The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:4608] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Mrs Jane Pearson / Regarding: Miss Hannah Pearson (Patient) / 6 April 1783 / (Outgoing)
Reply 'For Miss Hannah Pearson'
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 5 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
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Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 4608 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/16/13 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 6 April 1783 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Machine scribal copy |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | Yes |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply 'For Miss Hannah Pearson' |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:532] |
Case of Miss Hannah Pearson, a young woman with a menstrual irregularity, who conditon is diagnosed as nervous and hysteric. |
6 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:2639] | Addressee | Mrs Jane Pearson |
| [PERS ID:2638] | Patient | Miss Hannah Pearson |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:2639] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | Mrs Jane Pearson |
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 | Greysouthen (Graysouthen) | North-West | England | Europe | inferred |
Normalized Text
For Miss Hannah Pearson
This young Ladys complaints have now continued
so long and taken such firm hold of her constitution that
they must be difficult to Cure but I do not at all despair
of relieving her very greatly.
I take the Disease to be entirely of the Nervous and
Hysteric kind. The irregularity of her monthly affair may
certainly have aggravated her Ailments very much but
that irregularity may be as much the effect of her general
disorder as the cause of it and if we can rectify the general
Constitution we shall probably bring her monthly affairs
into their proper course.
For rectifying her general Constitution I have ordered
a medicine which if her stomach will allow her to persist
in for some time, I have no doubt of its being of service
to her in every respect. I have ordered for the present
a small Dose only that her stomach may be reconciled
[Page 2]
to it by degrees but I desire that her Physician or Apo¬
thecary may as she bears it gradually increase the dose
to four or perhaps six times the quantity now ordered.
There is nothing of more consequence for mending
all her Ailments that a constant attention to remove the
Costiveness she is so much affected with and for this purpose
the medicine of Aloes, Myrrh and Saffron which she em¬
ploys is not altogether improper but I think a more
proper may be found and on the paper apart I have
ordered two different medicines which I would wish to
have tried and the proper dose of them to be adjusted by
a Physician and Apothecary according to their effects.
These are the remedies which I hope may prevent
the fits of Reaching and Vomiting She has been so much,
liable to but if it shall still happen that these fits
come on I would have them manages in this manner.
When they come on if it shall happen that she has had
no stool for a day or two before the first thing to be done
[Page 3]
is to give her a laxative glyster and one sufficiently strong,
to procure a stool and when that is done let her have
a dose of Laudanum or solid Opium by the mouth. I do
not determine the dose because it must be more or less
according to habits she has been in with respect to these
medicines. It must therefore be determined by her
Apothecary and I have only to observe that according
to what she has been accustomed to the dose should always
be a full one. If the Opiate remains on her stomach
it will probably answer the purpose of stopping her
Vomiting and Reaching but if the opiate is immediately
thrown up no benefit is to be expected from it nor from
the repetition of a dose that probably would have
the same fate and therefore in such cases instead of
attempting the giving it by the mouth the opiate should
be given in a small bulk of glyster and in double
the quantity that would have been necessary by the
mouth. Let it be observed that checking the Vomiting
[Page 4]
will always be a desirable purpose both for relieving the
present distress and for saving the Constitution which must
be much hurt by the repetition of the fits. Besides these
remedies let her continue a proper management of her
Diet which her own experience has taught her better than
I can.
As often as the weather allows she will be the
better for being in the fresh air and is gently exercise in
a Carriage. She may be much the better for a good deal
of this Air and exercise but I cannot think her fit for
a long Journey and I cannot advise it at present. I
hope it is not at all necessary as I think I understand
the case tolerably well and by a proper Correspondence
may be guided to a happy issue.
Let great care be taken to manage the state of
her mind and especially to secure it as much as possible
against all emotion or surprise.
I see no use at present for an Issue and when the Season is a
little further advanced it may be safely dried up.
Edinburgh 6th. April
1783
[Page 5]
✍ For Miss Hannah Pearson
Take five grams each of red chalibeate and powdered cinnamon, ten grams of very pure white sugar. Mix to make a powder and in this way make twenty-eight doses. Label Strengthening Stomachic Powders one to be taken in a little panado twice every day an hour before dinner & Supper washing it down with a little water only.
