The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:213] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Mrs Selby (Patient) / 28 October 1781 / (Outgoing)
Reply probably to Arthur Gair, concerning Mrs Selby in which Cullen that she goes to Bristol Hot Well to take the waters as they are very similar to those at Mallow in Ireland and she will be better off spending the winter further south than staying in Northumberland. Internal evidence suggest that Cullen also saw Mrs Selby in person.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 4 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
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[Page 4]
Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 213 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/14/99 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 28 October 1781 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Machine copy |
| Enclosure(s) | Enclosure(s) present |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | Yes |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply probably to Arthur Gair, concerning Mrs Selby in which Cullen that she goes to Bristol Hot Well to take the waters as they are very similar to those at Mallow in Ireland and she will be better off spending the winter further south than staying in Northumberland. Internal evidence suggest that Cullen also saw Mrs Selby in person. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:1374] |
Case of Mrs N. Selby who has a menstrual disorder. |
2 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:182] | Patient | Mrs Selby |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
Places linked to this document
| Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Writing | Cullen's House / Mint Close | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain |
| Destination of Letter | Biddlestone | North-East | England | Europe | inferred | |
| Therapeutic Recommendation | Bristol | South-West | England | Europe | certain | |
| Mentioned / Other | Ireland | Europe | certain | |||
| Mentioned / Other | Bristol | South-West | England | Europe | certain | |
| Mentioned / Other | Mallow | South Ireland | Ireland | Europe | certain | |
| Mentioned / Other | Northumberland | North-East | England | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
For Mrs Selby
Having now had frequent opportunities of seeing this
Lady and of examining all the circumstances of her ailments
I am glad to find her symptoms moderate and more so than
they had been before represented to me. I hope they shall
be still much farther relieved but in an ailment of which
the foundation seems to have been laid down several years ago
the recovery cannot go on very fast at this season of the
year. The measure from which I can especially ex¬
pect her relief is the use of the Bristol Hot Well water,
and I am particularly directed to this by Mrs Selby's
having been more than once relieved from the like com¬
plaints by the use of the waters of Mallow in Ireland
which are very exactly of the same nature with those
of Bristol. I advise therefore that Mrs Selby should
go to Bristol as soon as she conveniently can travelling
by short journeys such as her strength easily bears and
taking all possible care to avoid cold. By this manage¬
ment I expect that even the journey will be of great
[Page 2]
service to her and I hope the Bristol waters and the
climate of Bristol much better than that of Northum¬
berland will carry her thorough of the winter as well as
can be expected. I say nothing about the manner of
drinking the Bristol water as that is very well known to
every body there and if any peculiarity should occurr with
respect to Mrs Selby she must be directed by a physician
upon the spot.
A proper diet is commonly of much consequence in
such ailments and if I had been consulted more early in
this case I should certainly have advised a lower diet
than Mrs Selby at present uses; but she has now lost
both flesh and Strength so much that I dare not propose
taking down her diet. She may continue to take a bit
of light meat once a day, but I advise her at the same
time to take what milk she can digest with bread and
other things of the grain kind She can easily take. She
may take some vegetables of the least windy kinds and
[Page 2]
all kinds of ripe fruit are proper for her and frequently
she may have them boiled or baked. The only pro¬
per drink for her is water or watery liquors and she
must continue to abstain from all fermented or Spiri¬
tuous liquors.
There are four medicines which can at present be
of Service to Mrs Selby and I have only two to pro¬
pose and which I have prescribed on a paper apart.
One is a {illeg} of pills whih are intended to remove
obstructions of her breast and two of those are to be
taken every night at bedtime.
