The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:3847] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Dr George Skene / Regarding: Miss Eleanor Fraser (Honble Miss Fraser) (Patient) / 28 June 1776 / (Outgoing)
Reply concerning Miss Fraser, presumably to Dr Skene. Cullen says that from what he saw of the patient, 'I am persuaded that if not the whole the greatest part of her ailments are feigned'; he wrote the preceding letter (ID:3846, which was presumably enclosed with this one) 'to be ostensible, and here I give you my real opinion', as it might put her mother 'out of countenance'.
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- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
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Facsimile
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[Page 1]
Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 3847 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/7/68 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 28 June 1776 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Authorial original |
| Enclosure(s) | Enclosure(s) present |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | No |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply concerning Miss Fraser, presumably to Dr Skene. Cullen says that from what he saw of the patient, 'I am persuaded that if not the whole the greatest part of her ailments are feigned'; he wrote the preceding letter (ID:3846, which was presumably enclosed with this one) 'to be ostensible, and here I give you my real opinion', as it might put her mother 'out of countenance'. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:827] |
Case of Miss Fraser who is suspected of feining her fits. |
2 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:64] | Addressee | Dr George Skene |
| [PERS ID:1349] | Patient | Miss Eleanor Fraser (Honble Miss Fraser) |
| [PERS ID:64] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr George Skene |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:925] | Other Physician / Surgeon | Dr Herman Boerhaave |
| [PERS ID:1816] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | Lady Eleanor Fraser (Lady Salton, Lady Saltoun of Abernethy, Helen) |
| [PERS ID:1817] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | Mrs Hamilton |
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 | Aberdeen | East Highlands | Scotland | Europe | inferred | |
| Mentioned / Other | Haarlem | The Netherlands | Holland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
From what I saw of Miss Fraser I am persuaded that if not the whole
the greatest part of her ailments are feigned & Mrs Hamilton with whom she
lodged is of the same opinion, but as Lady Salton might be out of countenance
&c. &c. I wrote the cover of this to be ostensible, 1 and I here give you my
real opinion & to tell you what you will probably perceive that my advice
proceeds entirely upon that opinion. At the same time I could vindicate
my remedies upon the supposition of either a real or feigned disease.
But if either of you from your longer acquaintance with the Case shall
differ from me either with regard to the nature of the ailment or
the remedies adapted to it I shall be glad to have your further
information & correction. If you join with me in opinion, your own
discretion will adjust the remedies better than I can do in a general
advice. With regard to last remedy propose, you will pleas recollect
Dr Boerhaave's case of the Haerlam Epilepsy and I am of opinion
that you may find that merely the threatening as happened
to him will prove the remedy. 2 I beg to hear of the event of
this Case.
Notes:
1: Secret: i.e. not to be shown to the patient, Miss Fraser, who is thought to be falsifying symptoms, nor to Lady Salton who might be offended by this accusation.
2: The Dutch physician and botanist Herman Boerhaave (1668-1738). Although Boerhaave discusses epilepsy and mentions Harlem (a town in Holland), several times in his numerous published works, this precise allusion is untraced. The implication is, however, that the case concerned a placebo effect.
Diplomatic Text
From what I saw of Miss Fraser I am persuaded that if not the whole
the greatest part of her ailments are feigned & Mrs Hamilton with whom she
lodged is of the same opinion, but as Lady Salton might be out of countenance
&c. &c. I wrote the cover of this to be ostensible, 1 and I here give you my
real opinion & to tell you what you will probably perceive that my advice
proceeds entirely upon that opinion. At the same time I could vindicate
my remedies upon the supposition of either a real or feigned disease.
But if either of you from your longer acquaintance with the Case shall
differ from me either with regard to the nature of the ailment or
the remedies adapted to it I shall be glad to have your further
information & correction. If you join with me in opinion, your own
discretion will adjust the remedies better than I can do in a general
advice. With regard to last remedy propose, you will pleas recollect
Dr Boerhaave's case of the Haerlam Epilepsy and I am of opinion
that you may find that merely the threatening as happened
to him will prove the remedy. 2 I beg to hear of the event of
this Case.
Notes:
1: Secret: i.e. not to be shown to the patient, Miss Fraser, who is thought to be falsifying symptoms, nor to Lady Salton who might be offended by this accusation.
2: The Dutch physician and botanist Herman Boerhaave (1668-1738). Although Boerhaave discusses epilepsy and mentions Harlem (a town in Holland), several times in his numerous published works, this precise allusion is untraced. The implication is, however, that the case concerned a placebo effect.
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