This notebook contains the handwritten notes of a Dover, Tennessee physician during the 1820s. The first half of the notebook, labeled "Notes on Materia Medica and Pharmacy," consists of handwritten notes from The Edinburgh New Dispensatory by Andrew Duncan and William Lewis. This book includes three sections: I. The Elements of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, II. The Materia Medica, and III. The Pharmaceutical Preparations and Compositions.

The second half of the notebook contains "Notes of Practice." Many of these notes appear to be taken from observations of Dr. Newnan as well as other practitioners. Included are mentions of cataract surgery, a tracheotomy, and epilepsy cures. Additionally, the author cites recipes for medicines to cure a variety of ailments.

In addition to the observational notes, the notebook contains other lists of historical importance. A number of lists of textbooks considered important by the author are included. Also recorded is a March 5, 1822, meeting in Nashville between seven Middle Tennessee doctors in which they set minimum costs for services provided. For example, the doctors agreed to charge no less than $1 for a visit in town, $1 for bleeding, $2 for vaccination, $20 for obstetrical care, and $50 for an amputation. The chair of this meeting was Felix Robertson, the first native-born Tennessean to obtain a medical degree and Nashville's first pediatrician. Others in attendance were J. Overton, John Waters, Boyde McNairy, R. A. Higginbotham, A. G. Goodlet, and J. Roane.