This is a doctor's manuscript casebook, recording his practice among the urban poor in the South East District of an unidentified city (probably Glasgow).

In an "Introduction", the author explains that he began recording cases "at the time Typhus Fever was so prevalent in this town and neighbourhood" (the name of the town is not given, but it is probably in Scotland given the recurrence of names such as "Baird", "Stirling", "McLachlan" and "McFadyen"). He continues that his notes "were merely intended to be memoranda of any particular symptom, or any morbid appearance, which might occur in the course of my practice among the sick Poor in South East District of the city". He subsequently encountered "so many very interesting cases of other descriptions, that I was induced, for my own after benefit, to include them also".

There is a table of "Contents" on p.7 (strictly speaking, an index), which lists entries alphabetically under "Disease" (from "Abscess" to "Vomica"), with columns for "Name" (of the patient – often several per disease) and "Page". In the entries themselves, patients’ details usually include their name in the case of men, or their husband’s name in the case of women (unless they are widowed, in which case "Widow –"). Children are referred to by the parent’s name. Occupations are only occasionally recorded.