Partial Analysis and Transcription of Dr. Grimes’ Journal

By Joyce Pratt, Michael Sclafani and Stanislaw Piasecki, NJIT

John Grimes moved to Newfoundland in Passaic County to practice medicine in 1828. At the time of Dr. John Grime’s medical practice he was around 27-28 years of age. This is a partial transcription of the entries in his journal.

The most common used herbs/medicine that appeared within the journal include:

• Cathartic
• Vermifuge
• Blister
• Cream of Tartar
• Emetic
• Bitters
• Diaphoretic
• Parturition

The following statement was found on the front inside cover of the journal:

June 28th, 1830 This day Samuel Helen of ___ town gave to Peter D Craig a leave for his ten yard & house for three years at forty dollars per year with the privilege at the expiration of the three years to have it for three years more for such a sum to be paid half yearly as shall be conducted right by impartial men the [same] Helen was to have ready for me by the tenth day of July next a cart from mill for grinding bark with ___ power - and by the sixteenth he was to have a barn house in good order. By the fourth of September he was to have finished in good order a shoe shop and carrying ___ he was likewise to find ___ from the remaining of the oats which the load Craig should find use for & to make an agreement for the yard there was [last] area already signed by them with in which they were mutually bound in the sum of one hundred dollars the article was placed in the hands of Samuel ___ for safe keeping.