One of the earliest handwritten Colonial medical documents: A 1709 handwritten medical bill for services performed, including bloodletting, by Dr. Samuel Law from Concord, Massachusetts

A very early and unique handwritten colonial medical bill from the turn of the 18th century. This original document is thrice dated 1709, Concord, Massachusetts, where Dr. Samuel Law has signed as giving medical service to Ebenezer Knight, including drugs and blood letting, signed at the lower right by Dr. Samuel Law Phisican. Manuscript medical documents from this period of time in Colonial America are very rare and, for the most part, unobtainable. This is one of the earliest handwritten documents from Colonial America.

The document begins:

Concord Anno Domini 1709

1709,

Sept 25th

Ebonezer Knights Bill of Charges for

medicens expended on him self when he

was sick as followeth –

This is followed by a listing of medicines and charges.

There is scant information available on Dr. Law. Dr. Samuel Law [born 28 May 1680; died Groton, Conn., 29 or 30 April 1727] was married in Concord, Massachusetts, 15 March 1708, to Martha (Wigglesworth) Wheeler, born Malden, Mass., 21 Dec. 1683, daughter of Reverend Michael and Martha (Mudge) Wigglesworth and widow of Dr. Joseph Wheeler, died Stonington, Conn., 4 Dec. 1719. Samuel Law became a doctor, sold his house and moved to Groton, Connecticut. From the New England Weekly Journal: “Groton April 30. Last night Dr Samuel Law … not being very well, made up two pills of physick, which he had just receiv‟s from Boston, for himself, and gave two of the same to a woman in the house… the woman waking before morning and finding herself very sick, went up to Dr Law and asked his advice what to do, but found him gasping for breath, and he dy’d in a few minutes; and the woman her selfe is like to dye also.

Contributed by anonymous