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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Norman Mudd
Report on Alostrael's [Leah Hirsig] Health 9 - 17 October 1923
1. Cough. Loosening generally. Some bad bouts, but becoming rarer. Cure evidently only a matter of a few days.
2. Sleep. Very good. Now wakes refreshed. Sleeps from fatigue, not from exhaustion.
3. Collapse. Rarer, not so severe, nor so prolonged. She certainly requires 3 months at the very least of real rest with good food, fresh air, light [illegible], regular exercise, and absence of all anxiety to become normal: I think needs another 3 months to replace reserves of capital.
4. Appetite. Good, but her diet should be supplemented by fresh milk which will be available in a month. Should like 3 dozen [illegible] Chicken and Mutton expenses sent direct from London. ([illegible] and similar things with it.)
5. Digestion. Has had a good deal of trouble, probably from sudden change of diet. Food here excellent on the whole, bar butcher's meat, which doesn't matter. The attacks of indigestion have already almost disappeared. All she needs is a little discretion. If you can get unsweetened milk ("Evaporated [illegible] is the best type) in powder (this is the essential) it would be a great help. (Nestle's sweetened syrup is horrible—quite useless).
6. Smoking. Advise sending 1 doz. [illegible] thin Turkish cigarettes. The others irritate her throat: but she has to smoke something, [illegible].
7. Drink. The light white wine here excellent.
8. Nursing. Doing my best. Expect Mohammed ben Brahim to help out [illegible] to-morrow. But Alma [Alma Hirsig] should be advised strongly to join us—for her own sake as well as Leah's.
9. Univ. Med. Hope to begin regular treatment Friday next at latest.
10. Mental State. Very variable. Exaggerates good and bad symptoms out of all reason. Fits of crankiness, depression, exhilaration etc. all very [illegible], as evidently [illegible] and unlike her.
11. Exercise. Has started early walks (6.30 - 8.0 e.g.) which do great good already. She can do any amount, only flops suddenly. Inclined to overdo it. Self too irregular in health to control this properly.
12. Work. The slightest effort seems to exhaust her. Have stopped it altogether. She does little sketches, and is going to decorate straw [illegible] with silk. Admirable, both ideas.
13. Play. [illegible] slowing down very well. King S. Patience and Whore's ditto quite a lot. We [illegible] in the Oasis from 5-7 P.M. (Chatting with cheery Arabs, doing Asana, Mantra, etc. etc, writing casual nothings). 8.30-9.30 coffee with Arabs at café, comparisons views of [illegible], the hotelier likes poetry, [illegible]. We propose [illegible] him in Astral; also doing [illegible] at the café for our Arab pals. We lie about a lot, yet are not too bored. Detective stories (esp[ecially] those at [illegible]) would be good form. Send 4 packs of cards ("squeezers" i.e. with denomination in corners) as ours are wearing out. Arab will teach behaviour [illegible] games.
93 93/93
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