1700s English Letter to a Parisian Physician Seeking a Medical Consult for Two Patients

On offer is a fine example of a letter to a French doctor in Paris requesting his assistance. The letter is written in English. The author was on F. Cary to a Dr. Bourre in Paris.

In his letter, Cary mentions two women by name – a Mrs Giffard and a Mrs. Cary. The latter may or may not have been related to or married to the author. Cary mentions that the women as suffering from serious nose bleeds. He makes reference to an unnamed doctor who has seen them and written a report which was apparently enclosed with the letter. He requests Bourre to examine them. An excerpt of the letter follows:

... I have nothing more to add than that Mrs. Giffard tho frequently appearing ill never makes any complaint and it is with difficulty that she will own that anything is the matter owing I believe to the difficulty nervous people have of explaining what they feel. After you have looked this over I should be very glad to see you. I leave Paris early on Thursday morning …

For a social historian, this is an excellent example of the polite correspondence and requests that can pass to or between professionals in 18th Century France. For a collector of medical memorabilia, this would be an excellent addition to a collection or library.

This letter is comprised of a single sheet measuring 9.0 inches by 15.0 inches and folded to create four 9 inch x 7.5 inch pages. The Letter is written on the front page. The back page is the address block and the inner 2 pages are blank. The letter was folded several times and sealed with red wax. The letter shows some discolouring a a little wear around some edges. The handwriting is copperplate and legible