Record

CollectionGB 0231 University of Aberdeen, Special Collections
LevelSeries
Ref NoMS 2070/8
TitleJournal of Jonathan Troup: August 1789
DateAugust 1789
ExtentPages 34v - 67v
Creator NameJonathan Troup (c1764 - 1799), physician, of Aberdeen, Scotland and Dominica, West Indies
DescriptionJournal of Jonathan Troup: August 1789

He wrote letters to Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society, and Dr Monro of Edinburgh, regarding Mr Gemmet's negro woman who had quadruplets
Mr Kemp's condition worsened and he suffered from fever and delirium for several days
Mr Fraser was suffering from headache and hiccup which occurred once a month in the full or new moon
Mr Rainy's new negro had worms in his belly
He transcribed a letter (in French) requesting medicine
Dr Fillan told him there were no tides here which he dismisses as 'stupidity and inattention - no observer of nature'
He made notes on Keill's book
He was called to see boy with dysentery who died suddenly the following day
Mr Newton had hydrocele on the left side
He gave a long description of the weather with sketches
He began Dr Pitcairne's Elements of Philosophy and Mathematics and made notes from it
He had a dispute with Dr Fillan as to who should visit the Bath negroes
He treated a case of lack of motion in left leg and thigh from a bruise on loins
He saw a child with convulsions from worms and drew a sketch of her face
An experiment he and some acquaintances made with a machine went wrong when the vessel burst and injured Mr Edward
Considine's negro with abcess was better
Considine's negress with the swollen leg had developed a fever and cough. Troup gave her medicine to give her system a shock. This gave her convulsions and she 'passed to another world'
He went to Mr Jardin's estate where he opened a negro's buboe which became fetid a couple of days later
Cold and coughs were prevalent
He drew blood of 3 negroes
On the 6th at 9 o'clock, two negroes were chained for walking about the town. One escaped and murdered the other. He had not yet been caught
He heard a shot fired while writing - he was called to see the negro that was shot but nothing could be done
He made notes from Home's Medical Facts
He dined with Mr Andrew Smith and got drunk with Edwards, Laurie and Walker - 'make love to a number of girls in my drunkenness'
He saw Mr Pagan's wench (Flora). Mr Carson had cut the swollen parotid gland and cut out the duct. It then swelled to six times its size and filled with laudable pus. Several days later, he remarked that it was rather worse, looked cancerous and had affected the carotid and jugular vessels. A few days after that he remarked that she had a stiffness in course of vessels and swelling, a falling off of a fungus but sore was contracted yet acrid
Colds and rheumatism prevailed at Woodbridge and Bath
He treated a boy named Ingelo who was seized suddenly with dancing motion from being bitten by animal or from poisonous herb. He confirmed his original conjecture regarding this boy that the illness was brought on by an animal bite. He danced freely and would for some time. He later went to Bath estate and brought the boy back. He gave detailed description of him and his mannerisms and two sketches - one of his position while suffering the pain of a blister and another of him sitting. Following his recovery, he wouldn't dance. Troup wrote a little bit about his background and recounted the story of the way in which he became a slave
He went to Woodbridge estate and saw a woman in labour from the previous night with lingering pains. Her second child and commonly inactive. Troup gave various treatments and then took her out of bed. This made the labour progress but the child was stillborn
He examined a woman's finger at Mr Jardin's - mortification only extended to the first joint of the left thumb
A case of yaws was taken from him and sent to another doctor
Mr Fraser's boys mortified leg was better
He made notes regarding bites of the tarantula and scorpion with sketches of each
He made notes from Lord Chesterfield's letters and Le Gendre's History of France
He had severe sweating of head and temples. He went to bed and felt better
The negro who murdered his companion was caught and hanged in the marketplace. Troup described the scene
He borrowed Stahl's Chemistry from Thomas Rainy and lent him Nicholson's Philosophy in two volumes
He went to [Belfast] estate for a social visit
He went to Belle Visii to visit Dr Mudie who had opthalmia. He improved but the rest of his family got ill
He consulted Dr Morgan's Philosophical [Principles] of Medicine and described it as 'useful for every young physician'
He had a sore throat
He stated that the 'The principal diseases of negroes depend upon worms'
He treated Mr Smith - hiccup from drinking and swelled testicle
Mr Knox had come for the money he owed to him
He treated Mr Winston's Penny who was suffering from a sore head and lock'd jaw. A day later, Mr Carson was seeing Penny at Winston's regarding her tumour. Troup described the treatment he gave her and claimed he saved her life. Following his treatment, she continued to improve
