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Belview April 26th 1823
Dear Doctor
I take the liberty of adressing you a few
lines upon a very extraordinary case which came under
my notice a few days ago, you may perhaps think it a
presumption in me in doing so but as medical knowledge
is the grand point in which we are [all] striving to obtain I
hope therefore that this will not give offence and not knowing
any one whose reading has been so extinsive and who has
had so good an oppertunity of obtaining medical knowledge
as you have. I have thought it proper to make you acquainted
with the case. The person whom I attended was a Lady
about seventy years old She niver had been married
when I saw her she complained of nothing but a slight
cough with a pain in [the] brest her pulse was active and full
which induced me to take away about a pint of blood,
and left her a dose of Salts to take I did no see her for three
or four days after as she requested that I should not come
till sent for and to my great surprise she was about
entering upon a nother woreld. I asked the servent the
cause of the offencive smell that was in the room she
told me the paient would not allow her to remove her and
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wished no person to touch her she likwis told me (to use
her own woords) that she was half man half woman and
she was affraid leest it should be discoverd The day folling
she died and feeling very desirous [to] know if there was
any truth in her statements I tooke the oppertunity of
eximining her and to my very great astonishment I found
on the right Labia Pudendi a bag like a scrotum containing
only one stone The clitores was very long nearly two inches
and resembling very much the appearence of the male
penis there was little or no hair upon the Mons Veneris
the canal or Vigina was very much contracted from
the natural size in females. I would have dissected t
he parts and given you a full account but her Friends
objected. Now Sir if you have ever meet with any case
in all your extensive reading or practice resembling the
above mentioned I shall look upon it as a great favour
if you will let me know. I have mentioned the case to
no one except yourself
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It is with much pleasure that I [have]
to I inform you of my wellfare and that I am now geting more
encouragement every day to remain here. the people are
very heathy at present. I have had sex or eight caces of
pleurisy this year who all got well I canot think of conc-
luding this letter without returning my sincere thanks
to your Father for it was him who first implanted in me
the first principles of my profession and methinks he
can say with Linnaeus when he is about to resign his profession
"I have ranged" saies he "through the thick and shady forests
of nature. I have in my rambles found many sharp and perplexing
thorns. I have as much as possable avoided them. But I have
learned at the same time that attention and foresight do not
always conciliate perfect and entire safety. I have therefore quietly
borne the derision of grinning satyrs and the jumps of monkeys
on my back." Such is the nature of our profession if I may
be allowed the expression that even our Brethern are our
greatests enemyes But I have been parhaps more than fortunate
in falling among physicians who have don all that thay
could do to get me into practiceRemember me to your
Family and belive me to beDear sir
your ObtSt
Wm S Fife
N. B.
derect your letters
to Gleens Post Office
Glocester County
WSF
