The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:2114] From: Mr John White (Whytt) / To: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / Regarding: Mr Wommersley (Patient) / 15 December 1781 / (Incoming)
Letter from John White, concerning the case of Mr Wommersley reporting on how he has had to modify the prescriptions Cullen advised.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 4 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
[Page 3]
[Page 4]
Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 2114 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/1189 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Incoming |
| Date | 15 December 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 White, concerning the case of Mr Wommersley reporting on how he has had to modify the prescriptions Cullen advised. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | Yes |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:1337] |
Case of Mr Wommersley whose persistent abdominal pains, which prevent him sleeping, may indicate a liver disorder. |
4 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:3000] | Author | Mr John White (Whytt) |
| [PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:186] | Patient | Mr Wommersley |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:3000] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Mr John White (Whytt) |
Places linked to this document
| Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Writing | Paisley | Glasgow and West | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Destination of Letter | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Place of Handstamp | Paisley | Glasgow and West | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
Our patient Mr Wommersley is still alive, but is
reduced to great weakness, and is very much emaciated.
His weakness is indeed so great that he constantly requires
assistance to and from bed, and this even frequently in
turning abed.
His stomach has been always very sensible and irritable
but is now particularly so, and he can scarcely take
any sort of medicine unless it be in the form of Pill.
Doctor Marshall has again been occasionally seeing
him of late - Your prescriptions appeared to him extreme¬
ly proper and judicious, but for the reasons mentioned
above, we have been obliged to alter their form.
He had prescribed dried squill in the form of Pill, which
he took to the quantity of one or two grains three or
four times a day, and for the looseness he has had
the Electuaria Japonica occasionally.
The disposition to Dropsy seems now entirely gone -
but as he had given up the astringent medicine for
some time the looseness has again returned, tho' it is
not quite so violent as formerly.
He has for some weeks been entirely confined to a
milk diet, but having taken, two days ago, a small
[Page 2]
bit of boiled beef, a violent vomiting seemed thereby
to be brought on, and the matter thrown up smelled
very offensibly. ---
On this occasion I ventured, without consulting Dr.
Marshall, to prescribe for him the Columbo Root
which I managed to form into pills by the addition
of a very small portion of Gum Arabic - Of these
pills he has been taking four every four hours
which is equal to about 8 or 10 grains of the Columbo
each time - since he began these the vomiting
has not troubled him. ---
His stools are still thin, watery and whitish and
his urine for the most part is cloudy or deposites
a sediment - it is considerably more plentiful
than formerly.
We cannot suppose there is any affection of the
Liver, and his Lungs, tho' he is frequently seized
with some cough, appear quite sound.
His frequent inclination to vomit on taking any
thing either in the way of food or medicine which
he may imagine disagreeable to his taste, is a
circumstance that gives us a good deal of trouble
and difficulty
His pulse seldom beats less than a hundred strokes
[Page 3]
in the minute, tho' I have found it a few times brought
as low as 90. ---
I am truely very much interested in Mr. Wommersleys
recovery and should be extremely happy could you
suggest any thing that you may {illeg} to have
the smallest chance of being farther useful.
I remain, Dear Doctor,
Your much obliged and Most Humble servant
[Page 4]
Doctor Cullen
Edinburgh
Mr Whyte
Concerning Mr Wommersley
December 1781
V XIII p. 241.
Diplomatic Text
Our patient Mr Wommersley is still alive, but is
reduced to great weakness, and is very much emaciated.
His weakness is indeed so great that he constantly requires
assistance to and from bed, and this even frequently in
turning abed.
His stomach has been always very sensible and irritable
but is now particularly so, and he can scarcely take
any sort of medicine unless it be in the form of Pill.
Doctor Marshall has again been occasionally seeing
him of late - Your prescriptions appeared to him extreme¬
ly proper and judicious, but for the reasons mentioned
above, we have been obliged to alter their form.
He had prescribed dried squill in the form of Pill, which
he took to the quantity of one or two grains three or
four times a day, and for the looseness he has had
the Electuar. Japonic. occasionally.
The disposition to Dropsy seems now entirely gone -
but as he had given up the astringent medicine for
some time the looseness has again returned, tho' it is
not quite so violent as formerly.
He has for some weeks been entirely confined to a
milk diet, but having taken, two days ago, a small
[Page 2]
bit of boiled beef, a violent vomiting seemed thereby
to be brought on, and the matter thrown up smelled
very offensibly. ---
On this occasion I ventured, without consulting Dr.
Marshall, to prescribe for him the Columbo Root
which I managed to form into pills by the addition
of a very small portion of G. Arabic - Of these
pills he has been taking four every four hours
which is equal to about 8 or 10 grains of the Columbo
each time - since he began these the vomiting
has not troubled him. ---
His stools are still thin, watery and whitish and
his urine for the most part is cloudy or deposites
a sediment - it is considerably more plentiful
than formerly.
We cannot suppose there is any affection of the
Liver, and his Lungs, tho' he is frequently seized
with some cough, appear quite sound.
His frequent inclination to vomit on taking any
thing either in the way of food or medicine which
he may imagine disagreeable to his taste, is a
circumstance that gives us a good deal of trouble
and difficulty
His pulse seldom beats less than a hundred strokes
[Page 3]
in the minute, tho' I have found it a few times brought
as low as 90. ---
I am truely very much interested in Mr. Wommersleys
recovery and should be extremely happy could you
suggest any thing that you may {illeg} to have
the smallest chance of being farther useful.
I remain, Dear Doctor,
Your much obliged and Most Hle. servt.
[Page 4]
Doctor Cullen
Edinr.
Mr Whyte
C Mr Wommersley
Decr 1781
V XIII p. 241.
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