He went to Bath Estate to see Mr Byron with gonorrhea
He read Swan's English translation of Sydenham and made notes
Old Negroes got Saturdays and Sundays off and got so much ground to plant
He saw the boy with Hydrocephalus. The following day he stated that the boy was better and claimed that this was because of the new moon. A few days later, the boy developed fever and pains
He saw negro, Francis, at Woodbridge with gonorrhea
He described seeing a duck and two guinea birds have convulsions
He was stung by wasp at base of the thumb
He dined at military mess and was later sick from too much wine. He remarked the next day that he was suffering from a squeamish stomach in the morning
He sent Mr Archibald 3 volumes of Pennant's Tour
He listed common negro expressions and made notes on creole and negro language
Dr Fillan complained of his indolence to Thomas Rainy to which Troup remarked 'Ignorance, I'll show him the contrary'
He read L'Histoire de Charles XII, Roi de Swede [par Voltaire]
He saw a young girl at Mr Cobham's who was a mere skeleton and vomited a worm
He remarked that Dr Fillan was sick today as heard his patient was so bad and taxed Troup with the blame though Fillan was accountable for deaths
He saw a negro man plagued every 2-3 weeks with inflammation round the neck of the bladder
He went to Bath estate where he saw a woman with a ganglion on the branch of nerves near her neck
Hydrocephalus boy was teething his 2nd set of teeth. The next day, he drew a tooth from him
He drew a sketch of a face
He went to see Matthias at Woodbridge (this is possibly the negro with bladder inflammation) who was a good deal better
He sketched a French cross
Considine's negro died
Dr Fillan found fault with him - 'there is far more in this than if you go once a day to see your patient - you must crindge & bow and be extremely attentive upon trifles just to keep patients…I'll not crindge…damned…ignorance. Few or no patients, this is all because I won't crindge to him'
He had his shoes cleaned by a negro boy named Gay
He read Monro's lectures
He stated that there were a number of negroes in yaws which always began about the feet
A child died from mal d'estomac from eating earth
He saw a new negro at Bath estate named Ben who had a voracious appetite. If he was not satisfied, he ate earth. Ben had edematus swelling in face and ankles
He treated Mr Rainy's carpenter for a blister on left [hypochonderie] and stomach region had suppression of urine from it
He made notes on hiccups and the causes of them
He described Mrs Jordan and Mrs Warner and remarked that Mrs Warner's child was not much better
He treated Mr Cobham's children who were purging and had a belly complaint. One was calling for her mother. She died a few days later. Mr Cobham had taken them to his own table and fed them. Troup quarrelled with him regarding his taking them away from their mothers
He treated Melville, a fine, stout, lusty boy of about 12 - 13 who said he had fever at night. He improved quickly
Mr Lowndes' trial for defamation was proved gutless by the jury though it was clear that the printer abused everyone
He criticised Dr Fillan
One of Mr Rainy's carpenters was sick with angina or stricture pectoris from working in the heat. Troup treated him but he vomited up the remedy and still complained of tightness and stricture across his chest. He improved a few days later
He described the trial of a mulatto man for murder of Stewart. He got a not guilty verdict
He read book on architecture
Mrs Warner showed him a little mulatto girl who 3-4 months ago had dysentery and small pox. She had been in cachectic state ever since. A few days later, she voided a worm
He recounted a superstition regarding the drying up of milk in a woman
Rainy's carpenter was better today
He told of a young Negro of Beaubios' (a French planter) who had had liver problems and F[ever?] for 6 months. Dr Fillan had 'plied him hard with mercury now unable to bear more' and had given him up for dead. Troup treated him.
He visited Bath to see Antigua who ate earth
He treated a 10 day old child with excrescence on 3rd joint of little finger on left hand
A negro died at Mr Rainy's from Mal d'estomac from eating earth
Mr Andrew Smith had returned from Martinique where he saw a doctor for his complaint
He described entertainments and the costs of them
He treated a young mulatto girl who had a child at her breast. She had had a fever for 5 days and constant vomiting, violent pains in her head, arms, legs and belly. After treatment, she vomited a large worm from her belly
He described guavas and other foodstuffs with sketch of peas in a pod
He described an American squirrel
He mentioned (George Bridges) Rodney and his taking of the Comte de Grass on 12th April 1782
He had another disagreement with Dr Fillan re Dr Fillan disregarding his skills
He treated the mother of child with excrescence on finger for headache, pain in neck and fullness of breasts from not allowing the child to suck
He described doctors in Martinique
Access StatusOpen
Access ConditionsThe records are available subject to the signed acceptance of the Department's access conditions.
Add to My Items