Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

This volume contains medical essays composed at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia in 1849 and 1850, as well as drafts of letters composed in 1878 and 1879. Essay topics include examinations of specific cases, information on various ailments, notes on surgical operations, and descriptions of medicines.

This volume (162 pages) contains medical essays composed at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia in 1849 and 1850, as well as drafts of letters composed in 1878 and 1879. The first 99 pages consist of medical notes and essays written during Carson's final year studying medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, including reports on medical cases, information on ailments and medicines, and notes concerning surgical operations. Essays on ailments and medicines (pages 100-159) focus on symptoms and relief, and include several based on particular types of medicines, such as diuretics and expectorants. Other essays examine the effects of the medicines on the body. The volume also contains medicinal recipes (pp. 160-161). Several doctors are mentioned, including H. S. Patterson, Joseph Carson, G[eorge] B. Wood, and Henry H. Smith. The medical content dates from March 15, 1849, to January 1850, and covers most of the volume's odd-numbered pages, with additional content appearing on some even-numbered pages, including several rough sketches of generic human figures that appear on the inside of both covers and throughout the book, and a series of indexes of miscellaneous words. Some additional items are signatures for residents of several towns in New York, a poem entitled "Buccaneer Bride" (p. 42), recipes for breakfast rolls and doughnuts (pp. 46, 48), household accounts for decorative items, and drafts of letters. Of the letters, one is signed by Grace Burton of Millport, New York. Addie A. McCurdy, also of Millport, New York, occasionally signed her name on some of the even-numbered pages.

This volume contains meteorological tables and diary entries concerning daily life in Rhinebeck, New York, from 1850-1868. The author wrote about local politics, national politics, and the Civil War; the weather's effect on crops and farming; epidemics and health; and other subjects. The first pages of the volume contain brief notes about inflammatory diseases.

This volume (approximately 580 pages) contains meteorological tables and diary entries concerning daily life in Rhinebeck, New York, from 1850-1868. The first page of the volume consists of a brief note regarding intellect, followed by a 2-page essay about the "Influence of Weather on Health," 6 pages of information about diseases and treatments, and a recipe for an adhesive plaster. Some of the medical notes appear to have been copied from outside sources written in the 1840s.

The remainder of the volume is comprised of daily meteorological tables and diary entries written from January 19, 1850-May 10, 1868 (the entries for August 11, 1863-July 31, 1864, appear near the front of the volume). Each page of the meteorological register contains a chart providing information on wind direction and speed, temperature, and general weather conditions for as many as 10-12 days. A key to the numerical system used to denote wind speed and weather conditions is located at the beginning of the weather diary. Newspaper clippings regarding weather patterns and comet appearances were infrequently pasted into the volume.

Additional "Remarks" on almost every page frequently pertain to the weather, agriculture, and local news. The author commented on the weather's effects on various crops, the navigability of the Hudson River, locusts, the appearance of comets, and the prevalence of diseases such as measles and dysentery. Some entries pertain to recent news events (such as the destruction of the Henry Clay in July 1852) and political campaigns, including New York gubernatorial races and the United States presidential elections of 1856, 1860, and 1864. After the secessions of November 1861 and throughout the Civil War, the author reported war news, writing about local regiments and reactions to the war, recent battles, and major political events such as the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Some entries report false rumors.