in this asylum for the sick do credit to it, Physician and conductors - Experience of thirty years practice may have afforded me some means of judging of this house Samuel Shaw

20th Febry. 1809.

Dr Benjn Waterhouse Cambridge Dear sir My visit the last autumn to the Marine Hospital in Charlestown (Mass) under your immediate direction, afforded me real satisfaction; finding as I did that the medical duties, & the economy of the household more attended & discharged with so much ability; in a manner which evinced great care, prudence, and sound discretion.

The cleanliness of the several appointments of the linnen - cloathing - beds & furniture - the order & salutory regulations of the rest & regimen of the patients, & household, reflected much credit on the [Directors.]

The rules & orders you have adopted, appear judicious, and well designed to preserve good order & decorum; to afford relief & comfort to the afflicted subjects of your charge; and to promote the general interests & objects of the institution.

The professional duties attached to the office of