The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:1966] From: Mr William Stuart / To: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / Regarding: Anonymous (Patient) / 17 January 1781 / (Incoming)
Letter from William Stuart, a former student of Cullen's, concerning the case of an unnamed female patient who has started having epileptic fits. Two lines enclosed in a brace in the postscript.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 4 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
[Page 3]
[Page 4]
Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 1966 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/1045 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Incoming |
| Date | 17 January 1781 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Authorial original |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | No |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Letter from William Stuart, a former student of Cullen's, concerning the case of an unnamed female patient who has started having epileptic fits. Two lines enclosed in a brace in the postscript. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:1439] |
Case of a young woman who is having epileptic fits. |
1 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:2867] | Author | Mr William Stuart |
| [PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:2875] | Patient | |
| [PERS ID:2867] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Mr William Stuart |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:2868] | Other | Mr John Young |
Places linked to this document
| Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Writing | Glasgow | Glasgow and West | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Destination of Letter | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | inferred |
Normalized Text
I hope you will forgive the impertinence of
the present address from one no further acquainted than having
the good fortune of being ↑once↑ a pupil, probably had I paid a
sufficient degree of attention to the lectures, and recollected
with proper accuracy the material parts of them, this had
been less necessary, and the following case more distinctly, &
correctly marked. -- A young Lady about 25 years of age for¬
merly healthy of a delicate make, but used to moderate exercise
in the country, was seized soon after coming to Town with
an Epileptic fit, complained of nothing previous to it except
a slight headach to which she was a little liable, the fit
lasted about 10 Minutes attended with considerable vigor, frothing
at the mouth, & swelled stomach, she had three within the first
48 hours, & two more at the distance of two months of (↑from↑) each other,
between the first & second attack, had a good appetite, and
natural flow of Spirits, but since that her appetite is quite gone,
[Page 2]
and Spirits sunk, except on particular occasions to ease her
friends she appears to be free and easy; since her first attack
the disease has been attended with suppression of the menses
except at the last period for about 12 hours, violent pain of
the right side that sometimes affects the breathing, headach,
dizziness, dimness of sight, (these two Precede & Threaten a fit), want
of appetite, [ascidity?], swelling, & flatulency of the stomach, [oidemous?]
pains in the abdomen, but particularly in the left Hypochondria
with sometimes a hard prominent swelling about the length
& size of a man's finger, heat in the palms of the hands, now
& then cold shiverings & hot fits, & grinding of the teeth in
sleep; lately independent of want of appetite great insensibility
of stomach, that half a dram of Ipicacoan is insufficient as
a puke, general headach with shotin shooting pains, pain
of the neck, and shoulders with strong propensity to sleep;
these as far as I can recollect, are the principal symptoms.
The Medicines applyed have been chiefly calculated to
obviate the effects of obstruction & to reproduce the Menstrual
Flux, a Seton was made in the neck to supply the deficiency of
nature, & relieve congestion, bleedings occasionally to remove
[Page 3]
Plethora, & ease the pain of the side, Ipicacoan, Stomachics,
Magnesia, & Exercise to obviate the affection, & restore Energy to
the Stomach, Mercury in small doses has been likewise
tryed, and to relieve when the fit was immediately threatened
a mixture of one drachm of Liquid Laudanum two drachms of Spiritus Cornu Cervi. five drachms of Aqua Fontana from one
tea spoonful to two, has always removed it, but now begins to
lose its effects, & she is sometimes obliged to take the above
quantity in less than 24 hours. -- One circumstance I forgot
to mention, about the age of 15 she was troubled with the
Tape worm, her friends knowing that sometimes a similar
disease arises from such a cause, wishes that it may happily
proceed from them, there are no symptoms but grinding of the
teeth, picking the nose, & colic pains to justify this opinion.
