The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:1154] From: Dr James Kenneth Saunders / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Lady Abercrombie (Abercromby) (Patient) / 9 January 1775 / (Incoming)
Letter from James Saunders relating the case of Lady Abercromby. On visiting her, Saunders relates, 'her appearance surprisd me greatly - her Face quite pale without the least appearance of blood in her Lips or Tongue'.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
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Facsimile
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Metadata
Field | Data |
---|---|
DOC ID | 1154 |
RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/255 |
Main Language | English |
Document Direction | Incoming |
Date | 9 January 1775 |
Annotation | None |
Type | Authorial original |
Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
Autopsy | No |
Recipe | No |
Regimen | No |
Letter of Introduction | No |
Case Note | No |
Summary | Letter from James Saunders relating the case of Lady Abercromby. On visiting her, Saunders relates, 'her appearance surprisd me greatly - her Face quite pale without the least appearance of blood in her Lips or Tongue'. |
Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
---|---|---|
[Case ID:314] |
Case of Lady Abercrombie [Abercromby] who is pale and short of breath; she believes she may be jaundiced. |
4 |
People linked to this document
Person ID | Role in document | Person |
---|---|---|
[PERS ID:596] | Author | Dr James Kenneth Saunders |
[PERS ID:1522] | Patient | Lady Abercrombie (Abercromby) |
[PERS ID:596] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr James Kenneth Saunders |
Places linked to this document
Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Place of Writing | Banff (Bamf) | East Highlands | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
Destination of Letter | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | inferred |
Normalized Text
Lady Abercromby is aged 62 of a pretty full habite of
Body but vigorous & active & has enjoyed good health for
many years. I was called to see her three or four weeks
ago --- her appearance surprised me greatly --- her Face quite
pale without the least appearance of blood in her Lips
or Tongue, which {illeg} colour was universal, the muscular
parts had that full & soft Feeling as in the beginning of
an anasarca ---- she was then sitting in a Chaise & had
no complaints -- her pulse small & not perfectly regular
her Lass told me that for some time she had complained
of being short breathd on moving fast or going up
Stairs that her Colour & the appearance of her Urine,
which was scanty & thick, made her suspect a Jaundece
for which she had written the Space of four Days past, taken
two Vomits which had operated briskly, that since the last
Vomite she had become very weak, that the least
motion, even turning in Bed, brought on Dyspnea
& Palpitation of the Heart, which ceased after her remaining
in one Posture, & that the Supine Posture in Bed
or wen lying on any of her Sides, was easiest for her
[Page 2]
& that she soon wearied of the erect Posture or
sitting in a Chaise --- these Symptoms with the sudden
Failure of strength made me conclude that there had
been for some time past a tendency to Dropsy & that
the action of of the last Vomite might have forced
Water into some of the Cavitys of the Thorax ---
The Secretion of the Urine was endeavourd to be
promoted by a Solution of the Soluble Tartar & a Water
Infusion of the Horse Raddish & drink any Rhenish
Wine mixd with some of these for her ordinary drink
& the Diet as much accomodated to these Complaints
as her Stomach would bear, by all this the State
& quantity of the Urine was a little mended, but
not so much as to give great releife ----- rubbing
with Flannel ↑her whole Skin↑ was regularly used twice or thrice a
Day & a small Blister was applied to every Ancle---
altho Sinapisms were applied to these parts for two Hours
before, to promote the quick operation of the Blisters,
& they remaind on 48 Hours thereafter, they raisd no
inflammation, only a small Blister here & there
[Page 3]
& the Cuticle seemd only [Shriveld?] ---- as the Posture
in Bed made her perfectly easy, she for some days
kept it alwys always, & ↑so↑ the anasarcous appearance
was no more in her Legs than any other part of her
Body ---- by this management she recoverd some more
Strength then to grow red &Suppurated & are since perfectly
heald ---- now that she Sits a part of the Day out of bed
the Oedematous appearance in the Feet is encreasd & she
complains of a Fullness in her Belly --- she says she
can ↑now↑ turn in her Bed without bringing on the Palpitations
but the least moving to the erect Posture, getting any Cloths
put on, or {illeg} walking to her Chaise never fails to
bring it on - Since taking small Doses of the
[Pulv. Seylar?], they think the quantity of Urine encreasd a
little, when in Bed her Pulse is pretty good but
any motion to the erect Posture, makes it irregular, & when
in that posture it is small & feeble & often irregular
one Night there was a gentle breathing sweat over all her
[Page 4]
