A Letter from Mr. John Powell, to Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. Pr. R. S. &c. concerning a Gentlewoman Who Voided with Her Urine, Hairy Crustaceous Substances: To Which is Annexed Sir Hans Sloane's Answer, Containing Several Observations of Extraordinary Substances Voided by the Urinary Passages

Pelvis, there was near Six Ounces of fetid Matter lying between the Rectum and Uterus, which near its Neck was perforated, and the Parts were very rotten. From its Neck almost to the Extremity of the Vagina, the Muscles of the Anus were nearly destroyed.—There were some few indurated little Tumours adhering loofely to the Cyst of the Fœtus.—There were several little Parts appeared like carious Bones found in the Matter contained in the Pelvis. From what has been said, it appears that the Fœtus had been Nine Years in the Abdomen. VIII. A Letter from Mr. John Powell, to Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. Pr. R.S. &c. concerning a Gentlewoman who voided with her Urine, hairy crustaceous Substances: To which is annexed Sir Hans Sloane's Answer, containing several Observations of extraordinary Substances voided by the Urinary Passages. Honoured SIR, Pembroke, July 16. 1733. Having the Opportunity of sending now to London by a safe Hand, I make bold to send you in a Box, some things that a worthy Divine's Daughter of this Neighbourhood, whose Father has been some Years dead, and her Husband now too, has voided ever since Michaelmas last was Two Years, Years, unless it were about Nine or Ten Weeks last Summer. She is near 40 Years of Age, and has been married about 17 Years, and had a Child about 12 Years ago, that lived about Nine Weeks. About August last was Two Years, she was seized with a Stoppage in her Urine, a small Pain in her Bladder, and a great Pain in the Bottom of her Feet, with the making of whitish Water like Whey; and she had then a great Weakness in her Limbs, and a Pain in her Bowels; for which another Gentleman, Six Miles off hence, ordered her to go into the cold Bath, by which she found great Benefit for the Pains in her Limbs; but the Pain in her making Water rather increased, and then her Urine began to grow fetid; and about Christmas was Two Years, she voided the largest of the Things you find in the Box, without any very great Pain then, being she had taken a quieting Draught that Night to compose her; but, almost ever since, they put her to most exquisite Pain before she can get them off; and she is commonly forced to take the small Part of the hairy Part between her Fingers, before she can get them off; and oftentimes a good deal of Blood comes off with her plucking them, which makes her very sore inwardly. Upon using gentle Evacuations last Spring was Twelvemonth, she grew much better; such as Vomiting with the Hypecacuanha, Purging with Manna, Oil of Sweet Almonds, &c. and, taking sometimes Calomel the Nights before, and very often diuretic and balsamic Pills, with and without Trochisc. Gordon. and emollient Decoctions and Emulsions of several Kinds, the Fetor and Roapiness in her Urine abated, and she was pretty hearty and brisk, so that she she undertook last August a Journey into Herefordshire, and staid there near Two Months, and, I fear, she might take some Cold in her Journey; for her Pains grew worse, and more troublesome, after her return home; and she then voided great Quantities of those large Substances, as well as small, that you see; and her Urine grew extraordinary ropy and fetid, notwithstanding all the Endeavours of another Gentleman and myself; and very often the Substance she voided would be so stiff and ropy, that we could scarce separate it from the Pot; at other times so pliant, that you might take it up a great Height with a Sprig of a Broom, or a Feather, and so fall down again like a Lump into the Pot. She has for this considerable time voided one or more of these hairy crustaceous Substances every Day or Night; they looking, when they are first voided, like Hair and Coralline; and her Pains are so very exquisite, that we are forced, every Third Night at farthest, to give her an Anodyne to quiet her; and that often cannot be done, her Pain being so very great. The Continuance of this severe Pain has brought her to a very considerable Weakness, and almost a total Loss of Flesh; and, what is her great Misfortune, (especially at this Season of the Year) that Milk will by no means agree with her: She has often tried to conquer it, but never could, it constantly making her very sick in her Stomach, and she vomiting it up in great large Lumps. We have used Injections of Two or Three Sorts, but she cannot well bear them; and she has had her Menstrues very regularly, till within the Two or Three last Times; Times; and for these 10 or 12 Days past, she has complained of a Swelling in her Belly, but none in her Thighs nor Legs. One thing I had almost forgot to have told you, that she has often found a Crepitus, or a breaking of Wind, as it were, in her Bladder; which would make one believe, that there is an