Thus I have tho' very inaccuratly given detail of the
case, & means made use of to remove it I hope you will excuse
its prolixity & [candidly?] atribute it to its true cause, I have
now only to beg on account of the amiable sufferer & my own in¬
formation, your opinion, & what further may be done to obviate
or relieve the complaint. Your answer in a few days if not more
importantly or seriously engaged, will be highly acceptable, & re¬
koned as a particular for or consideration.
Sir
Your most obedient humble Servant
Direct to the [ceni?] of Mr. John
Young above the [cross?]
[Page 4]
✍
Mr Wm Stuart.
Concerning a Young Lady.
January 1781.
Diplomatic Text
I hope you will forgive the impertinence of
the present address from one no further acquainted than having
the good fortune of being ↑once↑ a pupil, probably had I paid a
sufficient degree of attention to the lectures, and recollected
with proper accuracy the material parts of them, this had
been less necessary, and the following case more distinctly, &
correctly marked. -- A young Lady about 25 years of age for¬
merly healthy of a delicate make, but used to moderate exercise
in the country, was seized soon after coming to Town with
an Epileptic fit, complained of nothing previous to it except
a slight headach to which she was a little liable, the fit
lasted about 10 Minutes attended with considerable vigor, frothing
at the mouth, & swelled stomach, she had three within the first
48 hours, & two more at the distance of two months of (↑from↑) each other,
between the first & second attack, had a good appetite, and
natural flow of Spirits, but since that her appetite is quite gone,
[Page 2]
and Spirits sunk, except on particular occasions to ease her
friends she appears to be free and easy; since her first attack
the disease has been attended with suppression of the menses
except at the last period for about 12 hours, violent pain of
the right side that sometimes affects the breathing, headach,
dizziness, dimness of sight, (these two Precede & Threaten a fit), want
of appetite, [ascidity?], swelling, & flatulency of the stomach, [oidemous?]
pains in the abdomen, but particularly in the left Hypochondria
with sometimes a hard prominent swelling about the length
& size of a man's finger, heat in the palms of the hands, now
& then cold shiverings & hot fits, & grinding of the teeth in
sleep; lately independent of want of appetite great insensibility
of stomach, that half a dram of Ipicacoan is insufficient as
a puke, general headach with shotin shooting pains, pain
of the neck, and shoulders with strong propensity to sleep;
these as far as I can recollect, are the principal symptoms.
The Medicines applyed have been chiefly calculated to
obviate the effects of obstruction & to reproduce the Menstrual
Flux, a Seton was made in the neck to supply the deficiency of
nature, & relieve congestion, bleedings occasionally to remove
[Page 3]
Plethora, & ease the pain of the side, Ipicacoan, Stomachics,
Magnesia, & Exercise to obviate the affection, & restore Energy to
the Stomach, Mercury in small doses has been likewise
tryed, and to relieve when the fit was immediately threatened
a mixture of Laud Liquid ʒi Sp.C.C. ʒij. Aq Fontan. ʒv. from one
tea spoonful to two, has always removed it, but now begins to
lose its effects, & she is sometimes obliged to take the above
quantity in less than 24 hours. -- One circumstance I forgot
to mention, about the age of 15 she was troubled with the
Tape worm, her friends knowing that sometimes a similar
disease arises from such a cause, wishes that it may happily
proceed from them, there are no symptoms but grinding of the
teeth, picking the nose, & colic pains to justify this opinion.
Thus I have tho' very inaccuratly given detail of the
case, & means made use of to remove it I hope you will excuse
its prolixity & [candidly?] atribute it to its true cause, I have
now only to beg on account of the amiable sufferer & my own in¬
formation, your opinion, & what further may be done to obviate
or relieve the complaint. Your answer in a few days if not more
importantly or seriously engaged, will be highly acceptable, & re¬
koned as a particular for or consideration.
Sir
Your most obedt. humble Servant
Direct to the [ceni?] of Mr. John
Young above the [cross?]
[Page 4]
✍
Mr Wm Stuart.
C. a Young Lady.
Janry. 1781.
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