The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:2338] Case Note / Regarding: Mr John Adam (Patient) / 12 October 1783 / (Incoming)
Case note titled 'Case of J Adam at Manse of Cushnie Aberdeen Shire' whose health first collapsed in the West Indies. The case refers to Colica Pictona or dry belly ache' which is a form of environmental lead poisoning common in the West Indies at the time.
- 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 | 2338 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/1395 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Incoming |
| Date | 12 October 1783 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Authorial original |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | No |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Case note titled 'Case of J Adam at Manse of Cushnie Aberdeen Shire' whose health first collapsed in the West Indies. The case refers to Colica Pictona or dry belly ache' which is a form of environmental lead poisoning common in the West Indies at the time. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:390] |
Case of the Revd J. Adam whose health collapsed in the West Indies and who now suffers from fits of flighting pains and hectic fevers. |
1 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:3299] | Author | Dr |
| [PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:3298] | Patient | Mr John Adam |
| [PERS ID:3299] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr |
| [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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mentioned / Other | West Indies | certain | ||||
| Mentioned / Other | Scotland | Europe | certain | |||
| Mentioned / Other | New England | USA | North America | certain | ||
| Mentioned / Other | London | London and South-East | England | Europe | certain | |
| Mentioned / Other | Manse of Cushnie / Kirkton of Cushnie / Cushnie House | Cushnie | East Highlands | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
Case of J Adam at Manse of Cushnie
Aberdeen Shire. 14 October 1783 ---
That the Patient is about therty years of age. & naturally
of a Spare habit of Body. That about the age of twenty he ---
went to the west Indies Lat. 11 d where he continued about three
years. during which time he laboured under a Continued State
of ill health. was first (about six months after his arrival in
the Country). Attacked by the fever & ague peculiar to the Country
and after wards by the Colica pictona, or dry belly ach, which --
held him at intervals, for nine different times, and forced him
to remove to New England where he arrived in the winter time
and continued for two months, & in a great degree recovered his health,
but upon his return to the West Indies, was again seized with
the dry belly ach, and continued indisposed untill he got to the
Cold Latitudes // In London the Patient had the last touch of
this disorder he has hitherto felt, but some months after his
[Page 2]
arrival in Scotland, the Patient was Seized with a violent pain in
his right foot, which removed in a night or two to the ---
the ball of the Great toe of his left foot. {illeg}↑and↑ continued to encrease
for some days untill the foot began to swell, when the pain ---
in some measure abated, but the Patient did not recover the use
of the foot, so as to be able to walk, in less than Six weeks.
That this was in the month of March, and the Patient --
felt little farther trouble except Some wandering pains, untill
October following when he was again Seized in the elbow>, with some
touches in the feet but not to Such a Degree as at first,
That the fitts have been pretty regular for some years past
and confined to Spring & autumn, except One year when
he escaped entirely, but remembers that. the winter of that
years was very open & the Spring early & fine, & recollects that
the Country people, who were Subject to the Gout or Rheumatism
were free from Complaints at said time, That since this time
the fitts have been very irregular, both as to time, and parts of
his body, & that last Spring, his left ear was greatly disordered
and in the Summer time even in the finest weather, the --
wandering pains were more common than ever. And of late he
has been seized in the joints of the right hand, which are at
[Page 3]
present considerably swelled, and the tips of the fingers when
bathed in warm water and dried. had, something of a Chalky
Appearance.
That the Patient is generally troubled with a low hectical fever ↑especially in the morning↑
but never sweats, & is free from this & every other Complaint
when the above mentioned disorder ↑the Gout or Rheumatism↑ takes place.
That the Patient was in use to take large quantities of
Peruvian Bark while in the West Indies, as a febrifuge. & for
the Dry Belly ach, Castor Oil, as a purgative & the fœtid pills
with repeated Injections. That since his being in Scotland, he
has taken very little medicine, that his belly has been pretty
open. but his pulse is alwise rather quicker than that of
a person in Good health, and this even when the Patient has
little or no Complaint. That he lives very abstemiously, and
takes sufficient exercise, both in Summer & winter, has --
something of a Gleet, which he attribute to Superpurgation &
other evacuation, while in a warm Climate.
