The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:667] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Dr Thomas Stephen / Regarding: Captain Grant (Patient) / 11 November 1782 / (Outgoing)
Reply 'For Captain Grant', giving instructions on diet, exercise and blistering and on taking the medicines in the enclosed recipe. The last few lines of the main body of the letter seem to be missing from the copy.
- 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 | 667 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/15/152 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 11 November 1782 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Machine copy |
| Enclosure(s) | Enclosure(s) present |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | Yes |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply 'For Captain Grant', giving instructions on diet, exercise and blistering and on taking the medicines in the enclosed recipe. The last few lines of the main body of the letter seem to be missing from the copy. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:1377] |
Case of Captain Grant who has consumptive symptoms and also swelling of the genitals. |
4 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:820] | Addressee | Dr Thomas Stephen |
| [PERS ID:3077] | Patient | Captain Grant |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:820] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr Thomas Stephen |
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 | Elgin | East Highlands | Scotland | Europe | inferred |
Normalized Text
For Captain Grant
In the present circumstances of his health I cannot
find that ↑he↑ has much occasion for medicines and I hope
that the Regimen advised will be sufficient to preserve
his health and even to repair any damage that has
been formerly done to his constitution. But after what
has happened to him in America he must still be a
little uncertain of what may happen to him during a
winter in this climate, and therefore do I think ↑it↑ proper
to provide with some medicines in case of accidents.
When he is at home if he shall find that his
breathing is not quite easy or becomes more uneasy
than usual let him begin the use of the pectoral pills
prescribed in the inclosed paper, taking two of them
every night at bedtime and two of them every forenoon
but after taking them for a week or two, if his breathing
shall have become easier he should lay aside these pills
till he shall again have more occasion for them.
If along with his breathlessness he shall also have a
[Page 2]
cough become frequently troublesome to him especially on
his lying down at night and during the nighttime I
shall then think the pills more especially necessary and
besides these the two other medicines prescribed in the
inclosed paper. One of them is a linctus of which
he is to take a tea spoonfull several times in the course
of the night when the Cough is troublesome. The
other is the pectoral balsam ten drops or more to be
taken in sugar and water upon lying down at night.
If along with the breathlessness and cough he should
have any pain of his breast or side any ways continual
or fixed it may be proper to take a little blood from his
arm and at any rate to have a perpetual Issue made
upon the pained part.
These remedies will I hope relieve any ailments
that may affect Captain Grant in the North but if they
shall not immediately yield to these remedies I earnestly
advise him, upon their appearing in the least obstinate,
for to quit the North immediately to go as quickly
[Page 3]
For Captn. Grant
Take 3 drachms of best Liquorice Extract and a ½ drachm of best Myrrh. Having chopped the Extract into small pieces, pour over enough very hot water to soften it, and crush it to a pulp, to which add the myrrh, previously rubbed into a fine powder, and with water as suffices, make a mass to be divided into pills of 5 grains each. Label: Pectoral Pills two to be taken twice a day.
Take a ½ ounce of Liquorice Extract. Crush into a pulp as described above, to which add 2 ounces of Elder wood and an ounce of Lemon Syrup. Mix. Label: Pectoral Linctus a teaspoonfull to be taken several times in the course of the night when the cough is troublesome
Take 2 ounces of coarse Sulphur Balsam. Label: Pectoral Balsam ten drops to be taken at bedtime
Diplomatic Text
For Captain Grant
In the present circumstances of his health I cannot
find that ↑he↑ has much occasion for medicines and I hope
that the Regimen advised will be sufficient to preserve
his health and even to repair any damage that has
been formerly done to his constitution. But after what
has happened to him in America he must still be a
little uncertain of what may happen to him during a
winter in this climate, and therefore do I think ↑it↑ proper
to provide with some medicines in case of accidents.
When he is at home if he shall find that his
breathing is not quite easy or becomes more uneasy
than usual let him begin the use of the pectoral pills
prescribed in the inclosed paper, taking two of them
every night at bedtime and two of them every forenoon
but after taking them for a week or two, if his breathing
shall have become easier he should lay aside these pills
till he shall again have more occasion for them.
If along with his breathlessness he shall also have a
[Page 2]
cough become frequently troublesome to him especially on
his lying down at night and during the nighttime I
shall then think the pills more especially necessary and
besides these the two other medicines prescribed in the
inclosed paper. One of them is a linctus of which
he is to take a tea spoonfull several times in the course
of the night when the Cough is troublesome. The
other is the pectoral balsam ten drops or more to be
taken in sugar and water upon lying down at night.
If along with the breathlessness and cough he should
have any pain of his breast or side any ways continual
or fixed it may be proper to take a little blood from his
arm and at any rate to have a perpetual Issue made
upon the pained part.
These remedies will I hope relieve any ailments
that may affect Captain Grant in the North but if they
shall not immediately yield to these remedies I earnestly
advise him, upon their appearing in the least obstinate,
for to quit the North immediately to go as quickly
[Page 3]
For Captn. Grant
℞ Extract. glycyrrh. opt. ʒiij
Myrrh. opt. ʒſs
Extracto in frustula conciso affunde
aquæ fervent. q. s. ut mollescat et contunda¬
tur in pulpam cui adde myrrham prius
in pulverem tenuem tritam et cum aquæ
q. s. f. massa dividenda in pil. sing. gr. V
Signa Pectoral Pills two to be taken twice a day.
℞ Extract. glycyrrh. ℥ſs
Contunde ut supra præscript. in pulpam
cui adde Rob Sambuc. ℥ij
Syr. limon. ℥j
ℳ. Sig. Pectoral Linctus a teaspoonfull
to be taken several times in the course
of the night when the cough is troublesome
℞ Balsam. Sulphur. crass. ℥ij
Sig. Pectoral Balsam ten drops to be
taken at bedtime
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