
The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:4593] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Anonymous / Regarding: Anonymous (Patient) / 1776? / (Outgoing)
Reply to an unnamed patient, retained as an authorial copy on a loose sheet, and seemingly not bound into volume. Cullen is replying 'to yours of the 18th. inst.' [untraced]. He gives directions for taking portable soup on a ship voyage, and discusses the patient's returning to Jamaica 'with regard to the danger of capture'. Date is merely based on a loose supposition that the risk of capture alludes to being at war with America.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 2 images for this document.

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Metadata
Field | Data |
---|---|
DOC ID | 4593 |
RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/12/160 |
Main Language | English |
Document Direction | Outgoing |
Date | 1776? |
Annotation | None |
Type | Authorial original |
Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
Autopsy | No |
Recipe | No |
Regimen | No |
Letter of Introduction | No |
Case Note | No |
Summary | Reply to an unnamed patient, retained as an authorial copy on a loose sheet, and seemingly not bound into volume. Cullen is replying 'to yours of the 18th. inst.' [untraced]. He gives directions for taking portable soup on a ship voyage, and discusses the patient's returning to Jamaica 'with regard to the danger of capture'. Date is merely based on a loose supposition that the risk of capture alludes to being at war with America. |
Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
---|---|---|
[Case ID:1314] |
Case of an unnamed gentleman who wishes to return to Jamaica. |
1 |
People linked to this document
Person ID | Role in document | Person |
---|---|---|
[PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:2482] | Addressee | |
[PERS ID:2482] | Patient | |
[PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
Places linked to this document
Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Place of Writing | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | inferred | |
Mentioned / Other | Jamaica | West Indies | certain | |||
Mentioned / Other | Glasgow | Glasgow and West | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
I am favored with yours of the
18th. inst.
and would have answered it in course but
was in the country. Of the feverish fit, you
had soon after you left this I take no notice
because I suppose it is now quite over and
I write only an answer to your other questions.
With regard to the danger of capture in
going to Jamaica, you are a much better
judge of it than I am, but I must say, that it
would be a disagreable accident in your
situation. Bating that hazard I think a
voyage to Jamaica; I would prefer very much
to a voyage up the streights in the winter
season. Two or three years ago, I had a
gentleman who set out in the month of November
from Glasgow [Castle?] 1 and after a passage of two
months arrived there & died in a fortnight after,
owing, as every body thought to the bad weather
he met with
in the passage. I say further that if
you manage the Climate of Jamaica
as I have desired it will do better then the
South of France. However I told you fairly
of the danger of a very warm climate &
[Page 2]
you must ballance that & the danger
hazard of Capture & determine for yourself
The portable soup is to be used by diss¬
olving a bit of it about the bigness of the end
of your thumb in a muchkin of boiling
water & this will make a mess of broth.
Into which you may put a spoonful or two
of boiled barley or Rice, or without either
of these, you may take it with bread.
If you find the broth either too strong or too
weak, you may alter the proportions of
the portable soup at your pleasure.
If the Seton in your side does not discharge
any matter, you may take it out, but in
place of it you should put a Pea Issue
into you arm or behind your shoulders.
Notes:
1: If this is the correct reading, it may be that the castle (also known as 'Bishop's Castle', and completely removed in 1789) functioned as a traditional departed point in the old city.
Diplomatic Text
I am favored wt yours of the
18th. inst.
and would have answered it in course but
was in the country. Of the feverish fit, you
had soon after you left this I take no notice
because I suppose it is now quite over and
I write only an answer to your other questions.
With regard to the danger of capture in
going to Jamaica, you are a much better
judge of it than I am, but I must say, that it
would be a disagreable accident in your
situation. Bating that hazard I think a
voyage to Jamaica; I would prefer very much
to a voyage up the streights in the winter
season. Two or three years ago, I had a
gentleman who set out in the month of Novr:
from Glasgow [Cast?] 1 and after a passage of two
months arrived there & died in a fortnight after,
owing, as every body thought to the bad weather
he met wt
in the passage. I say further that if
you manage the Climate of Jamaica
as I have desired it will do better then the
South of France. However I told you fairly
of the danger of a very warm climate &
[Page 2]
you must ballance that & the danger
hazard of Capture & determine for yourself
The portable soup is to be used by diss¬
olving a bit of it about the bigness of the end
of your thumb in a muchkin of boiling
water & this will make a mess of broth.
Into wtc. you may put a spoonful or two
of boiled barley or Rice, or without either
of these, you may take it wt bread.
If you find the broth either too strong or too
weak, you may alter the proportions of
the portable soup at your pleasure.
If the Seton in your side does not discharge
any matter, you may take it out, but in
place of it you should put a Pea Issue
into you arm or behind your shoulders.
Notes:
1: If this is the correct reading, it may be that the castle (also known as 'Bishop's Castle', and completely removed in 1789) functioned as a traditional departed point in the old city.
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