The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:230] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Mr Alexander Low (Law?) (Patient) / 8 December 1781 / (Outgoing)
Reply, 'For Mr [Alexander] Low'. Cullen believes Low's illness 'depends entirely on an afflux of humours to his breast'. Cullen actually mentions cutting off the recipe from his letter to hand to an apothecary. It has been inferred that this was sent to Low at his home of Auchinlee, near Glasgow.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 3 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
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Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 230 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/14/116 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 8 December 1781 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Machine copy |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | Yes |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply, 'For Mr [Alexander] Low'. Cullen believes Low's illness 'depends entirely on an afflux of humours to his breast'. Cullen actually mentions cutting off the recipe from his letter to hand to an apothecary. It has been inferred that this was sent to Low at his home of Auchinlee, near Glasgow. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:1132] |
Case of Mr Low [Law] who has a serious chest complaint. |
6 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:195] | Patient | Mr Alexander Low (Law?) |
| [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 | Auchenlea (Auchenlie) | Glasgow and West | Scotland | Europe | inferred |
Normalized Text
For Mr. Low
After considering the whole history of his complaints
I am clearly of opinion that his present illness depends
entirely upon an afflux of humours to his breast, which if it
was to go further might be dangerous but I think it is not
yet in any confirmed state and I hope it may be entirely
relieved by the following measures.
His ↑first↑ care must be to guard against cold by warm cloa¬
thing and particularly by having flannel every where next
his skin and at the same time by taking care not to
expose himself to any very cold or very wet weather.
Tho he is thus to guard against cold he is at the same
time, so far as consistent with that, to take what exercise
on horseback he conveniently can, taking it especially in
the middle of the day and when the roads are such as to
allow ↑him↑ to have such brisk exercise as may prevent his
being much chilled.
When the weather is very mild he may walk a little
on foot but minding this that brisk walking or any
[Page 2]
other bodily exercise is very ready to hurt the breast and
therefore to be carefully avoided.
His diet should be almost entirely of milk and
grain and by the least I mean every thing made of
wheat bread or flower, Rice or flower of Rice, Barley,
oatmeal or Sago. These may be prepared in any shape
he likes best with raisins, currants, apples, currant
Jelly or any preserved fruits. He may take also what
roots or greens the winter affords but he should take
these but sparingly.
I would have him take hardly any animal food
except at times a bit of chicken; but every day at dinner
he may have a little broth or soup neither of them very
strong.
If he can conveniently have it he may take half
a muchkin of Asses milk every morning about two
or three hours before ordinary breakfast; but he
need not be very anxious to get Asses milk as a gill
of cows milk warm from the cow and mixed
[Page 3]
an equal part of their water gruel, warmed as much as the
milk and very well sweetned with honey, may do as well.
If it shall be at any time suspected that milk is heavy
by curdling on his stomach or that it occasions costiveness
in that case all the milk he uses should be mixed with gruel
and sweetened with honey as I have just now said.
For some time to come he should abstain from all fer¬
mented or spirituous liquors. His ordinary drink must be water
or watery liquors as water gruel, barley water or milk and water.
Weak tea is not improper.
It is by ↑the↑ measures now mentioned rather than
from medicine that I expect Mr. Lows recovery -
And therefore is but one medicine I can now offer which
is prescribed at the bottom of this page so that it may be
cut off and sent to an Apothecary.
William Cullen -
For Mr. Low. Take three drachms of Extract of liquorice. Having divided it into small pieces in a stone mortar, cover with a sufficient quantity of very hot water in order to soften it and reduce it into a pulp, to which you add one drachm of Myrrh previously crushed into powder. With enough very hot water let it be a mass to be divided into pills of five grains each. Label: Pectoral Pills; two to be taken every night and morning.
8th. December 1781
W.C.
Diplomatic Text
For Mr. Low
After considering the whole history of his complaints
I am clearly of opinion that his present illness depends
entirely upon an afflux of humours to his breast, which if it
was to go further might be dangerous but I think it is not
yet in any confirmed state and I hope it may be entirely
relieved by the following measures.
His ↑first↑ care must be to guard against cold by warm cloa¬
thing and particularly by having flannel every where next
his skin and at the same time by taking care not to
expose himself to any very cold or very wet weather.
Tho he is thus to guard against cold he is at the same
time, so far as consistent with that, to take what exercise
on horseback he conveniently can, taking it especially in
the middle of the day and when the roads are such as to
allow ↑him↑ to have such brisk exercise as may prevent his
being much chilled.
When the weather is very mild he may walk a little
on foot but minding this that brisk walking or any
[Page 2]
other bodily exercise is very ready to hurt the breast and
therefore to be carefully avoided.
His diet should be almost entirely of milk and
grain and by the least I mean every thing made of
wheat bread or flower, Rice or flower of Rice, Barley,
oatmeal or Sago. These may be prepared in any shape
he likes best with raisins, currants, apples, currant
Jelly or any preserved fruits. He may take also what
roots or greens the winter affords but he should take
these but sparingly.
I would have him take hardly any animal food
except at times a bit of chicken; but every day at dinner
he may have a little broth or soup neither of them very
strong.
If he can conveniently have it he may take half
a muchkin of Asses milk every morning about two
or three hours before ordinary breakfast; but he
need not be very anxious to get Asses milk as a gill
of cows milk warm from the cow and mixed
[Page 3]
an equal part of their water gruel, warmed as much as the
milk and very well sweetned with honey, may do as well.
If it shall be at any time suspected that milk is heavy
by curdling on his stomach or that it occasions costiveness
in that case all the milk he uses should be mixed with gruel
and sweetened with honey as I have just now said.
For some time to come he should abstain from all fer¬
mented or spirituous liquors. His ordinary drink must be water
or watery liquors as water gruel, barley water or milk and water.
Weak tea is not improper.
It is by ↑the↑ measures now mentioned rather than
from medicine that I expect Mr. Lows recovery -
And therefore is but one medicine I can now offer which
is prescribed at the bottom of this page so that it may be
cut off and sent to an Apothecary.
William Cullen -
For Mr. Low ℞ Extract. glycyrrhiz. ʒiij. In frustula conciso, in
mortario lapideo, affunde aq. fervent. q. s. ut mollescat et contundatur
in pulpam cui adde Myrrhæ in pulverem tenuem tritæ ʒj. et cum
aq. fervent. q. s. f. massa dividenda in pil. sing. gr. v.
Signa Pectoral Pills two to be taken every night & morning
8th. Decr. 1781
W.C.
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