The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:1645] From: Dr James Ross / To: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / Regarding: Mr Knox (Patient) / 26 March 1779 / (Incoming)
Letter from James Ross concerning the case of Mr Knox who has a very sore tongue, asking Cullen for advice.
- 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 | 1645 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/732 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Incoming |
| Date | 26 March 1779 |
| 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 Ross concerning the case of Mr Knox who has a very sore tongue, asking Cullen for advice. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | Yes |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:1109] |
Case of Mr Knox who has a sore tongue after taking some pills. |
2 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:3152] | Author | Dr James Ross |
| [PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:350] | Patient | Mr Knox |
| [PERS ID:3152] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr James Ross |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:1476] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr John Stevenson (in Arbroath) |
Places linked to this document
| Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Writing | Arbroath | East Highlands | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Destination of Letter | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Place of Handstamp | Arbroath | East Highlands | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
I write you this at the Desire of a Patient of mine
who bade me consult some Physician of Eminence & long Experience
in the healing Art concerning his Case, which I shall briefly & as clearly as
I can narrate to you, foremining only some Particulars anent the Patient's
Age & Constitution -- Mr. Knox, a supperannuated Master in the Navy
followed the Sea from his Youth, is aged 67, corpulent, infirm, subject to
a Cough, Rhuems & swelling of his Legs, being generally of a costive Habit
he used to take some Pills which he got from Mr Stevenson Surgeon here, &
which at first answered well - About 13 Months ago his Box of Pills
was renewed & taking more of them than usual, he waked in the Night, in
great Distress with a violent Pain in his Tongue, which he could hardly
move or speak, he got up & drank heartily of an Infusion of Lintseed which
was at Hand; the Violence of the Pain abated but his Tongue has continued
very sore ever since --- Suppose some Mercury had been in the Pills
for he never had any Complaint of this Sort before that Night ---
This ten Months since I was called to him - his Tongue appeared {illeg}
as it does still i.e. dryish with Hacks or Gaps running longitudinally
on its Surface, most of which penetrate deep into the Papillæ nervous.
The Tip of it, where these chiefly reside being the most painful. --
In these Interstices the Food lodges to his infinite Vexation -- he --
suffers great Torment when he eats any acrid Substance & it is with great
Difficulty he can feed on Ailments of the mildest Sort; which is very hard
as he retains his Appetite & some tolerable Measure of Health ----
I shall now mention what Medicines Topical & internal have been
tried-----
(turn over)
[Page 2]
A Decoction of the Leaves of the Blackberry Bush & a Jelly made
of it's Fruit were first used --- Boiled Apples were held long in his
Mouth --- Turnip was used in the same Way -- At other Times I touched
the Sores with a little of the Balsamum Traumaticum & he washed his
Mouth with Rhum -- These warm Applications had a better Effect then
the cooling Things --- Inwardly he takes daily a Drachm of the Sal-
Polychrest will diluted & when he intermits this Medicine but for a
little Time his Tongue becomes sensibly worse.
The Regimen I put him on is Barley Broth with the Garden Herbs &
Roots, light Pudding with a Bit of fresh Meat to Dinner when he can
eat it, Oat Meal Porridge with Milk to Supper --- His Tongue grows
sometimes much better, & one would think it in the Way of healing
but these flattering Appearances have so often deceived me that --
I am now afraid it will continue sore while he lives, unless You --
can suggest some more efficacious Method of Cure. ----
Your most Obedient Servant ---
[Page 3]
Dr William Cullen Physician &
Professor of Medicine
Edinburgh
✍
Ross of Mr Knox.
March. 1779
9. p. 147.
Diplomatic Text
I write you this at the Desire of a Patient of mine
who bade me consult some Physician of Eminence & long Experience
in the healing Art concerning his Case, which I shall briefly & as clearly as
I can narrate to you, foremining only some Particulars anent the Patient's
Age & Constitution -- Mr. Knox, a supperannuated Master in the Navy
followed the Sea from his Youth, is aged 67, corpulent, infirm, subject to
a Cough, Rhuems & swelling of his Legs, being generally of a costive Habit
he used to take some Pills which he got from Mr Stevenson Surgeon here, &
which at first answered well - About 13 Months ago his Box of Pills
was renewed & taking more of them than usual, he waked in the Night, in
great Distress with a violent Pain in his Tongue, which he could hardly
move or speak, he got up & drank heartily of an Infusion of Lintseed which
was at Hand; the Violence of the Pain abated but his Tongue has continued
very sore ever since --- Suppose some Mercury had been in the Pills
for he never had any Complaint of this Sort before that Night ---
This ten Months since I was called to him - his Tongue appeared {illeg}
as it does still i.e. dryish with Hacks or Gaps running longitudinally
on its Surface, most of which penetrate deep into the Papillæ nervous.
The Tip of it, where these chiefly reside being the most painful. --
In these Interstices the Food lodges to his infinite Vexation -- he --
suffers great Torment when he eats any acrid Substance & it is with great
Difficulty he can feed on Ailments of the mildest Sort; which is very hard
as he retains his Appetite & some tolerable Measure of Health ----
I shall now mention what Medicines Topical & internal have been
tried-----
(turn over)
[Page 2]
A Decoction of the Leaves of the Blackberry Bush & a Jelly made
of it's Fruit were first used --- Boiled Apples were held long in his
Mouth --- Turnip was used in the same Way -- At other Times I touched
the Sores with a little of the Balsamum Traumaticum & he washed his
Mouth with Rhum -- These warm Applications had a better Effect then
the cooling Things --- Inwardly he takes daily a Drachm of the Sal-
Polychrest will diluted & when he intermits this Medicine but for a
little Time his Tongue becomes sensibly worse.
The Regimen I put him on is Barley Broth with the Garden Herbs &
Roots, light Pudding with a Bit of fresh Meat to Dinner when he can
eat it, Oat Meal Porridge with Milk to Supper --- His Tongue grows
sometimes much better, & one would think it in the Way of healing
but these flattering Appearances have so often deceived me that --
I am now afraid it will continue sore while he lives, unless You --
can suggest some more efficacious Method of Cure. ----
Your most Obedient Servant ---
[Page 3]
Dr William Cullen Physician &
Professor of Medicine
Edinr.
✍
Ross of Mr Knox.
March. 1779
9. p. 147.
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