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I takee this opportunity of returning you my best thanks for
your kindness to my Son ¹ & to acknowledge the having got your Letter with
the Extract of the Belladona by Post & a greater quantity of it by my Son
& altho I am not able to make any report of its effects, having not used
it, as you will see from what follows, yet having seen effects
similar to those you mention from the Extract of the Aconite I
thought it proper to inform you of them --- the Lady you was consu[lted]
about in December 1768, for two SchirrhousBreasts, had ever since
continued to use the Cortex & Cicuta by turns, & sometimes the
Solution of the Sublimate, ² but not lately because of the appearance
of Inflammation in both breasts --- I make no doubt but by all
this, the Case was palliated, but still the Disease was making a
Progress -- the Breast decreasing in Bulk & encreasing in hardness
& many hard Lumps appearing on her Sides & Shoulders -- while
the Small Tubercles on her Breast were ulcerating {illeg}
has been a very troublesome discharge of thin matter & some¬
times Blood & violent shooting pains in both Breasts -
for some Moneths past she has been complaining of Pains
in her arms & Shoulders & was almost laid asside from walking
by a violent paine, situated as the Sciatica on that side
in which the Breast was first affected - In this distress'd Situation
I remembered what you had formerly wrote of the Belladonna &
worte you concerning it --- in the Interval of hearing from you I
had been looking at Storckes Pamphlet on the Hoscyamus, Aconitum &c, ³
& having some of the Extract of the Aconite by me I began with
it

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as follows -- I give half a grain of it in the Day mixed with the
Pouder of the Cicuta, which she was using then & encreasd the Dose gradually
to two Grains a day without its having the least sensible effects -
as Storcke had advisd giving it rubbd into a pouder with suggar I
was determined to prepare with great exactness after his manner & begun
againe with the 1/2 Graine Doses, which I encreasd to two Grains in
24 Hours, the Dose she had formerly got, upon the 3d Day she began
to Complaine of great confusion in her Head, an universal Tremor. &
violent pains in her arms & her looks were truly ghastly -- at the
same time her appetite was scarce impaird --- all night she sweat
profusely, from her face it ran into her mouth which she said tasted as salt
as Brine, {illeg}. She tasted the Sweat on the other parts
of her Body & it provd the Same --- next day she got out of Bed
& thought all her pains much easier, but these in her arms, which
had seisd her since taking the Aconite, & she found her arms much
swelld to an Erisipelatous rash over them -- next night she
sweat in the same manner & as profusely as of the former night, got
{illeg} of {illeg} in the morning & found the Swelling of her arms gone
& all her pains much easier than for several Moneths before
& the discharge of thin Matter from her Breasts greatly lessend, & the Con
fusion of her Head going off -- I should have told you that
she had the sweetness & dryness in her Throat with these other
Symptoms & yet from the first appearance of them we gave up using
the medicine ---- she says now the pains of her Breasts are
very unconsiderable, that the Quantity of matter dischargd is not
1/4 of what it was formerly & its consistence greatly changd, &
that she scarce feels her Scatica & other pains --

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as the ↑disagreeable↑ effects of this Medicine seemd to be over two days ago
she with great earnestness pressd me to give it to her againe
-- she is only come the length of one graine in 24 Hours
& last night she sweatd considerably, but it had not the briny
taste as before --- you well observe from this, that I have met
with all the effects you expected from the Belladonna --
that when given in a quantity of Cicuta it had no
effects but [↑if↑ that acted?] ⁴ very powerfully when given
in a pouder with the Suggar ---- I shall not faile to
Communicate what I shall further observe in the Case -
Her Sleep has been much better since she used it &
she complains of an encrease of the Sensibility of Smelling to
a Degree that is troublesome to her -

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Doctor William Cullen
Physician
in Edinburgh

✍
Mr. Saunders
Concerning his Son
February1770