The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:4997] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Mr John Coulter / Regarding: Mrs Coulter (Patient) / 3 March 1785 / (Outgoing)
Reply, 'Mrs Coulter'.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 3 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
[Page 3]
Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 4997 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/17/191 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 3 March 1785 |
| 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, 'Mrs Coulter'. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:1405] |
The Case of Mrs Coulter who is 'threatened wiith consumption'. |
2 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:5721] | Addressee | Mr John Coulter |
| [PERS ID:5719] | Patient | Mrs Coulter |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:5721] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | Mr John Coulter |
| [PERS ID:5720] | Other | Mr Nasmyth |
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 | Stranraer | Borders | Scotland | Europe | inferred |
Normalized Text
Mrs. Coulter
I am favoured with yours by Mr. Nasmyth.
I find the Case very clearly stated and have considered
it with all possible attention. I think it my duty
to speak to you sincerely and am sorry to observe
that I think your spouse is strongly threatened
with a consumption but at the same time can
say that the symptoms are not such as show
it to be absolutely confirmed or to give despair.
If the symptoms shall continue till a better
season comes in I hope Air and Exercise may
still prove a Cure and in the mean time the grea¬
test care must be taken to avoid cold and even
on this account you must not be in a hurry in
carrying her abroad. I believe you have done very
properly in the bleedings and blistering you
have already practised and the latter I think
tho' they have done a little good can do no harm if
[Page 2]
any occasion should require them to be repeated [but the?]
former I would not repeat without great necessity.
The Asses milk in the morning should be
diligently continued and to what quantity her
Stomach and the Ass can afford, but if the latter
affords pretty largely, it would be right to take
the milk at different times. I think it will be
right also to continue her diet entirely of milk and
farinacea without either meat or wine. It will
also be allowable to continue the Paregoric at bed
time. Costiveness may certainly hurt her and you
very properly employ fruit to obviate it and while
she continues disposed to Costiveness you may employ
all kinds of fruit very freely and I would rather
obviate the Costiveness by these than by the Syrup
of Buckthorn though as long as a tea Spoonful or
two of this will answer I shall have no objection
to it, but if a larger dose was to become necessary
I would rather employ flowers of Sulphur, Cream
[Page 3]
of Tartar, or even the compound powder of Jalup.
The only medicine I can propose for her breathlessness
and all her other symptoms is the Decoction
prescribed below. Take care that the leaves only
and not the flowers be employed. These are the
Advices I can offer at present but if you shall
be pleased to give me the State of matters sometime
after this I shall be ready and willing
to advise further being
Sir
your most obedient servant
William Cullen. -
Edinburgh 3d. March
1785
Take two ounces of dried leaves of Coltsfoot, and two pounds of spring water. Cook it in slow fire until it reduces to one pound, and strain vigorously and add, to the strained liquid, half an ounce of Syrup of Squills and two drachms of Extract of liquorice. Mix. Label: Pectoral apozem; two ounces of it to be taken twice a day.
3d. March
1785.
W.C.
Diplomatic Text
Mrs. Coulter
I am favoured with yours by Mr. Nasmyth.
I find the Case very clearly stated and have considered
it with all possible attention. I think it my duty
to speak to you sincerely and am sorry to observe
that I think your spouse is strongly threatened
with a consumption but at the same time can
say that the symptoms are not such as show
it to be absolutely confirmed or to give despair.
If the symptoms shall continue till a better
season comes in I hope Air and Exercise may
still prove a Cure and in the mean time the grea¬
test care must be taken to avoid cold and even
on this account you must not be in a hurry in
carrying her abroad. I believe you have done very
properly in the bleedings and blistering you
have already practised and the latter I think
tho' they have done a little good can do no harm if
[Page 2]
any occasion should require them to be repeated [but the?]
former I would not repeat without great necessity.
The Asses milk in the morning should be
diligently continued and to what quantity her
Stomach and the Ass can afford, but if the latter
affords pretty largely, it would be right to take
the milk at different times. I think it will be
right also to continue her diet entirely of milk and
farinacea without either meat or wine. It will
also be allowable to continue the Paregoric at bed
time. Costiveness may certainly hurt her and you
very properly employ fruit to obviate it and while
she continues disposed to Costiveness you may employ
all kinds of fruit very freely and I would rather
obviate the Costiveness by these than by the Syrup
of Buckthorn though as long as a tea Spoonful or
two of this will answer I shall have no objection
to it, but if a larger dose was to become necessary
I would rather employ flowers of Sulphur, Cream
[Page 3]
of Tartar, or even the compound powder of Jalup.
The only medicine I can propose for her breathlessness
and all her other symptoms is the Decoction
prescribed below. Take care that the leaves only
and not the flowers be employed. These are the
Advices I can offer at present but if you shall
be pleased to give me the State of matters sometime
after this I shall be ready and willing
to advise further being
Sir
your most obedient servant
William Cullen. -
Edr. 3d. March
1785
℞ folior. Tussilag. siccat. ℥ij
Aq. font. ℔ij coque lento igne ad libram
unam et cola cum forti expressione et colato adde
Syrup. Scillit. ℥ſs
Extract. glycyrrhiz ʒij
ℳ. Sig. Pectoral apozem two ounces of it to be
taken twice a day.
3d. March
1785.
W.C.
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