Doctor’s Diagnosis: “Strained Nerves”

Saturday April 7, 1855: Geo P. wife and Sarah O went to Doctor Dickerson’s to have Mary’s tooth pulled but the doctor was not home but he called before night and pulled Mary’s tooth, and this afternoon Colonel Tanner the butcher of New Lebanon called and paid John F. one hundred and seventy dollars for a pair of fat oxen that he bought of his uncle Samuel Beers last fall, and this evening John F. walked to his uncle Beers and paid him for the oxen which was 98 dollars and four dollars interest, and stayed there tonight.
Monday: Some rainy. I am lame with my side. This morning John F. rode my old horse over and had Hecock set his shoes and he called and bargained with Hiram W. Brown to build his barn by the job for one hundred and ten dollars, and this afternoon he went with his two horse team and wagon to Rensselaer Jolls and paid 63 cts for timber for to make a harrow.
Tuesday: John F. went with his two horse team and lumber wagon and his two sisters with him to Pittsfield and he carried three calves, he got four cts per pound live weight, they came over 12 dollars. He paid 60 cts for 20 pounds pickled codfish. On the way home he called to Lebanon 50 cts for one quart Holland gin to Anson’s tavern.
Friday: Today John F. did nothing, he is unwell.
Saturday: A rain storm. John F. went on to the Rodgers farm with the two horse team and wagon and he did nothing there, but from there he rode over the hill to Mannings tavern and carried John Merrils and there was the constable Bennet and John F. gave him orders to take said Merrils to jail if he did not pay up the cost of his law suit, and today John F. went from Manning tavern to Colonel Hosey Bennett’s, there John took dinner and then returned home.
Monday: Today John F. took Geo P. horse and my single wagon and Charlotte E. with him and started for Berlin to see the German doctor by the name of — but they met him to the north part of town near Sylvester Gardner’s and said Doctor prescribed medicine and wrote it down for John F. to call an apothecaries shop and get it. Said Doctor told John he had over done or had worked too hard which strained his nerves and cautioned him not to labor hard.
Wednesday: John F. tended to some chores  and piled up rails where the hovel was for the sheep and this afternoon he was unwell.
Thursday: John F. fetched eleven bushel of potatoes and some corn  for Patrick Rafferty and called to Tilden’s apothecary and bought medicine for himself, and to Pool Hill to Hull’s and bought wine for said “syrup.”