The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:454] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Sir George Colebrook (Colebrooke) / Regarding: [A matter not directly regarding a patient] / November? 1771? / (Outgoing)
Reply 'For Sir George Colbrook' [Colebrooke], offering further instructions for bathing the feet and legs, given the patient's 'feverish disposition', with advice of the continued use of Camphire, Nitre and Opiates. Response to an untraced letter received from Colebrooke 'last week'. Date inferred from positioning in the case-book.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 2 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 454 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/3/37 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | November? 1771? |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Scribal copy ( includes Casebook Entry) |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | No |
| Regimen | Yes |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply 'For Sir George Colbrook' [Colebrooke], offering further instructions for bathing the feet and legs, given the patient's 'feverish disposition', with advice of the continued use of Camphire, Nitre and Opiates. Response to an untraced letter received from Colebrooke 'last week'. Date inferred from positioning in the case-book. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:312] |
Case of Sir George Colbrook [Colebroke] who is advised over a 'feverish disposition'. |
2 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:1195] | Addressee | Sir George Colebrook (Colebrooke) |
| [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 | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Destination of Letter | London | London and South-East | England | Europe | inferred |
Normalized Text
For Sir George Colebrooke,
I had the honor of yours last week, and shall be
very happy if I can contribute any thing towards relieving you from
a very disagreeable complaint, I am still of the same opinion as before
that it depends upon some feverish disposition in your habit
and that a cool and light diet is the most proper but it is very
possible that such diet, carried far may be uncompatible with
the state and habits of your stomach and therefore you must
be left to be governed by your own feelings in that matter
The fine weather you have had of late and which we have had
also happens unluckily to be against you and I hope you will
be much better when colder weather sets in. In the meantime,
I think the bagnio 1 may be of service and may safely be employed
two or three times a Week when I had the honor of advising
you here I was of the opinion that even bathing your feet & legs
might be of service but the full bath is certainly better
The best management of it I take to be the making the bath
of a moderate heat and continuing long in it half an hour at
least. It may be easily adjusted by a Pocket thermometer and I
think it should not be above 90 nor under 90 degrees of Farenhiet
scale A Proper Measure may be to take the full bath twice a
week and to bath the feet & legs on the intermediate nights
observing the same Rules with respect to temperature and
continuance When the Weather sets in very cold it will be proper
and I hope you may without inconveniance ommit
the Bagnio altogether. I do think the cooling Physick may
[Page 2]
at times be useful but you cannot repeat it often when your
ailment continues so long. The doses of nitre may be employed
with more safety and tho by themselves they cannot be efficacious
yet they may contribute somwhat to your releif. When ailments
depend upon something in the whole habit medecines can
seldom be more than Palliatives and I avoided troubling you with
them but if any one can be employed with safety in your case it
is Camphires. If in spite of the other measure proposed your ailm¬
ents should continue very troublesome you may try a dose of Camphire
at first of five grains but afterwards if necessary increased to seven
or ten. It is to be rubbed with a little nitre and made into a
Bolus to be taken at bedtime. I think that every kind of
opiate will do harm
Notes:
1: A 'bathing-house; esp. one with hot baths, vapour-baths, and appliances for sweating, cupping, and other operations' (OED).
Diplomatic Text
For Sir George Colebrooke,
I had the honor of yours last week, and shall be
very happy if I can contribute any thing towards relieving you from
a very disagreeable complaint, I am still of the same opinion as before
that it depends upon some feverish disposition in your habit
and that a cool and light diet is the most proper but it is very
possible that such diet, carried far may be uncompatible with
the state and habits of your stomach and therefore you must
be left to be governed by your own feelings in that matter
The fine weather you have had of late and which we have had
also happens unluckily to be against you and I hope you will
be much better when colder weather sets in. In the meantime,
I think the bagnio 1 may be of service and may safely be employed
two or three times a Week when I had the honor of advising
you here I was of the opinion that even bathing your feet & legs
might be of service but the full bath is certainly better
The best management of it I take to be the making the bath
of a moderate heat and continuing long in it half an hour at
least. It may be easily adjusted by a Pocket thermometer and I
think it should not be above 90 nor under 90 degrees of Farenhiet
scale A Proper Measure may be to take the full bath twice a
week and to bath the feet & legs on the intermediate nights
observing the same Rules with respect to temperature and
continuance When the Weather sets in very cold it will be proper
and I hope you may without inconveniance ommit
the Bagnio altogether. I do think the cooling Physick may
[Page 2]
at times be useful but you cannot repeat it often when your
ailment continues so long. The doses of nitre may be employed
with more safety and tho by themselves they cannot be efficacious
yet they may contribute somwhat to your releif. When ailments
depend upon something in the whole habit medecines can
seldom be more than Palliatives and I avoided troubling you with
them but if any one can be employed with safety in your case it
is Camphires. If in spite of the other measure proposed your ailm¬
ents should continue very troublesome you may try a dose of Camphire
at first of five grains but afterwards if necessary increased to seven
or ten. It is to be rubbed with a little nitre and made into a
Bolus to be taken at bedtime. I think that every kind of
opiate will do harm
Notes:
1: A 'bathing-house; esp. one with hot baths, vapour-baths, and appliances for sweating, cupping, and other operations' (OED).
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