An £x^'ra5t of a Letter 
Writtentothe Publifber from Plymouth J^ovem. 2. 1669. By 
William Durfton Dr, ofPhjficki concermng the Death of the 
Big^-breafled Woman (^difcour[edofmy<\\xmh. '^2,^ together 
with n>hat was thereupon ohferved in her Bodj. 
Sir, 
I Thank you for yours 5 which by rcafonof my abfence came 
not to my hands till this day. Elizabeth Tr avers dyed on 
Thurfday night, Offokr 21. The next morning I fent for a 
Chirurgion , and forae others to be prefent at the opening, and 
taking off of her Breaftsj though we only took off one, viz. the 
b iggeft 5 which was the left, and having weighed it , we found 
it of 5/;^.7/(?^r pounds weight. Upon the opening of it , Cwhich 
we made in feveral places) wecould find neither Water, cor 
Cancerous humors, nor any thing vicious, more than the prodi- 
gious bignefs^and the Z^^^// and Parenchymousflefh were pure- 
ly white and folid, and no ochci' than what we fee in thefoundeft 
Breafts of Women ^ or the beft Udders of other Animals. She 
had loft her ftomach and reft feverall weeks before, and made 
great complaints of her Breafts from their great diftenfion 5 and 
her whole Body was exceedingly emaciated. I have fent you 
inclofed one meafure , which W3S the Breadth of her two Breafts 
( as ftie was layd out on a Table being dead 5 ) I mean , from the 
furtherendof theone to the other 5 which youi find /^/(f^/^^?^' 
two Inches and an halfe 5 and another meafure^fliewing the C/>- 
cumfcrence of t he Breafts long- wife , viz, four foot^ and x\^2xfour 
inc-hesj anda/^.r^, giving the Circumferercc oiihc Breadth ^ 
viz jhree foot four inches md an hilfe. 
The right Breaft we took not off, but we guefs, it weighed 
fourty pounds. I did fome v/eeks fince 4?egina Salivation with 
her, which leftend her Breafts in circumference fome inches 5 
but flie proving not conformable, I durft not proceed to 
keep up the flux, but was forced todefill. But fee was won- 
deifully revived afterwards for fome time. She being weary of 
that courfe^ I then caufed a C/i/^^/zV to beapplyed-, upon which 
the B(char filling ofFj yet nothing ifftied out of the Breaft. 
1 hen 
