The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:4570] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Dr Thomas Wells / Regarding: Dr Thomas Wells (Patient) / 22 January 1780 / (Outgoing)
Reply headed 'Doctor T. Wells at Dittisham near Dartmouth Devon',. Cullen advises him: 'Your Case cannot be managed, but by a full and general instruction upon the subject of the Gout, & that may be found pretty fully in my first Lines, & I presume confidently that you and Doctor Warren are able to supply all the Commentary necessary'. He gives dietary and exercise advice, and says that travel to Southern Europe may be more use than travel within Britain.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
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Facsimile
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[Page 1]
Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 4570 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/12/137 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 22 January 1780 |
| 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 headed 'Doctor T. Wells at Dittisham near Dartmouth Devon',. Cullen advises him: 'Your Case cannot be managed, but by a full and general instruction upon the subject of the Gout, & that may be found pretty fully in my first Lines, & I presume confidently that you and Doctor Warren are able to supply all the Commentary necessary'. He gives dietary and exercise advice, and says that travel to Southern Europe may be more use than travel within Britain. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:1174] |
Case of Dr Thomas Wells, a former student of Cullen, who has the gout. |
4 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:3132] | Addressee | Dr Thomas Wells |
| [PERS ID:3132] | Patient | Dr Thomas Wells |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:3133] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr John Warren |
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 | Dittisham | South-West | England | Europe | inferred | |
| Therapeutic Recommendation | Europe | certain | ||||
| Mentioned / Other | Britain | Europe | certain | |||
| Mentioned / Other | Dartmouth | South-West | England | Europe | certain | |
| Mentioned / Other | Devonshire | South-West | England | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
Doctor T. Wells at Dittisham near Dartmouth Devon
Your Case cannot be managed, but by a strict full and general
instruction upon the subject of the Gout, & that may be found pretty
fully in my first Lines, & 1 I presume confidently that you and Doctor
Warren are able to supply all the Commentary necessary. ––––
I shall only add here that as the tone of your Stomach seems to be
very entire, I should not think either Bitters or Tonics would be
safe for you, and on the the contrary a Diet of Milk & farinacea alone
would probably give you relief –– I would advise a total abstinence
from Wine & if you have any suspicion of any occasional
acidity upon your stomach the use of Alkalines might be of service
If any Costiveness trouble you let it be obviated & especially by the
use of Guaiacum –– In all intervals Exercise tho it has not
yet been effectual will certainly be of service & its not having
done you any service I suspect arose from it has not been
used enough nor with sufficient constancy –– Except in so far
as it engages in Exercise I hold change of air within the
bounds of Britain to be of little consequence – I believe
passing a Winter in a Southern Climate might be of great service
to you. – In the decline of fits Opiates are often usefull and
tolerably safe; but the frequent use very hurtfull & only to be
employed when absolutely necessary ––––
Notes:
1: Cullen is obliquely criticising Dittisham, as his former pupil, for not being familiar with Cullen's extensive discussion of the gout in Chapter 12 of his First Lines of the Practice of Physic (Edinburgh: 1777). There were numerous further editions as Cullen revised and expanded this textbook (based on his Edinburgh lectures), over several years.
Diplomatic Text
Doctor T. Wells at Dittisham near Dartmouth Devon
Your Case cannot be managed, but by a strict full and general
instruction upon the subject of the Gout, & that may be found pretty
fully in my first Lines, & 1 I presume confidently that you and Doctor
Warren are able to supply all the Commentary necessary. ––––
I shall only add here that as the tone of your Stomach seems to be
very entire, I should not think either Bitters or Tonics would be
safe for you, and on the the contrary a Diet of Milk & farinacea alone
would probably give you relief –– I would advise a total abstinence
from Wine & if you have any suspicion of any occasional
acidity upon your stomach the use of Alkalines might be of service
If any Costiveness trouble you let it be obviated & especially by the
use of Guaiacum –– In all intervals Exercise tho it has not
yet been effectual will certainly be of service & its not having
done you any service I suspect arose from it has not been
used enough nor with sufficient constancy –– Except in so far
as it engages in Exercise I hold change of air within the
bounds of Britain to be of little consequence – I believe
passing a Winter in a Southern Climate might be of great service
to you. – In the decline of fits Opiates are often usefull and
tolerably safe; but the frequent use very hurtfull & only to be
employed when absolutely necessary ––––
Notes:
1: Cullen is obliquely criticising Dittisham, as his former pupil, for not being familiar with Cullen's extensive discussion of the gout in Chapter 12 of his First Lines of the Practice of Physic (Edinburgh: 1777). There were numerous further editions as Cullen revised and expanded this textbook (based on his Edinburgh lectures), over several years.
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