The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:2025] From: Dr John Gilchrist (of Speddoch) / To: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / Regarding: Mr Hugh Lawson (of Girthead) (Patient), Mr George Mackenzie (McKenzie) (Patient) / 1 July 1781 / (Incoming)
Letter from John Gilchrist, concerning the case of Mr [Hugh] Lawson, who is 64. Lawson does not believe his kidneys to be the cause of his complaints, despite the state of his urine. Gilchrist also discusses the death of Mr [George] Mackenzie, who had been sent to the South of France, on the advice of Sir John Eliot, when his friends would have preferred him to go to Madeira.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 4 images for this document.
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[Page 2]
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Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 2025 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/1102 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Incoming |
| Date | 1 July 1781 |
| 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 John Gilchrist, concerning the case of Mr [Hugh] Lawson, who is 64. Lawson does not believe his kidneys to be the cause of his complaints, despite the state of his urine. Gilchrist also discusses the death of Mr [George] Mackenzie, who had been sent to the South of France, on the advice of Sir John Eliot, when his friends would have preferred him to go to Madeira. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:517] |
Case of Mr Hugh Lawson who has developed pains in his joints, possibly gout or nephritic. His condition baffles local physician Dr John Gilchrist to whom he is related, but eventually proves to be a fatal case of kidney stone. |
6 |
| [Case ID:1279] |
Case of Mr George Mackenzie staying near Dumfries, who has a cough and spits blood. He travels abroad where he dies. |
12 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:115] | Author | Dr John Gilchrist (of Speddoch) |
| [PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:116] | Patient | Mr Hugh Lawson (of Girthead) |
| [PERS ID:790] | Patient | Mr George Mackenzie (McKenzie) |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:115] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr John Gilchrist (of Speddoch) |
| [PERS ID:2272] | Other Physician / Surgeon | Sir John Eliot (Elliot; Baronet) |
| [PERS ID:115] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | Dr John Gilchrist (of Speddoch) |
Places linked to this document
| Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Writing | Dumfries | Borders | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Destination of Letter | Cullen's House / Mint Close | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain |
| Mentioned / Other | Madeira | Spain | Europe | certain | ||
| Mentioned / Other | South of France | France | Europe | certain | ||
| Mentioned / Other | London | London and South-East | England | Europe | certain | |
| Mentioned / Other | Nice | France | France | Europe | certain | |
| Mentioned / Other | Nimes | France | France | Europe | certain | |
| Place of Handstamp | Dumfries | Borders | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
I duly received yours in answer to my letter con¬
cerning Mr Lawson, which I am glad did not tire you with
its length – Till I recollected myself I was afraid of not being
able to give a clear account of the case; – and, as I fre¬
quently receive letters of consultation from the country,
in which a good deal is left to be supposed or guess'd at,
I have generally taken care in writing such letters myself
rather to err on the side of minuteness and redundancy than on
the other side –– After all, most letters, even the longest, would
be but short conversations, which sometimes abound with
so much superfluous and extraneous matter, such as letters
ought to avoid be free from.
But, with regard to Mr Lawson I just drop a line
for your satisfaction to inform you that very soon after I
writ you the pain of his back in a great measure left him,
and for these eight or ten days past he has been exceedingly
well, with little or nothing remarkable about ↑him↑ except very
foul urine at times. –– He is still of opinion himself that
the Kidney was no way concerned in this last attack of pain,
the seat of it being lower; – but admitting this to have been
so, it does not in the least affect our general ↑views↑; for nothing
[Page 2]
is more clearly ascertained in the case than the nephritic
symptoms. –– He is altogether satisfied with your opinion
and advice, and professes a readiness to enter upon a course
of the caustic Lixivium, which we are preparing for; but
as he has been frequently oppressed of late with the heat of
the weather; and as he is gone to the country & drinking
a little goats-whey, which he (↑his family↑) has been accustomed to do,
having goats in the neighbourhood, – I have not urged his im¬
mediately entering on the course –– By the bye I called
Mr Lawson two years older than he is – He is but 64.
Perhaps you would hear of Mr Mackenzies death which
happened five or six weeks – The consideration of his symp¬
toms for two winters preceeding his going abroad, made it
very obvious I thought what course he was going; and yet
what are we to think of Sir John Elliot who averred to him
in London near the end of last year that ↑if↑ he spent the winter
in the South of France, he would return a sound man to
Britain in June. – His journey, though he spared nothing in
it, was every way unfortunate & ineffectual; – having met
with bad weather – at Nismes – at Nice & every where
& for all this spent about seven hundred pounds, which by the bye
[Page 3]
is nothing in his affairs. – You will remember that to the last
we opposed his going to the South of France – I mean greatly
preferred Madeira, where his friends now regret highly
he did not go. –
Dear Sir
Yours most sincerely
I should have written as to Mr Lawson sooner, but [having]
been a good deal in the country of late I did not think [of]
it till now.
[Page 4]
To
Doctor Cullen
Physician
Edinburgh
Dr Gilchrist
Concerning Mr Lawson
July 1781
Diplomatic Text
I duly received yours in answer to my letter con¬
cerning Mr Lawson, which I am glad did not tire you with
its length – Till I recollected myself I was afraid of not being
able to give a clear account of the case; – and, as I fre¬
quently receive letters of consultation from the country,
in which a good deal is left to be supposed or guess'd at,
I have generally taken care in writing such letters myself
rather to err on the side of minuteness and redundancy than on
the other side –– After all, most letters, even the longest, would
be but short conversations, which sometimes abound with
so much superfluous and extraneous matter, such as letters
ought to avoid be free from.
But, with regard to Mr Lawson I just drop a line
for your satisfaction to inform you that very soon after I
writ you the pain of his back in a great measure left him,
and for these eight or ten days past he has been exceedingly
well, with little or nothing remarkable about ↑him↑ except very
foul urine at times. –– He is still of opinion himself that
the Kidney was no way concerned in this last attack of pain,
the seat of it being lower; – but admitting this to have been
so, it does not in the least affect our general ↑views↑; for nothing
[Page 2]
is more clearly ascertained in the case than the nephritic
symptoms. –– He is altogether satisfied with your opinion
and advice, and professes a readiness to enter upon a course
of the caustic Lixivium, which we are preparing for; but
as he has been frequently oppressed of late with the heat of
the weather; and as he is gone to the country & drinking
a little goats-whey, which he (↑his family↑) has been accustomed to do,
having goats in the neighbourhood, – I have not urged his im¬
mediately entering on the course –– By the bye I called
Mr Lawson two years older than he is – He is but 64.
Perhaps you would hear of Mr Mackenzies death wh
happened five or six weeks – The consideration of his symp¬
toms for two winters preceeding his going abroad, made it
very obvious I thought what course he was going; and yet
what are we to think of Sir John Elliot who averred to him
in London near the end of last year that ↑if↑ he spent the winter
in the South of France, he would return a sound man to
Britain in June. – His journey, though he spared nothing in
it, was every way unfortunate & ineffectual; – having met
with bad weather – at Nismes – at Nice & every where
& for all this spent about seven hundred pounds, which by the bye
[Page 3]
is nothing in his affairs. – You will remember that to the last
we opposed his going to the S. of France – I mean greatly
preferred Madeira, where his friends now regret highly
he did not go. –
Dear Sir
Yours most sincerely
I should have written as to Mr Lawson sooner, but [having]
been a good deal in the country of late I did not think [of]
it till now.
[Page 4]
To
Doctor Cullen
Physician
Edinburgh
Dr Gilchrist
C Mr Lawson
July 1781
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