The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:550] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Mr Patrick Duguid Leslie / Regarding: Mr M. (Patient) / 23 May 1782 / (Outgoing)
Reply to Dr Leslie in response to his of the 17th, and of the 20th of November the previous year. Cullen is sorry to hear that the Mezereon he previously suggested has had no effect, and confesses he is 'truly at a loss' when perusing Leslie's account of the remedies already tried.
- 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 | 550 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/15/35 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 23 May 1782 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Machine copy |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | No |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply to Dr Leslie in response to his of the 17th, and of the 20th of November the previous year. Cullen is sorry to hear that the Mezereon he previously suggested has had no effect, and confesses he is 'truly at a loss' when perusing Leslie's account of the remedies already tried. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:1433] |
Case of the anonymised 'Mr. M.' who has long suffered from a 'cuteneous eruption', suspected of being the result of an unresolved 'venereal taint' and who also has anxieties over 'nocturnal emissions'. |
5 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:2815] | Addressee | Mr Patrick Duguid Leslie |
| [PERS ID:2818] | Patient | Mr M. |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:2815] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Mr Patrick Duguid Leslie |
| [PERS ID:3271] | Other Physician / Surgeon | Dr |
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 | Durham | North-East | England | Europe | inferred | |
| Mentioned / Other | Belgium | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
Dr D. Leslie Concerning Mr M.
Dear Sir
I am favoured with yours of
17th current and have also read over again your letter
of the 20th November last. I suspected from my first no¬
tice of the case that it might prove obstinate but having
had many instances of the efficacy of Mezereon I was
desirous to try it with your patient and tho it has not
been tried in the quantity per day that I wished I must
own that I am disappointed and doubt if any benefit
is to be got from the Mezereon and at least I would
not propose any further trial of it till the month of
January next. After perusing again your account of
the various measures which have been formerly pur¬
sued without any Success I am truly at a loss in ad¬
vising but recurring to my former opinion of its being
very much a topical affection I am much disposed to
try a topical application and in Spite of the failure of
[Page 2]
the Flanders Quack 1 in employing Mercury, this is the
remedy that I choose first to employ. As Soon as the weather
Shall be tolerably mild let a gummous Solution be prepa¬
red of one part crude Mercury and four parts Gum Arabic
with as much water as will render it fit for triture and
when the Mercury is perfectly reduced to a black powder
a little more water may be added to render the Solution
more easily Spread. Every night at bedtime let a little
of this Solution to the quantity of five or six grains of the
Mercury be laid on the cheek with a hair pencil. It may
at first be laid on one edge of the part affected and continued
for three or four nights which will Shew how far it gives
any irritation. How far it is to be employed you are to
determine by your finding how far it is either juvans
vel nocens. 2 I have, as you have done frequently found
the benefit of the corrosive Solution but I think you cannot
Safely begin with it in the present Case. During the
use of the application I have proposed I think it is necessary
that Mr M. should keep within doors and in the night time
[Page 3]
his cheek Should be covered with a twofold barrier cloth
for the morning this may be taken aff and the Solution
washed off with a little tepid water.
For the cheek this is all I can say at present and
for the nocturnal affair it is almost as difficult to
mend as the other ailment. I have upon occasion found
benefit from Steel, Uva Ursi and Camphire but I think
none of these can be employed during the mercurial ap¬
plication. At present I would advise him to
use a milk diet for Some weeks and I have often
found this usefull in nocturnal emissions which
hardly in any case admit of a full diet and particularly
of animal food. Wishing you Success I am most
Sincerely Dear Sir
Your most obedient servant
William Cullen
Edinburgh May 23 1782
Diplomatic Text
Dr D. Leslie C Mr M.
Dear Sir
I am favoured with yours of
17th curr.t and have also read over again your letter
of the 20th Nov.r last. I suspected from my first no¬
tice of the case that it might prove obstinate but having
had many instances of the efficacy of Mezereon I was
desirous to try it with your patient and tho it has not
been tried in the quantity per day that I wished I must
own that I am disappointed and doubt if any benefit
is to be got from the Mezereon and at least I would
not propose any further trial of it till the month of
January next. After perusing again your account of
the various measures which have been formerly pur¬
sued without any Success I am truly at a loss in ad¬
vising but recurring to my former opinion of its being
very much a topical affection I am much disposed to
try a topical application and in Spite of the failure of
[Page 2]
the Flanders Quack 1 in employing Mercury, this is the
remedy that I choose first to employ. As Soon as the weather
Shall be tolerably mild let a gummous Solution be prepa¬
red of one part crude Mercury and four parts Gum Arabic
with as much water as will render it fit for triture and
when the Mercury is perfectly reduced to a black powder
a little more water may be added to render the Solution
more easily Spread. Every night at bedtime let a little
of this Solution to the quantity of five or six grains of the
Mercury be laid on the cheek with a hair pencil. It may
at first be laid on one edge of the part affected and continued
for three or four nights which will Shew how far it gives
any irritation. How far it is to be employed you are to
determine by your finding how far it is either juvans
vel nocens. 2 I have, as you have done frequently found
the benefit of the corrosive Solution but I think you cannot
Safely begin with it in the present Case. During the
use of the application I have proposed I think it is necessary
that Mr M. should keep within doors and in the night time
[Page 3]
his cheek Should be covered with a twofold barrier cloth
for the morning this may be taken aff and the Solution
washed off with a little tepid water.
For the cheek this is all I can say at present and
for the nocturnal affair it is almost as difficult to
mend as the other ailment. I have upon occasion found
benefit from Steel, Uva Ursi and Camphire but I think
none of these can be employed during the mercurial ap¬
plication. At present I would advise him to
use a milk diet for Some weeks and I have often
found this usefull in nocturnal emissions wch
hardly in any case admit of a full diet and particularly
of animal food. Wishing you Success I am most
Sincerely Dear Sir
Your most obedient servant
William Cullen
Edinr May 23 1782
XML
XML file not yet available.
Feedback
Send us specfic feeback about this document [DOC ID:550]
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...