Take between one and two scruples of calcinated magnesia. Label Laxative Powder to be taken in the morning when occasion requires.
Take three ounces of very good castor oil, an ounce of Jallop tincture. Mix and label Laxative Oil a tablespoonful more or less to be taken for a dose in the morning when occasion requires, taking care always to shake the vial always very well before pouring out.
6th April
1783.
Diplomatic Text
For Miss Hannah Pearson
This young Ladys complaints have now continued
so long and taken such firm hold of her constitution that
they must be difficult to Cure but I do not at all despair
of relieving her very greatly.
I take the Disease to be entirely of the Nervous and
Hysteric kind. The irregularity of her monthly affair may
certainly have aggravated her Ailments very much but
that irregularity may be as much the effect of her general
disorder as the cause of it and if we can rectify the general
Constitution we shall probably bring her monthly affairs
into their proper course.
For rectifying her general Constitution I have ordered
a medicine which if her stomach will allow her to persist
in for some time, I have no doubt of its being of service
to her in every respect. I have ordered for the present
a small Dose only that her stomach may be reconciled
[Page 2]
to it by degrees but I desire that her Physician or Apo¬
thecary may as she bears it gradually increase the dose
to four or perhaps six times the quantity now ordered.
There is nothing of more consequence for mending
all her Ailments that a constant attention to remove the
Costiveness she is so much affected with and for this purpose
the medicine of Aloes, Myrrh and Saffron which she em¬
ploys is not altogether improper but I think a more
proper may be found and on the paper apart I have
ordered two different medicines which I would wish to
have tried and the proper dose of them to be adjusted by
a Physician and Apothecary according to their effects.
These are the remedies which I hope may prevent
the fits of Reaching and Vomiting She has been so much,
liable to but if it shall still happen that these fits
come on I would have them manages in this manner.
When they come on if it shall happen that she has had
no stool for a day or two before the first thing to be done
[Page 3]
is to give her a laxative glyster and one sufficiently strong,
to procure a stool and when that is done let her have
a dose of Laudanum or solid Opium by the mouth. I do
not determine the dose because it must be more or less
according to habits she has been in with respect to these
medicines. It must therefore be determined by her
Apothecary and I have only to observe that according
to what she has been accustomed to the dose should always
be a full one. If the Opiate remains on her stomach
it will probably answer the purpose of stopping her
Vomiting and Reaching but if the opiate is immediately
thrown up no benefit is to be expected from it nor from
the repetition of a dose that probably would have
the same fate and therefore in such cases instead of
attempting the giving it by the mouth the opiate should
be given in a small bulk of glyster and in double
the quantity that would have been necessary by the
mouth. Let it be observed that checking the Vomiting
[Page 4]
will always be a desirable purpose both for relieving the
present distress and for saving the Constitution which must
be much hurt by the repetition of the fits. Besides these
remedies let her continue a proper management of her
Diet which her own experience has taught her better than
I can.
As often as the weather allows she will be the
better for being in the fresh air and is gently exercise in
a Carriage. She may be much the better for a good deal
of this Air and exercise but I cannot think her fit for
a long Journey and I cannot advise it at present. I
hope it is not at all necessary as I think I understand
the case tolerably well and by a proper Correspondence
may be guided to a happy issue.
Let great care be taken to manage the state of
her mind and especially to secure it as much as possible
against all emotion or surprise.
I see no use at present for an Issue and when the Season is a
little further advanced it may be safely dried up.
Edinr. 6th. April
1783
[Page 5]
✍ For Miss Hannah Pearson
℞ Rubig. chalybis ppt.
Cinnamom. pulv. @ gr. v.
Sacchar. alb. puriss. gr. x.
ℳ f. pulvis et f. h. m. dos. No xxviij
Sig. Strengthening Stomachic Powders one to be taken
in a little panado twice every day an hour before dinner
& Supper washing it down with a little water only.
℞ Magnes. alb. calcinat.↑a↑ ℈j ad ℈ij
Sig. Laxative Powder to be taken in the morning when
occasion requires.
℞ Ol. ricin. opt. ℥iij
Tinct. Jalap. ℥j
ℳ. Sig. Laxative Oil a table spoonfull more or less
to be taken for a dose in the morning when occasion
requires, taking care always to shake the vial always very
well before pouring out.
6th April
1783.
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