John Adam
N.B. The Patients hands have been affected, both
in the beginning of this & the preceeding Harvest even in the month of August
When he was wont to have more than Ordinary good health ---
That the Patients parents were never troubled with the Gout
[Page 4]
Case
Case
of the Reverend
Mr J Adam.
October 1783
Diplomatic Text
Case of J Adam at Manse of Cushnie
Aberdeen Shire. 14 Oct. 1783 ---
That the Patient is about therty years of age. & naturally
of a Spare habit of Body. That about the age of twenty he ---
went to the west Indies Lat. 11 d where he continued about three
years. during which time he laboured under a Continued State
of ill health. was first (about six months after his arrival in
the Country). Attacked by the fever & ague peculiar to the Country
and after wards by the Colica pictona, or dry belly ach, which --
held him at intervals, for nine different times, and forced him
to remove to New England where he arrived in the winter time
and continued for two months, & in a great degree recovered his health,
but upon his return to the West Indies, was again seized wt.
the dry belly ach, and continued indisposed untill he got to the
Cold Latitudes // In London the Patient had the last touch of
this disorder he has hitherto felt, but some months after his
[Page 2]
arrival in Scotland, the Patient was Seized wt. a violent pain in
his right foot, which removed in a night or two to the ---
the ball of the Great toe of his left foot. {illeg}↑and↑ continued to encrease
for some days untill the foot began to swell, when the pain ---
in some measure abated, but the Patient did not recover the use
of the foot, so as to be able to walk, in less than Six weeks.
That this was in the month of March, and the Patient --
felt little farther trouble except Some wandering pains, untill
Octr. followg. when he was again Seized in the elbow>, wt. some
touches in the feet but not to Such a Degree as at first,
That the fitts have been pretty regular for some years past
and confined to Spring & autumn, except One year when
he escaped entirely, but remembers that. the winter of that
years was very open & the Spring early & fine, & recollects that
the Country people, who were Subject to the Gout or Rheumtsm
were free from Complaints at said time, That since this time
the fitts have been very irregular, both as to time, and parts of
his body, & that last Spring, his left ear was greatly disordered
and in the Summer time even in the finest weather, the --
wandering pains were more common than ever. And of late he
has been seized in the joints of the right hand, which are at
[Page 3]
present considerably swelled, and the tips of the fingers when
bathed in warm water and dried. had, something of a Chalky
Appearance.
That the Pat. is generally troubled wt. a low hectical fever ↑especially in the morning↑
but never sweats, & is free from this & every other Complaint
when the above mentioned disorder ↑the Gout or Rheumatism↑ takes place.
That the Patient was in use to take large quantities of
Peruvian Bark while in the West Indies, as a febrifuge. & for
the Dry Belly ach, Castor Oil, as a purgative & the fœtid pills
wt repeated Injections. That since his being in Scotland, he
has taken very little medicine, that his belly has been pretty
open. but his pulse is alwise rather quicker than that of
a person in Good health, and this even when the Patient has
little or no Complaint. That he lives very abstemiously, and
takes sufficient exercise, both in Summer & winter, has --
something of a Gleet, which he attribute to Superpurgation &
other evacuation, while in a warm Climate.
John Adam
N.B. The Patients hands have been affected, both
in the beginning of this & the preceeding Harvest even in the month of Augt.
When he was wont to have more than Ordinary good health ---
That the Patients parents were never troubled wt the Gout
[Page 4]
Case
Case
of the Revd
Mr J Adam.
Octr. 1783
XML
XML file not yet available.
Feedback
Send us specfic feeback about this document [DOC ID:2338]
Please note that the Cullen Project team have now disbanded but your comments will be logged in our system and we will look at them one day...