Aperture from the Intestinum Rectum to the Bladder. Her Bladder has been searched, and the Surgeon who did it, assures her, he can discover no Stone; and he is a very ingenious Person in his Profession. She has for these Four or Five last Days complained, at times, of asthmatic Fits, which I must attribute to the Heat of the Weather. The Voiding of these hairy crustaceous Substances never occurred to me in my Practice before; though I have above once had Persons voided large Bladders, like the Hydatids in Fish, and large Quantities of them, and cured them. These Substances therefore I beg Leave to send to you, being, I reckon, there is scarce any thing that escapes your Observation: But whether they have, or have not, I desire your Opinion of them; and beg you will be pleased to inform me what Course you judge most proper I should take with her. SIR, Your most obliged, humble, and obedient Servant, John Powell. P.S. She drank the Hot-well-waters both at Bristol and here, but with little Success; has taken Cantharides in- inwardly, as prescribed by Dr. Groenveldt, in Ulcers of the Bladder, and all other things we could think of. Sir Hans Sloane's Answer to Mr. Powell. SIR, London, July 26. 1733. I Received yours of the 16th Two Days since, together with the Box, and Contents thereof; which I have considered, and am satisfied, that the hairy Excretions are generated most likely in her Kidneys. I have seen, in my Practice, some Instances of the like, and have by me what was brought off by Urine from some of them. The first I remember, was from a Gentleman near the Exchange, who would frequently, Forty Years since, void with his Urine long Hairs, which were received on white Paper; and, the Urine passing off, would remain there, and, by their Transparency and Angles, yielded, on viewing by a Microscope, the finest Colours imaginable, such as we find by a Prism. This Gentleman did not suffer much, though he complained of a Sharpness of Urine. The Person who was affected the most, and applied to me for Help, was a Brewer, who had such Hairs matted or woven together, voided by Urine with great Pain: But then there was no calculous Matter, or very little, added to them. It is very likely, that that Matter is added to those of your Patient in the Bladder, by being retained there. I have a Pin, that a young Woman had swallowed, and was afterwards taken out. out of her Groin from an Apostem after a Tumour; which Pin was covered or incrusted, as these hairy Substances, with such calculous Matter, and got there from the Urine in her Bladder, where in all likelihood it had contracted that Crust. I have a silver Bodkin, the broad End of which is covered with a pretty large Stone. A poor Gentlewoman thought, by thrusting this Bodkin up the Meatus urinarius, to remove a Stone which pressed upon the Neck of her Bladder, and it slipt past Recovery into her Bladder; whence, after Three Years, it was taken, and on which, as on a Centre, was bred the Stone. I have other Instances of the same, where an extraneous Body, passed into the Bladder, hath proved as a Centre to attract or have affixed to it such Matter. As to the Cure, Dilution seems to be the best. The Brewer was cured by drinking plentifully of soft Liquors, which he often poured down; and twice a Week he took the purging Waters. You may guess my Opinion to be, that the less is generated of this Matter, and the less Time it remains in either Kidneys, Ureters, or Bladder, the Disease will be mitigated, and, I hope, cured. I believe Bath-waters drank warm, Mallow-tea, Linseed-tea, Oil of sweet Almonds, Syrup of Marshmallows, little and often taken, with Baths of emollient Herbs, may be of great Use; and perhaps moderate Exercise may help them off. Opiates, in excessive Pain, are necessary; and now-and-then Bleeding, to take off the Inflammations that must of necessity attend such a Distemper. I also think, that some Balsamics, such as Locatelli's Balsam, may be useful; and perhaps, with the emollient lient Method, take off that Disposition in the Kidneys, which produces this uncommon Distemper. The Pains in her Feet, and about her, seem not to have any relation to this Distemper; and I am of Opinion, that violent Diuretics or Exercise will rather hurt than help her. Thus you have my Thoughts on this very extraordinary Case; and I shall be very glad to hear of the Issue of it, and rejoice if I can be useful to you in this or any thing else, leaving to you the Determination of what you think reasonable. I beg Pardon for this hasty casting together some things, which, if I had more Time, should be put into better Order by Your most obedient, and most humble Servant, Hans Sloane. IX. A Letter from Mr. T. Knight to Sir Hans Sloane, Bar't. Pr. R. S. &c. concerning Hair voided by Urine. Honble SIR, Carnarvon, Feb. 20. 1737. Having met with an uncommon Case, I thought it proper to communicate the same to you, in order to be informed whether the like ever occurred in your long and successful Practice, and also to beg your Sentiments upon the Matter.