The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:1221] From: John MacLean (Mclean, Maclean) / To: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / Regarding: John MacLean (Mclean, Maclean) (Patient) / 4 January 1776 / (Incoming)
Letter from John Maclean regarding his own case which involves a swollen testicle. His return to Virginia has been delayed by 'The Troubles in America, but [...] especially my earnest desire to get the better of my Complaint before I leave this country'.
- 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 | 1221 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/321 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Incoming |
| Date | 4 January 1776 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Authorial original |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | Yes |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Letter from John Maclean regarding his own case which involves a swollen testicle. His return to Virginia has been delayed by 'The Troubles in America, but [...] especially my earnest desire to get the better of my Complaint before I leave this country'. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | Yes |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:198] |
Case of John Maclean who has a swollen testicle and a discharge which he hopes to relieve as he want to return to Virginia. |
2 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:482] | Author | John MacLean (Mclean, Maclean) |
| [PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:482] | Patient | John MacLean (Mclean, Maclean) |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:482] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | John MacLean (Mclean, Maclean) |
| [PERS ID:646] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | William Gordon |
Places linked to this document
| Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Writing | Glasgow | Glasgow and West | Scotland | Europe | inferred | |
| Destination of Letter | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Mentioned / Other | Virginia | USA | North America | certain | ||
| Mentioned / Other | Glasgow | Glasgow and West | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Place of Handstamp | Glasgow | Glasgow and West | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
I expect you will be a little surprizd
to find that I am here so long. The Troubles in America 1 , but
[more?] especially my earnest desire to get the better of my Com¬
plaint before I leave this Country, are the chief causes that
I have not return'd home to Virginia before now
You will probably Remember, upon my Return
last July from the Baltick, that I Complain'd of the
swelling in my Testicle having Return'd a few days
before I landed in Leith, but was so inconsiderable
that I expected it would go off of itself and I believe it
would, but in a day or two after I arrived here, finding my¬
self tollerable easy, I made rather too free in Walking, to this
I believe I may impute the pain and swelling that direct¬
ly followed, rather than to any irregularity in eating or
Drinking &c, However I was oblig'd immediately to have
Recourse to Poulticing and it was not till after some
Considerable time I was able to Reduce matters into
Statu quoo, The parts are still very Tender, and apt to
Relaps, tho' not Violently, on very light Occasions,
I have also lately had a great Discharge of that slimy
stuff along with my urine, I mentioned to you formerly
attended with the usual Difficulty & Pain, a Burning pain,
in making water, upon all which accounts Doctor
MacLean has not thought it adviseable to make a
second tryall of the Bouchee 2 yet, Judging that
the parts have not yet had that rest, or Recover'd
[Page 2]
that strength that is Requisite for such an Opperation, and
Dreading that the Irritation caus'd thereby might bring
on the swelling again – This Sir, is my case at pre¬
sent as nearly as I can state it, I have been Encourag'd
to give you this trouble now by your own kind Re¬
quest the last time I had the pleasure of seeing you
vizt. that whenever I found Occasion, either Doctor
MacLean or my self should write you, and that
you would acquaint us in Return of what you
thought further necessary to be done, I therefore take
the Liberty to beg, that you write him or me as soon
as Convenient, what you think proper to be next done
and as particular as your leizure will permitt, es¬
pecially with regard to Instructions for Introducing
the Bouchee, for I must Confess my memory is
so wretchedly bad that I do not think I have hardly retaind in
mind one half the Verbal Directions you gave me on that
head at parting –– I have lately taken a good many
Strengthening Powders such as you prescribed for me
in April, but am afraid they have lost their good effect
upon me, for I do not reap such Benefit from them
as I did formerly. Have only further to add that I am
with great Esteem
Sir
Your most Humble Servant
If you write to me, Please to
Direct, To John McLean of Virginia
at Mr. William Gordon's Head of Stock¬
well Street
Glasgow
[Page 3]
To
Doctor Cullen
Edinburgh
✍
Mr John Maclean
January 1776
Vol IV. p. III
Notes:
1: The American War of Independence ("Revolutionary War"), the first major clash, the Battle of Bunker Hill near Boston, having taken place between British troops and the American Rebel Army in June 1775. Maclean was from Virginia where many colonialists remained loyal to the Crown, or sought a peaceful settlement, but the colony made a formal declaration of independence in May 1776.
