The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:3729] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Mr Francis Stuart (of Castlemilk) (Patient) / 1 April 1775 / (Outgoing)
Reply for 'Mr Francis Stuart Castlemilk', concerning detailed advice for taking a voyage to Antigua, including diet. Cullen ends with a Scots proverb.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 2 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 3729 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/4/54 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 1 April 1775 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Scribal copy ( includes Casebook Entry) |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | No |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply for 'Mr Francis Stuart Castlemilk', concerning detailed advice for taking a voyage to Antigua, including diet. Cullen ends with a Scots proverb. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:504] |
Case of Mr Francis Stuart of Castlemilk who is seeks advice for taking a voyage to Antigua. |
1 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:1471] | Patient | Mr Francis Stuart (of Castlemilk) |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:627] | Other Physician / Surgeon | Provost Walter Inglis Hamilton |
Places linked to this document
| Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Writing | Cullen's House / Mint Close | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain |
| Therapeutic Recommendation | West Indies | certain | ||||
| Therapeutic Recommendation | Antigua | West Indies | certain |
Normalized Text
Mr Francis Stuart Castlemilk
Your ailment appears more distinctly than before to
be purely asthmatical & what will entirely change
such a constitution & as we speak eradicate the ailment
is very uncertain; for we seldom succeed, but highly
probable that a sea voyage will be of very great
service. Tho you do not bear motion on horseback
or in a carriage, I believe you will bear the motion
of a ship well enough but if you have time & op¬
portunity to make trial of a short voyage, I
should think it very proper. I think a voyage
to the South is the most promising for you but I am
uncertain how you will agree with residing in a
warm climate; for very many asthmatics are worse
in summer than in winter. However I have no ob¬
jection to you going to Antigua providing you
can have an opportunity of quitting it when disa¬
greable.
As to Regimen aboard a ship I would wish
to know what diet you have employed for some time
past & how animal food has agreed with you.
In the mean time abstain from animal food
& let your diet
at sea & West Indies consists of broth, grain & fruits.
To be secure of broth at sea, carry portable soup.
By grain I mean, bread, wheat flour, rice, flour
of rice, barley, sago, millet, salep & oatmeal [fir.?]
all prepared ad arbitrium 1 . Eggs are necessary
for your puddings & so far allowable, & carry a
parcel a greased eggs with you. or after slightly
greasing them put them into a box & pour malted
[Page 2]
all round them & alternate your layers of butter &
layers of eggs which method will serve a double purpose
both in butter & eggs.
Under the head of fruit, figs, raisins, ↑sweet↑ almonds
currants, apples oranges & preserved fruits of dif¬
ferent kinds & which variously combined with your
grain, may afford a very comfortable variety
Only to add, Chocolate, to who can digest it,
is a comfortable article at sea. & to all these you
may in West Indies add what roots & greens you
find there to your palate.
For drink, water alone, & imagine you
will not agree with any thing stronger, except
in small quantity, & then wine or punch as please.
As to medicines, hope need none, but to
keep belly regular & for that carry Magnesia
cream of tartar castor Oil & an aloetic pill. Mr
Hamilton will direct how & to use them.
As to your question about the servant. I
shall answer you with a scotch proverb. A man
that has a daug o his ain may gang te the
kirk wi a clean breast. 2
Notes:
1: Meaning 'arbitrarily'.
2: Stuart had presumably asked for advice on the advantages of taking his own servant with him on his travels. It is rare for Cullen to use colloquial Scots. The proverb appears in James Kelly, A Complete Collection of Scots Proverbs explained and made intelligible to the English reader (London: 1721), where is it is given as 'He that has a Dog of his own may go to the Kirk [church] with a clean briest' and interpreted as meaning 'He is best served, who has his own to do his own Turn with' (p. 132).
Diplomatic Text
Mr Francis Stuart Castlemilk
Your ailment appears more distinctly yn before to
be purely asthmatical & what will entirely change
sc a constitution & as we speak eradicate the ailmt
is very uncertain; for we seldom succeed, but highly
probable yt a sea voyage will be of very great
service. Tho you do not bear motion on horseback
or in a carriage, I believe you will bear the motion
of a ship well enough but if you have time & op¬
portunity to make trial of a short voyage, I
should think it very proper. I think a voyage
to the South is the most promising for you but I am
uncertain how you will agree with residing in a
warm climate; for very many asthmatics are worse
in summer than in winter. However I have no ob¬
jection to you going to Antigua providing you
can have an opportunity of quitting it when disa¬
greable.
As to Regimen aboard a ship I would wish
to know what diet you have employed for some time
past & how animal food has agreed with you.
In ye mean time abstain fm anim. f.
& let your diet
at sea & W. Ind. consists of broth, grain & fruits.
To be secure of broth at sea, carry portable soup.
By grain I mean, bread, wheat flour, rice, flour
of rice, barley, sago, millet, salep & oatmeal [fir.?]
all prepared ad arbitrium 1 . Eggs are necessary
for your puddings & so far allowable, & carry a
parcel a greased eggs with you. or after slightly
greasing them put them into a box & pour malted
[Page 2]
all round them & alternate your layers of butter &
layers of eggs wc method will serve a double purpose
both in butter & eggs.
Under ye head of fruit, figs, raisins, ↑sweet↑ almonds
currants, apples oranges & preserved fruits of dif¬
ferent kinds & wc variously combined with your
grain, may afford a very comfortable variety
Only to add, Chocolate, to who can digest it,
is a comfortable article at sea. & to all these you
may in W. Ind. add what roots & greens you
find there to your palate.
For drink, water alone, & imagine you
will not agree with any thing stronger, except
in small quantity, & then wine or punch as please.
As to medicines, hope need none, but to
keep belly regular & for that carry Magnesia
Crem. Tart. castor Oil & an aloetic pill. Mr
Hamilton will direct how & to use them.
As to your question about ye servant. I
shall answer you w a scotch proverb. A man
that has a daug o his ain may gang te the
kirk wi a clean breast. 2
Notes:
1: Meaning 'arbitrarily'.
2: Stuart had presumably asked for advice on the advantages of taking his own servant with him on his travels. It is rare for Cullen to use colloquial Scots. The proverb appears in James Kelly, A Complete Collection of Scots Proverbs explained and made intelligible to the English reader (London: 1721), where is it is given as 'He that has a Dog of his own may go to the Kirk [church] with a clean briest' and interpreted as meaning 'He is best served, who has his own to do his own Turn with' (p. 132).
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