The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:4060] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Dr Alexander Stevenson (Professor; of Dalgairn ) / Regarding: Miss Houston (Patient), Mr Ramsay (Patient) / 16 May 1777 / (Outgoing)
Reply, 'Dr Stevenson C[oncerning] Miss Houston & Mr Ramsay' Stevenson is likely the addressee, as he wrote about Mr Houston shortly before the untraced letter this is a reply to.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 2 images for this document.
[Page 1]
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Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 4060 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/9/33 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 16 May 1777 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Scribal copy ( includes Casebook Entry) |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | Yes |
| Regimen | Yes |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply, 'Dr Stevenson C[oncerning] Miss Houston & Mr Ramsay' Stevenson is likely the addressee, as he wrote about Mr Houston shortly before the untraced letter this is a reply to. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:937] |
Case of Miss Houston who is advised on how to manage a difficult, unspecified, disorder with a regimen and strengthening medicines. |
1 |
| [Case ID:2075] |
Case of Mr Ramsay with an inflammatory irritation. |
1 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:563] | Addressee | Dr Alexander Stevenson (Professor; of Dalgairn ) |
| [PERS ID:1956] | Patient | Miss Houston |
| [PERS ID:3233] | Patient | Mr Ramsay |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:563] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr Alexander Stevenson (Professor; of Dalgairn ) |
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 |
Normalized Text
Dr Stevenson Concerning Miss Houston. & Mr Ramsay.
Her ↑kind of↑ ailments are commonly difficult to cure.
1. Every day an hour before dinner, let her take the bigness
of a nutmeg of the strengthening Electuary washing it down with a small
cupfull of the strengthening Infusion.
2. Every morning before breakfast take 25 of the stomachic drops
in a glass of water & the same before supper.
3. Cold bathing in the sea or in any other more convenient way.
but if after it she do not recover her heat, the bathing is improper.
4. Fresh air & gentle exercise. Must never heat or fatigue
herself by walking. Dancing bad for her. She should often
ride on horseback as far as she easily bears. A Carriage will
always be useful, but of very little unless employed constantly
& in journies of some length.
5. Her diet ill to manage. Much vegetable will raise the
pains of her Stomach, & much Animal, will increase her
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chief complaint. She may take some animal food every day at
dinner, but of the light kinds, & very moderately, filling up with
what vegetables she can digest. Avoid all fish. If her stomach
digest it her suppers should be some milkmeat. No bohea or
green tea at breakfast, nor in the afternoon except perhaps a
dish of weak tea to comply with other people -- Coffee bad for her.
At breakfast she may take Cocoa, or water gruel with dry toast
& butter, but of the last moderately.
6. Avoid cold, especially in her feet & legs. When these become
cold, she should either put them to the fire or set them on warm
bricks or chafe with warm flannel . Putting them into warm water
would not be proper.
Take one ounce of powdered Peruvian bark, two drachm of rocky aluminium and ten of conserve of roses. Add enough simple syrup to make an electuary. Label it as strengthening electuary.
Take half an ounce of bearberry leaves, one drachm of crushed cinnamon and one pound of boiling water. Let it macerate for twelve hours, and add two ounces of spirituos cinnamon water to the strained liquid. Label it as strengthening Infusion.
Take two ounces of tincture of Mars (according to the Pharmacopoeia Edinburgensis). Label it as stomachic drops. To be used as directed above.
W.C.
Dear Doctor
You will observe I have separated the times of the
alum & chalybeate because Chemistry requires it. If she bear
the alum well; the proportions may be increased to perhaps double
what I have marked. I do not recollect the state of her belly,
but costiveness must be avoided, but Aloetics will not do as
they would increase her complaints, so find something more proper.
The Opiate is the only thing that can save Mr Ramsay.
If the irritation be not inflammatory the Opiate will certainly an¬
swer, & the inflammatory irritation is in itself so fatal that
the Opiate can do no harm/ All this you will have determined
before now. In every view the Fotus is proper.
W.C.
Diplomatic Text
Dr Stevenson C. Miss Houston. & Mr Ramsay.
Her ↑kind of↑ ailments are commonly difficult to cure.
1. Every day an hour before dinner, let her take the bigness
of a nutmeg of the Strengtheng Elect. washg it down w a small
cupfull of the Strengtheng Infusion.
2. Every morng before breakf. take 25 of the stomachic drops
in a glass of water & the same before supper.
3. Cold bathing in the sea or in any other more convenient way.
but if after it she do not recover her heat, the bathg is improper.
4. Fresh air & gentle exercise. Must never heat or fatigue
herself by walking. Dancing bad for her. She should often
ride on horseback as far as she easily bears. A Carriage will
always be useful, but of very little unless employed constantly
& in journies of some length.
5. Her diet ill to manage. Much vegetable will raise the
pains of her Stomach, & much Animal, will increase her
[Page 2]
chief complaint. She may take some animal food every day at
dinner, but of the light kinds, & very moderately, fillg up w
what vegetables she can digest. Avoid all fish. If her stomach
digest it her suppers should be some milkmeat. No bohea or
green tea at breakfast, nor in the afternoon except perhaps a
dish of weak tea to comply w other people -- Coffee bad for her.
At breakfast she may take Cocoa, or water gruel w dry toast
& butter, but of the last moderately.
6. Avoid cold, especially in her feet & legs. When these become
cold, she should either put them to the fire or set them on warm
bricks or chafe with warm flannel . Puttg ym into warm water
would not be proper.
℞ Pulv. cort. Peruv. ℥j --- alum. rup. ʒij Conserv. ros. ʒX
Syr. simpl. q. s. ut f. Elect. S. Strengtheng Elect.
℞ Fol. uv. urs. ℥ss cinnam. contus. ʒj Aq. ferv. ℔j
digere horas XII, et colaturae adde Aq. cinnam. spirs ℥ij
S. Strengtheng Infusion
℞ Tinct. Mart. (Ph. Ed.) ℥ij. S. stomachic drops --- --- to
be used as directed above ---
W.C.
Dr Dr
You will observe I have separated the times of the
alum & chalybeate because Chemistry requires it. If she bear
the alum well; the proport. m. b. increased to perhaps double
what I have marked. I do not recollect the state of her belly,
but costiveness must be avoided, but Aloetics will not do as
they would increase her complaints, so find something more proper.
The Opiate is the only thing that can save Mr Ramsay.
If the irritation be not inflammatory the Opiate will certainly an¬
swer, & the inflammatory irritation is in itself so fatal that
the Opiate can do no harm/ All this you will have determined
before now. In every view the Fotus is proper.
W.C.
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