2: Cullen's reply confirms that this is Maclean's term for a "Bougie" (a surgical drain made of waxed cloth) but it is unclear if this is merely his own mistaken, idiosyncratic usage or a genuine variant (not recorded in OED).
Diplomatic Text
I expect you will be a little surprizd
to find that I am here so long. The Troubles in America 1 , but
[more?] especially my earnest desire to get the better of my Com¬
plaint before I leave this Country, are the chief causes that
I have not return'd home to Virginia before now
You will probably Remember, upon my Return
last July from the Baltick, that I Complain'd of the
swelling in my Testicle having Return'd a few days
before I landed in Leith, but was so inconsiderable
that I expected it would go off of itself and I believe it
would, but in a day or two after I arrived here, finding my¬
self tollerable easy, I made rather too free in Walking, to this
I believe I may impute the pain and swelling that direct¬
ly followed, rather than to any irregularity in eating or
Drinking &c, However I was oblig'd immediately to have
Recourse to Poulticing and it was not till after some
Considerable time I was able to Reduce matters into
Statu quoo, The parts are still very Tender, and apt to
Relaps, tho' not Violently, on very light Occasions,
I have also lately had a great Discharge of that slimy
stuff along with my urine, I mentioned to you formerly
attended with the usual Difficulty & Pain, a Burning pain,
in making water, upon all which accounts Doctr.
MacLean has not thought it adviseable to make a
second tryall of the Bouchee 2 yet, Judging that
the parts have not yet had that rest, or Recover'd
[Page 2]
that strength that is Requisite for such an Opperation, and
Dreading that the Irritation caus'd thereby might bring
on the swelling again – This Sir, is my case at pre¬
sent as nearly as I can state it, I have been Encourag'd
to give you this trouble now by your own kind Re¬
quest the last time I had the pleasure of seeing you
vizt. that whenever I found Occasion, either Doctr.
MacLean or my self should write you, and that
you would acquaint us in Return of what you
thought further necessary to be done, I therefore take
the Liberty to beg, that you write him or me as soon
as Convenient, what you think proper to be next done
and as particular as your leizure will permitt, es¬
pecially with regard to Instructions for Introducing
the Bouchee, for I must Confess my memory is
so wretchedly bad that I do not think I have hardly retaind in
mind one half the Verbal Directions you gave me on that
head at parting –– I have lately taken a good many
Strengthening Powders such as you prescribed for me
in April, but am afraid they have lost their good effect
upon me, for I do not reap such Benefit from them
as I did formerly. Have only further to add that I am
with great Esteem
Sir
yr most Hble Servtt
If you write to me, Please to
Direct, To John McLean of Virginia
at Mr. Wm. Gordon's Head of Stock¬
well Street
Glasgow
[Page 3]
To
Doctor Cullen
Edinburgh
✍
Mr John Maclean
Janry. 1776
Vol IV. p. III
Notes:
1: The American War of Independence ("Revolutionary War"), the first major clash, the Battle of Bunker Hill near Boston, having taken place between British troops and the American Rebel Army in June 1775. Maclean was from Virginia where many colonialists remained loyal to the Crown, or sought a peaceful settlement, but the colony made a formal declaration of independence in May 1776.
2: Cullen's reply confirms that this is Maclean's term for a "Bougie" (a surgical drain made of waxed cloth) but it is unclear if this is merely his own mistaken, idiosyncratic usage or a genuine variant (not recorded in OED).
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