[ 46 ] 
XIII. An Account of fome Cafes of DropfeSj 
cured by fweet Oil : In a Letter from Wil- 
liam Oliver, M D. F. R. S. 
S I R, Bath, Feb. 10, 1755. 
Read Feb. 20,'j' Cannot recoiled: whether Mifs * ^ had 
X been tapp’d, or not, when you did 
me the favour to call at my houfe. But I dare fay, 
an account of her proceedings tince will not be un- 
acceptable. 
IVIr. Pierce took from her eleven pints of water. 
As foon as the bandage could be loofened, Dr. Hart- 
ley and I examined the ftate of her belly. The epi- 
•gaftric region was quite emptied ; but we found a 
great fulnefs, which extended itfelf on each fide the 
inguen, towards the back. We put her upon a very 
fpare dry diet, and allowed her but a quarter of a 
pint of liquids in the twenty-four hours. But tho’ 
her urine much exceeded in quantity what Ihe drank, 
the fwelling increafed, and we feared the belly would 
foon fill again. A lady, who was with her, told us, 
that, juft before ilie left London, the had heard, that 
two perfons had been cured of confirmed dropfies by 
being anointed, morning and evening, with common 
falad oil, which was rubbed into the whole abdo- 
men, for an hour at a time, with a warm hand. We 
could not refufe the trial of fo innocent a method. 
The latraleiptae began their operation. About tlie 
s third day of anointing, the urine was confiderably 
increafed, and continued to be fo. The fulnefs gra- 
dually decreafed, and in a fortnight’s time was quite 
gone. 
