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The grateful Sense I entertain of Doctor Cullens
kind Care & Attention in his early answer to my Letter,
has added to the pain I have felt from the fear of
appearing negligent or ungrateful by not sooner acknow¬
ledging its Receipt, & tendering to him my sincere
Thanks - Several Reasons have prevented me, the prin¬
cipal were, that it was not fully determined whether
I should have the Pleasure of waiting on Doctor Cullen,
& also that I wished to have taken the Medicine he pres¬
scribed, that I might have informed him of its Effects
when I wrote - At the time I received his oblijing
Directions I expected daily to be in a Situation in which
it is not common to take Medicine, & the Apothecary
who attends me, thought I had better defer it, till that
Period was over, which has not happened till now,
& I intend beginning the Medicine next week - This
with my Parents not having determined whether I
should personally wait on Doctor Cullen have prevented
my earlier writing which I hope he will have the
Goodness to excuse, & impute it to these Reasons, &
the fear of necessarily intruding on his time &
more important Avocations - I have the greatest
Reason to join the general Voice in praise of Doctor Cullens
Judgement, since no person that has yet been consulted
has seemed to understand my Case at all, & his Senti¬
ments exactly coincide with my own Opinion &
feelings, as I had frequently said from the beginning
of my Illness, that there was a Weakness in my
Constitution that would require much time & Care
to remedy - His Directions respecting leaving of the
Bark, & a Milk diet I have strictly complyed with
& daily bathe in a Cold Bath under Cover, & rise
gentle Exercise frequently - Through the Mercy

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of the Divine Being, & Doctor Cullens kind Advice; I am
much better than when I last wrote - I have had no
violent Cold & consequently no Sweatings, but still
feel myself subject to slight ones, which affect me
in degree in the Manner I described in my last __
I have lately slept rather better & I am constantly
out in the Air, & upon the whole have great reason
to be thankful for the Alteration in myself, tho: the
Continuance of it, depends upon constant Care &
Attention, & I suffer from the least want of them on
from being by a wet day prevented from taking my
usual Air, & exercise - I am quite convinced that
his Advice respecting a warmer Climate in the Winter
is proper & I fear necessary, was it not absolutely so
it would be painful to me to put it in Practice, as
the delicate State of Health of my dear. Mamma Joined
to her dislike of Travelling, would oblige ↑me↑ to be separated
from her, & the best of Fathers; that whatever hap¬
pened I could not attend wither with that dutiful
Sollicitude, which a Child only can feel for a Parent
& were I to leave England, no Consideration could induce
my only Sister who has been too much attached to me
for her own peace of mind, to remain behind -
On the other hand I suffered so much last Winter
that without I could rationally hope to pass the next
more favorably here, I should be wanting to myself
& give pain to my Friends, did I not endeavour to
avoid it - It is this / to me / important Point, that
I wish Doctor Cullen to judge of, & that has determined
me to visit Edinburgh. Perhaps he will be surprised
I should persist in my Design of waiting upon him
after he thought it unnecessary, but I wish to
have his Judgment, on the Necessity of my

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going into another Climate in the Winter & think
he can determine best upon seeing me & as we intended
a Visit to some Relations of my Fathers at Kelso
it will but be a days Ride from thence to Edinburgh.
It is natural for everyone to prefer their native Coun¬
try, but were it not for leaving my Parents, the
other consideration would be light when weighted
with the least Advantage to Health, & I should
willingly reside in any place that would conduce to
it, convinced that the same guiding Power {illeg}
conduct unnumbered Worlds, will condescend {illeg}
p[ovide?] all those who trust in him in every part
of this - The Eruption on my skin has returned to
its old state of dry scurfy Spots, tho. I have fewer,
of those than usual, It is a family Complaint, I had
it young, & it was always imagined owing to that,
in my Blood that I had the Small Pox in so vio¬
lent a Manner, as my Brother had them at the
same time very favorably - Since I began to write
I hear that some indispensable Business will oblige
my father to set out for Edinburgh, immediately on
his Return from Harrogate, which wile be in a
few days - It is most likely my Sister & I will
accompany him, should any thing happen to prevent
our intended Journey, I shall trouble Doctor Cullen
with a Line to transmit those pecuniary Acknow¬
ledgments which ought before now to have been
sent, had I not intended waiting upon him -
In the mean time I beg his Acceptance of my sincere
good wishes for his Happiness, & I remain with
every Sentiment of Respect & Gratitude, his obliged & affectionate Friend.

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]
Doctor Cullen
Edinburgh

✍

Ann Ormston
July. 1775