DIY History | Transcribe | Civil War Diaries and Letters | Bean family letters, 1845-1860

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1845-11-30 Page 01

Sunday Morning Early; I continued to write Last Evening after Returning from the post office; as Long as I thought best on acct of My Eyes they Having been Verry troublesome Since I arrived so much so that I have not pretended to Read or write any at night untill now; and have not Read Much by Daylight They are now quite as will as they were a weak or two before I Left Home notwithstanding Bad Eyes I Have made good Improvement of time by attending Lectures 6 Hours Each Day Except Sunday & Saturday 3 or 4 Hours of the Day Saturday are Devoted to Clinique by Dr Mott In Which Diseases or Patients Laboring under Different forms of Disease present themselves In Abundance.  About one Half or 3/4 of the Cases are Cases of Surgical Character: some of both Classes are of a Most Interesting character.  I Am at present Visiting the Eye Infirmary 3 times pr week, IE, Every Alternate Day; which is Most Interesting In practical Light; but Most Deplorable In a Moral or Religious point of View Many Say Nearly 1/4 & perhaps 1/3 the Diseases  of the Eyes Resulting from a Venereal taint of the System perhaps You May not Understand the Term!!  It is a Disease Generated by Bad men and Women &c, &c, which Is Almost Epidemic In NY. 
I Have Visited the Hospital twice only: the time of attending that, Interfereing with Motts Lectures which at present I think More of than Hospital advantages - for the Reason that an Explanation of Disease Viva-Voce is preferable to Book Explanation More particularly on surgery - particularly that Branch Now under consideration - it being Diseases and Injuries of the Heart
(Upside-down at top of page:-) 
You may from the first page think I am getting a Little Homesick but that is not the case - it is Merely this a state of suspence which is a Disease of a graver character; not Knowing whether Letters were miscarried in gowing or coming - or perchance Lost on Lake Erie &c &c

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Sunday Morning Early; I continued to write Last Evening after Returning from the post office; as Long as I thought best on acct of My Eyes they Having been Verry troublesome Since I arrived so much so that I have not pretended to Read or write any at night untill now; and have not Read Much by Daylight They are now quite as will as they were a weak or two before I Left Home notwithstanding Bad Eyes I Have made good Improvement of time by attending Lectures 6 Hours Each Day Except Sunday & Saturday 3 or 4 Hours of the Day Saturday are Devoted to Clinique by Dr Mott In Which Diseases or Patients Laboring under Different forms of Disease present themselves In Abundance. About one Half or 3/4 of the Cases are Cases of Surgical Character: some of both Classes are of a Most Interesting character. I Am at present Visiting the Eye Infirmary 3 times pr week, IE, Every Alternate Day; which is Most Interesting In practical Light; but Most Deplorable In a Moral or Religious point of View Many Say Nearly 1/4 & perhaps 1/3 the Diseases of the Eyes Resulting from a Venereal taint of the System perhaps You May not Understand the Term!! It is a Disease Generated by Bad men and Women &c, &c, which Is Almost Epidemic In NY. I Have Visited the Hospital twice only: the time of attending that, Interfereing with Motts Lectures which at present I think More of than Hospital advantages - for the Reason that an Explanation of Disease Viva-Voce is preferable to Book Explanation More particularly on surgery - particularly that Branch Now under consideration - it being Diseases and Injuries of the Heart (Upside-down at top of page:-) You may from the first page think I am getting a Little Homesick but that is not the case - it is Merely this a state of suspence which is a Disease of a graver character; not Knowing whether Letters were miscarried in gowing or coming - or perchance Lost on Lake Erie &c &c