The other medicine is a mixture intended to
moderate heat & feverishness and she is to take a tea
spoonfull in an ordinary wine glass full of water once
or twice in the forenoon when her thirst is [troublesome?]
and she may take the same again between tea and
supper time
Edinburgh 28th October
1781
[Page 4]
For Mrs Selby
Take three drachms of pure liquorice extract. Cut into very small pieces and add a sufficient quantity of boiling water to soften and extract the flesh, bruise and add to one scruple of Balsam of Tolu, two scruples of the best Myrrh and half-a-drachm of pure white sugar. Rub all together in a fine powder and add a sufficent quantity of boiling water as to make a mass. Divide into pills of four grains each. Label: Pectoral Pills, teo to be taken every night at bedtime.
Take three ounces of rose Water and half-an-ounce each of Syrup of dried rose and spiritus vitrioli tenuis. Mix. Label: Cooling Mixture, a tea spoonful to be taken in an ordinary wine glass full of water several times a day.
28th October
1781
Diplomatic Text
For Mrs Selby
Having now had frequent opportunities of seeing this
Lady and of examining all the circumstances of her ailments
I am glad to find her symptoms moderate and more so than
they had been before represented to me. I hope they shall
be still much farther relieved but in an ailment of which
the foundation seems to have been laid down several years ago
the recovery cannot go on very fast at this season of the
year. The measure from which I can especially ex¬
pect her relief is the use of the Bristol Hot Well water,
and I am particularly directed to this by Mrs Selby's
having been more than once relieved from the like com¬
plaints by the use of the waters of Mallow in Ireland
which are very exactly of the same nature with those
of Bristol. I advise therefore that Mrs Selby should
go to Bristol as soon as she conveniently can travelling
by short journeys such as her strength easily bears and
taking all possible care to avoid cold. By this manage¬
ment I expect that even the journey will be of great
[Page 2]
service to her and I hope the Bristol waters and the
climate of Bristol much better than that of Northum¬
berland will carry her thorough of the winter as well as
can be expected. I say nothing about the manner of
drinking the Bristol water as that is very well known to
every body there and if any peculiarity should occurr with
respect to Mrs Selby she must be directed by a physician
upon the spot.
A proper diet is commonly of much consequence in
such ailments and if I had been consulted more early in
this case I should certainly have advised a lower diet
than Mrs Selby at present uses; but she has now lost
both flesh and Strength so much that I dare not propose
taking down her diet. She may continue to take a bit
of light meat once a day, but I advise her at the same
time to take what milk she can digest with bread and
other things of the grain kind She can easily take. She
may take some vegetables of the least windy kinds and
[Page 2]
all kinds of ripe fruit are proper for her and frequently
she may have them boiled or baked. The only pro¬
per drink for her is water or watery liquors and she
must continue to abstain from all fermented or Spiri¬
tuous liquors.
There are four medicines which can at present be
of Service to Mrs Selby and I have only two to pro¬
pose and which I have prescribed on a paper apart.
One is a {illeg} of pills whih are intended to remove
obstructions of her breast and two of those are to be
taken every night at bedtime.
The other medicine is a mixture intended to
moderate heat & feverishness and she is to take a tea
spoonfull in an ordinary wine glass full of water once
or twice in the forenoon when her thirst is [troublesome?]
and she may take the same again between tea and
supper time
Edinr 28th October
1781
[Page 4]
For Mrs Selby
℞ Extract. glycyrrhiz. purifs. ʒiij
In frustula minuta concise affunde aqua feroentis
q.s. ut mollescat extractum et in pulpam contundatur
cui admisce
Balsam. Totulan. ℈j
Myrrh. opt. ℈ij
Sacchar. alb. purifs. ʒſs omnia simul
in pulverim tenuem trita et cum aq. fervent. q.s.
f. massa dividenda in pilulas singulas grannum iv
Signa Pectoral Pills two ↑to be↑ taken every night at bedtime
℞ Aq. rosar ℥iij
Syr. e ros. Sicc.
Spir. vitriol. tenuis @℥ſs
ℳ. Sig. Cooling Mixture a tea spoonfull to be taken in
an ordinary wine glass full of water several times a day.
28th October
1781
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