| Description | O'Reilly, who in addition to caring for George IV treated over 197 members of the Royal Household, requested reimbursement for his services as he claimed his salary of £1000 had been insufficient, barely covering the cost of expensive medical supplies (which included laudanum, caster oil and Henry's calcined magnesia rhubarb), particularly as his lucrative private practice suffered as a result for caring for the King.
Within the papers O'Reilly details the medical treatments given to George IV in his final years, noting that some were so peculiar only medical men would understand them. He relates that the late King apparently perspired during sleep to such an extent he gained sores in every fold of skin, requiring daily treatment, and that the King also received electric sparks to his extremities, opium suppositories every six hours (which were a necessity for his comfort), and would require the windows to be 'thrown open' by exlaiming 'air air' when suffering from an 80 degree temperature. |