] 3) Various hypochondriacal and sick folk who were seeing doctors, taking the waters , etc etc. Can anyone name any? Were there any prototypes for Mr Woodhouse, Mrs Smith etc.that we can find? Any particular doctors or apothecaries that might be models for Mr Perry?

I can think of one famous sick Woodhouse offspring who was there - Nelson. His mother was a Suckling and GGgranddaughter to Robert Suckling and Anne Woodhouse. Nelson famous mistress was the odious (IMHO) Emma Hamilton/Hart/Lyons/Cadogan/VeryNearlyGreville/WishingItWasNelsonOrBronte/strike out whichever did not apply at that particular moment. Actually Greville dumped Emma on Sir William Hamilton in order to marry a Willoughby heiress. And Emma ended up in the same circumstances as Mrs. Smith, sick and destitute (but in Calais rather than Bath).

I am not suggesting that these connections are intentional on JA's part - just that they are interesting. Sir William Hamilton and JA were distant cousins too.