The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:229] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Anonymous / Regarding: General William Gordon (William Gordon of Fyvie; Honourable General Gordon) (Patient) / 8 December 1781 / (Outgoing)
Reply regarding General Gordon's apparent recovery, about which Cullen is pleased but wary.. Gives directions on taking two solutions if the skin eruption returns.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 4 images for this document.
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[Page 2]
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Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 229 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/14/115 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 8 December 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 regarding General Gordon's apparent recovery, about which Cullen is pleased but wary.. Gives directions on taking two solutions if the skin eruption returns. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:1426] |
Case of General Gordon whose recovery leaves Cullen pleased but wary: Cullen gives advice on taking two solutions to prevent the recurrance of a skin 'eruption'. |
1 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:4579] | Addressee | |
| [PERS ID:194] | Patient | General William Gordon (William Gordon of Fyvie; Honourable General Gordon) |
| [PERS ID:4579] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | |
| [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 |
Normalized Text
For The Honourable General Gordon
From the history I have got of this trouble¬
some ailment, I think it is remarkable that it has -
never affected him inwardly or in any degree disordered
his health for {illeg}in spite of this I must suppose there
has been some fault in his blood and tho the ailment
is now very much gone, it is not so entirely but Ithat
thin I must think it prudent for the General to be
on his guard against any returns of it, and for this
purpose I offer the following advice.
As little of the eruption now remains and the
season is not favourable to medicine I would not have
the General to enter upon any at present, but tow¬
ards the end of January next when upon the setting
in of any open weather some return of the eruption
may be apprehended I would have the General enter
upon the use of the Solution A. The dose at first
may be a table spoonfull every night and morning.
[Page 2]
If this dose gives any sickness at stomach it is enough
and may be continued at the same rate for some time,
but if this dose does not occasion any sickness it
should be increased to a spoonfull and half or two spoon¬
fulls or perhaps still further till it gives a little sick¬
ness especially in the morning and at this rate it is to
be taken every day for a month or longer if any new
eruption seems to require it.
If no new eruption appears or a very slight one
only, this medicine will I hope be sufficient to make
the General quite sound and his skin quite clean.
But I cannot ↑be↑ absolutely certain of this and therefore
if in the spring the eruption should become considerable
or any ways so troublesome as it has been this year
I must advise the General to drink every day for
two or three weeks a bottle of the Decoction B. —
If even both the Solution and the Decoction do not
[Page 3]
seem to overcome the ailment and at the same time that
the General has a prospect of taking the field for the summer
I would advise him before he is to take the field to take some
convenient time for two or three weeks of a Mercurial
Course for which I do not give any particular directions
because it must be managed by the discretions of some
practitioner for the time upon the spot.
With respect to diet I have only to advise an
abstinence as much as possible from all kinds of fish
and ↑from↑ all salted or high seasoned meats. In all
other respects the Generals ↑ordinary↑ regimen seems to be
very proper.
Edinburgh 8th December
1781
[Page 4]
For The Honourable General Gordon
A. Take one and a half ounces of Simple cinnamon Water, five ounces of rose Water, five drachms of Syrup of cloves, and two grains of Tartar emetic. Mix. Label: Aperient Solution
Take two ounces of Sarsaparilla Root and two drachms of the Bark of mezereon root. Boil down four pounds of water to two pounds at the least, adding two drachms of Grated Sassafras and one ounce of grated Licorice Root Label the Mixture Aperient Decoction
8th December
1781
Diplomatic Text
For The Honble. General Gordon
From the history I have got of this trouble¬
some ailment, I think it is remarkable that it has -
never affected him inwardly or in any degree disordered
his health for {illeg}in spite of this I must suppose there
has been some fault in his blood and tho the ailment
is now very much gone, it is not so entirely but Ithat
thin I must think it prudent for the General to be
on his guard against any returns of it, and for this
purpose I offer the following advice.
As little of the eruption now remains and the
season is not favourable to medicine I would not have
the General to enter upon any at present, but tow¬
ards the end of January next when upon the setting
in of any open weather some return of the eruption
may be apprehended I would have the General enter
upon the use of the Solution A. The dose at first
may be a table spoonfull every night and morning.
[Page 2]
If this dose gives any sickness at stomach it is enough
and may be continued at the same rate for some time,
but if this dose does not occasion any sickness it
should be increased to a spoonfull and half or two spoon¬
fulls or perhaps still further till it gives a little sick¬
ness especially in the morning and at this rate it is to
be taken every day for a month or longer if any new
eruption seems to require it.
If no new eruption appears or a very slight one
only, this medicine will I hope be sufficient to make
the General quite sound and his skin quite clean.
But I cannot ↑be↑ absolutely certain of this and therefore
if in the spring the eruption should become considerable
or any ways so troublesome as it has been this year
I must advise the General to drink every day for
two or three weeks a bottle of the Decoction B. —
If even both the Solution and the Decoction do not
[Page 3]
seem to overcome the ailment and at the same time that
the General has a prospect of taking the field for the summer
I would advise him before he is to take the field to take some
convenient time for two or three weeks of a Mercurial
Course for which I do not give any particular directions
because it must be managed by the discretions of some
practitioner for the time upon the spot.
With respect to diet I have only to advise an
abstinence as much as possible from all kinds of fish
and ↑from↑ all salted or high seasoned meats. In all
other respects the Generals ↑ordinary↑ regimen seems to be
very proper.
Edinr. 8th Decr.
1781
[Page 4]
For The Honble. General Gordon
A. ℞ Aq. cinnam. Simpl. ℥ijſs
— rosar. ℥v.
Syr. caryophyll. ʒv.
Tartar. emetic. gr. ij
ℳ. Signa Aperient Solution
℞ Rad. Sarsapar. ℥ij
Cort. rad. mezerei ʒij
Coque ex aquæ lbiv ad lbij Sub finem addens
Rasur. Sassafras. ʒj
Rad. Glycyrrhiz. ras. ℥j
Colatum Signa Aperient Decoction
8th Decr.
1781
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