Skin, which seemd to releive her greatly ---- at times she
complains of thirst & thinks it encreasd by the quantity
of Wine prescribed to her -- an attempt to open the
Skin by the Spt Menderer, Saline Draughts &c has been
Since attempted (↑made↑) but without Success ---
She says whatever brings on the Palpitations occasions
thirst. --------
J Saunders
Lady Abercrombie
January 9th 1775
V. II. p. 63.
Diplomatic Text
Lady Abercromby is aged 62 of a pretty full habite of
Body but vigorous & active & has enjoyed good health for
many years. I was called to see her three or four weeks
ago --- her appearance surprised me greatly --- her Face quite
pale without the least appearance of blood in her Lips
or Tongue, qch {illeg} colour was universal, the muscular
parts had that full & soft Feeling as in ye beginning of
an anasarca ---- she was then sitting in a Chaise & had
no complaints -- her pulse small & not perfectly regular
her Lass told me that for some time she had complained
of being short breathd on moving fast or going up
Stairs that her Colour & the appearance of her Urine,
qch was scanty & thick, made her suspect a Jaundece
for qch she had written the Space of four Days past, taken
two Vomits qch had operated briskly, that since the last
Vomite she had become very weak, that ye least
motion, even turning in Bed, brought on Dyspnea
& Palpitation of the Heart, qch ceased after her remaining
in one Posture, & that the Supine Posture in Bed
or wen lying on any of her Sides, was easiest for her
[Page 2]
& that she soon wearied of the erect Posture or
sitting in a Chaise --- these Symptoms with ye sudden
Failure of strength made me conclude that there had
been for some time past a tendency to Dropsy & that
the action of of the last Vomite might have forced
Water into some of the Cavitys of the Thorax ---
The Secretion of the Urine was endeavourd to be
promoted by a Solution of ye Soluble Tartar & a Water
Infusion of the Horse Raddish & drink any Rhenish
Wine mixd with some of these for her ordinary drink
& the Diet as much accomodated to these Complaints
as her Stomach would bear, by all this the State
& quantity of the Urine was a little mended, but
not so much as to give great releife ----- rubbing
with Flannel ↑her whole Skin↑ was regularly used twice or thrice a
Day & a small Blister was applied to every Ancle---
altho Sinapisms were applied to these parts for two Hours
before, to promote the quick operation of the Blisters,
& they remaind on 48 Hours thereafter, they raisd no
inflammation, only a small Blister here & there
[Page 3]
& the Cuticle seemd only [Shriveld?] ---- as the Posture
in Bed made her perfectly easy, she for some days
kept it alwys always, & ↑so↑ the anasarcous appearance
was no more in her Legs than any other part of her
Body ---- by this management she recoverd some more
Strength then to grow red &Suppurated & are since perfectly
heald ---- now that she Sits a part of the Day out of bed
the Oedematous appearance in the Feet is encreasd & she
complains of a Fullness in her Belly --- she says she
can ↑now↑ turn in her Bed without bringing on ye Palpitations
but the least moving to ye erect Posture, getting any Cloths
put on, or {illeg} walking to her Chaise never fails to
bring it on - Since taking small Doses of the
[Pulv. Seylar?], they think the quantity of Urine encreasd a
little, when in Bed her Pulse is pretty good but
any motion to ye erect Posture, makes it irregular, & when
in that posture it is small & feeble & often irregular
one Night there was a gentle breathing sweat over all her
[Page 4]
Skin, qch seemd to releive her greatly ---- at times she
complains of thirst & thinks it encreasd by the quantity
of Wine prescribed to her -- an attempt to open the
Skin by the Spt Menderer, Saline Draughts &c has been
Since attempted (↑made↑) but without Success ---
She says whatever brings on ye Palpitations occasions
thirst. --------
J Saunders
Lady Abercrombie
Janry 9th 1775
V. II. p. 63.
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