Cullen

The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

 

[ID:4718] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Mr Everard McIntyre / Regarding: Mr Leggat (Patient) / 2 October 1783 / (Outgoing)

Reply, 'Mr Leggat'

Facsimile

There are 3 images for this document.

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[Page 2]


 

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Metadata

FieldData
DOC ID 4718
RCPE Catalogue Number CUL/1/1/16/122
Main Language English
Document Direction Outgoing
Date2 October 1783
Annotation None
TypeMachine scribal copy
Enclosure(s) No enclosure(s)
Autopsy No
Recipe No
Regimen No
Letter of Introduction No
Case Note No
Summary Reply, 'Mr Leggat'
Manuscript Incomplete? No
Evidence of Commercial Posting No

Case

Cases that this document belongs to:

Case ID Description Num Docs
[Case ID:1583]
Case of young Mr Leggat who has recently had several bouts of illness, with pain in his bowel and a cold, resembling severe colic.
2


People linked to this document

Person IDRole in documentPerson
[PERS ID:1]AuthorDr William Cullen (Professor Cullen)
[PERS ID:1470]AddresseeMr Everard McIntyre
[PERS ID:3450]PatientMr Leggat
[PERS ID:1470]Patient's Physician / Surgeon / ApothecaryMr Everard McIntyre
[PERS ID:1]Patient's Physician / Surgeon / ApothecaryDr William Cullen (Professor Cullen)

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 Girvan Glasgow and West Scotland Europe inferred

Normalized Text

[Page 1]

Mr. Leggat

Dear Sir,


I am favoured with yours concerning Mr.
Leggat and in course give you the best advice I can


The Case is very puzling. There is no doubt
of their being an Inflammatory state and Dr. Campbell
and you could not avoid seeing it in that light and
treating it as you have done and if the Case had been
purely and simply an inflammatory state your blee¬
dings
and other measures would certainly have Cured
it before now. But there must be as you judge
some peculiar irritation that so often and so sud¬
denly gives occasion to a return of the symptoms
that this may be ↑and↑ whether without or within
the intestines it is very difficult to say. Your reasons
for concluding it not to be within is very probable
but still it may be nothing external to the intes¬
tines
and what appears to me most probable



[Page 2]

is that it depends upon an irritability of a portion
of the intestines
disposing it to fall into a Spasm
and which may be renewed by slight and impercep¬
tible causes. The suddeness of the late attacks and
the nervous symptoms with which they come on
favour this opinion and I embrace it because
it is the only opinion that admitts of practice.
The supposition of any irritation external to the
intestines is a very random one and could not
lead me to any practice at all. The insisting
on the view of the Case as purely inflammatory [when¬?]
ever proper it was before must now by excessive
bleeding destroy the Patient as certainly as his
disease could do. I am just now for trusting
the Cure to Opiates given pretty frequently and
pretty freely. At the same time I would {illeg}
the Antiphlogistic regimen {illeg}


[Page 3]

his belly open by glysters or gentle laxatives and
particularly the Oleum Ricini, to practice fomen¬
tations
and fresh blisters as often as he can find
place for them. This is the best advice my judge¬
ment can offer to you but at the same time leave
much to your and Dr.. Campbells discretion and
particularly allow that sharp pain, much fever
with a hard pulse may require a bleeding,
particularly when there has been
a tolerably long interval between and
a former. With my very best Compliments
to Dr. Campbell I am


Dear Sir
your most Obedient Servant

William Cullen

Edinburgh 2d. October
1783

Diplomatic Text

[Page 1]

Mr. Leggat

Dear Sir,


I am favoured with yours concerning Mr.
Leggat and in course give you the best advice I can


The Case is very puzling. There is no doubt
of their being an Inflammatory state and Dr. Campbell
and you could not avoid seeing it in that light and
treating it as you have done and if the Case had been
purely and simply an inflammatory state your blee¬
dings
and other measures would certainly have Cured
it before now. But there must be as you judge
some peculiar irritation that so often and so sud¬
denly gives occasion to a return of the symptoms
that this may be ↑and↑ whether without or within
the intestines it is very difficult to say. Your reasons
for concluding it not to be within is very probable
but still it may be nothing external to the intes¬
tines
and what appears to me most probable



[Page 2]

is that it depends upon an irritability of a portion
of the intestines
disposing it to fall into a Spasm
and which may be renewed by slight and impercep¬
tible causes. The suddeness of the late attacks and
the nervous symptoms with which they come on
favour this opinion and I embrace it because
it is the only opinion that admitts of practice.
The supposition of any irritation external to the
intestines is a very random one and could not
lead me to any practice at all. The insisting
on the view of the Case as purely inflammatory [when¬?]
ever proper it was before must now by excessive
bleeding destroy the Patient as certainly as his
disease could do. I am just now for trusting
the Cure to Opiates given pretty frequently and
pretty freely. At the same time I would {illeg}
the Antiphlogistic regimen {illeg}


[Page 3]

his belly open by glysters or gentle laxatives and
particularly the Oleum Ricini, to practice fomen¬
tations
and fresh blisters as often as he can find
place for them. This is the best advice my judge¬
ment can offer to you but at the same time leave
much to your and Dr.. Campbells discretion and
particularly allow that sharp pain, much fever
with a hard pulse may require a bleeding,
particularly when there has been
a tolerably long interval between and
a former. With my very best Compliments
to Dr. Campbell I am


Dear Sir
your most Obedient Servant

William Cullen

Edinr. 2d. Octr.
1783

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