
The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:3811] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Anonymous (Patient) / 11 May 1776 / (Outgoing)
Reply 'Dr Saunders Q. General Abercrombies Niece', approving of the use of electricity in cases of Chorea.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
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Metadata
Field | Data |
---|---|
DOC ID | 3811 |
RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/7/32 |
Main Language | English |
Document Direction | Outgoing |
Date | 11 May 1776 |
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 'Dr Saunders Q. General Abercrombies Niece', approving of the use of electricity in cases of Chorea. |
Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
---|---|---|
[Case ID:661] |
Case of the eight-year-old niece of General Abercrombie who has involuntary movements and weakness in her face and left side diagnosed as Chorea. |
4 |
People linked to this document
Person ID | Role in document | Person |
---|---|---|
[PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:597] | Patient | |
[PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:596] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr James Kenneth Saunders |
[PERS ID:713] | Other Physician / Surgeon | Dr Thomas Sydenham |
[PERS ID:598] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | General Abercrombie (Abercromby) |
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 |
Destination of Letter | Banff (Bamf) | East Highlands | Scotland | Europe | inferred | |
Mentioned / Other | Peterhead | East Highlands | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
Dr Saunders Q. General Abercrombies Niece
Dr Sydenham saw only five, I have seen fifty cases of the
Chorea 1 - Almost all of them have been cured, but only in some
length of time some in weeks, others in months & some even lasted
a Year. Of the few which ended unfavourably some ended in
fatuity & Palsy & a few others in Epilepsy but in some of
these last I suspected Epilepsy from the beginning
Of the cases which have been cured, I believe some
of them had have been spontaneously as some of them
had neither access to Physick or did not apply it properly
When they had. I have never found Sydenhams plan
of evacuations to answer & sometimes do harm. My
dependence has been always upon Tonics & upon the subject
of these I haue said enough in my last letter. If cold bathing
shall be found to be proper to be continued I can see no
objection against her going to Peterhead with her father
In the mean time I am much pleased with your proposal
of Electricity. I am persuaded it is a remedy for almost every
case of Palsy, spasm or convulsive motions which do not
depend upon a congestion of of the blood in the Vessels
of the head. I think you have given us some
excellent proofs of it. I agree therefore with you entirely
in the trail of Electricity. & especially as I can trust
to you so much in the Execution & who are so
well convinced of the Necessity of some perseverance
before you despair of its good effects -
[Page 2]
I think you were right in not intermitting
other remedies. In general I am averse to employ
more remedies than onc had I am leave this to your discretions. I wish you had told me
the effects of the Cuprum Ammon.
Notes:
1: See Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689), The Whole Works of that Excellent Practical Physician, Dr Thomas Sydenham: wherein not only the history and cures of acute diseases are treated of, after a new and accurate method; but also the shortest and safest way of curing most chronicle diseases (London: 1717), p. 417. Cullen admired Sydenham and had once planned to translate some of his works for the press.
Diplomatic Text
Dr Saunders Q. General Abercrombies Niece
Dr Sydenham saw only five, I have seen fifty cases of the
Chorea 1 - Almost all of them have been cured, but only in some
length of time some in weeks, others in months & some even lasted
a Year. Of the few which ended unfavourably some ended in
fatuity & Palsy & a few others in Epilepsy but in some of
these last I suspected Epilepsy from the beginning
Of the cases which have been cured, I believe some
of them had have been spontaneously as some of them
had neither access to Physick or did not apply it properly
When they had. I have never found Sydenhams plan
of evacuations to answer & sometimes do harm. My
dependence has been always upon Tonics & upon the subject
of these I haue said enough in my last letter. If cold bathing
shall be found to be proper to be continued I can see no
objection against her going to Peterhead with her father
In the mean time I am much pleased with your proposal
of Electricity. I am persuaded it is a remedy for almost every
case of Palsy, spasm or convulsive motions which do not
depend upon a congestion of of the blood in the Vessels
of the head. I think you have given us some
excellent proofs of it. I agree therefore with you entirely
in the trail of Electry. & especially as I can trust
to you so much in the Execution & who are so
well convinced of the Necessity of some perseverance
before you despair of its good effects -
[Page 2]
I think you were right in not intermitting
other remedies. In genl I am averse to employ
more remedies than onc had I am leave this to your discretions. I wish you had told me
the effects of the Cuprum Ammon.
Notes:
1: See Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689), The Whole Works of that Excellent Practical Physician, Dr Thomas Sydenham: wherein not only the history and cures of acute diseases are treated of, after a new and accurate method; but also the shortest and safest way of curing most chronicle diseases (London: 1717), p. 417. Cullen admired Sydenham and had once planned to translate some of his works for the press.
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