
The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:4729] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Dr Alexander Kellock / Regarding: Mr Matthew Bell (Patient) / 13 October 1783 / (Outgoing)
Reply, 'Mr Bell'. A postscript in Cullen's writing adds that 'by your not writing when Mr Bell was here I believe you made me miss a fee'.
- 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 | 4729 |
RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/16/133 |
Main Language | English |
Document Direction | Outgoing |
Date | 13 October 1783 |
Annotation | None |
Type | Machine scribal copy |
Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
Autopsy | No |
Recipe | No |
Regimen | No |
Letter of Introduction | No |
Case Note | No |
Summary | Reply, 'Mr Bell'. A postscript in Cullen's writing adds that 'by your not writing when Mr Bell was here I believe you made me miss a fee'. |
Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
---|---|---|
[Case ID:1575] |
Case of Mr M. Bell who has jaundice, a painful rheumatic shoulder and calculi. |
6 |
People linked to this document
Person ID | Role in document | Person |
---|---|---|
[PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:2995] | Addressee | Dr Alexander Kellock |
[PERS ID:2460] | Patient | Mr Matthew Bell |
[PERS ID:2995] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr Alexander Kellock |
[PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:2996] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | Mr Bell (the Younger) |
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 | Newcastle upon Tyne | North-East | England | Europe | inferred |
Normalized Text
Mr. Bell
Yours of the 9th. came here only this day which
either you or the Post Office must account for. I
was glad to learn by your Patients Son as I do now
by your letter that the Old Gentleman is a great
deal better. Mr. Bell the younger however tells
told me a circumstance which you do not that his
Father complained of want of Power in the Arm
formerly affected with Pain and I wish you had
told me whether it had any appearance of Paralytic
or if it seemed to be merely a consequence of Rheu¬
matism of the nature of which I take the alter¬
nate complaints of his breast & back to be.
I have no objection to your trying a Warm bath
with him but I am clear that it should be a tepid
one only and of a temperature between 80 and 90
degrees of Farenheit and never above the latter.
You will push the repetition of it according to its
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success if you do not find it relieve his Pains and par¬
ticularly if you do not find it recover the motion of his
arm I would have you try another remedy if you
can get it properly executed. This is the sending some
Electrical shocks from his Shoulder to his Arm
hand taking care that the course of the Electricity
is confined to that Arm and that the shocks are
very gentle though after they have been tried
for sometime and with any relief you may repeat
them very frequently.
I have nothing further to Offer at present
but that you should endeavour by all means to get
the issue in his Arm to discharge better. I am with
very great regard
Dear Sir
Your most Obedient Servant
Edinburgh 13th. October
1783
✍
N. B. By your not writing while Mr Bell was
here I believed you made me miss a fee.
Diplomatic Text
Mr. Bell
Yours of the 9th. came here only this day which
either you or the Post Office must account for. I
was glad to learn by your Patients Son as I do now
by your letter that the Old Gentleman is a great
deal better. Mr. Bell the younger however tells
told me a circumstance which you do not that his
Father complained of want of Power in the Arm
formerly affected with Pain and I wish you had
told me whether it had any appearance of Paralytic
or if it seemed to be merely a consequence of Rheu¬
matism of the nature of which I take the alter¬
nate complaints of his breast & back to be.
I have no objection to your trying a Warm bath
with him but I am clear that it should be a tepid
one only and of a temperature between 80 and 90
degrees of Farenheit and never above the latter.
You will push the repetition of it according to its
[Page 2]
success if you do not find it relieve his Pains and par¬
ticularly if you do not find it recover the motion of his
arm I would have you try another remedy if you
can get it properly executed. This is the sending some
Electrical shocks from his Shoulder to his Arm
hand taking care that the course of the Electricity
is confined to that Arm and that the shocks are
very gentle though after they have been tried
for sometime and with any relief you may repeat
them very frequently.
I have nothing further to Offer at present
but that you should endeavour by all means to get
the issue in his Arm to discharge better. I am with
very great regard
Dear Sir
Your most Obedient Servant
Edinr. 13th. Octr.
1783
✍
N. B. By your not writing while Mr Bell was
here I believed you made me miss a fee.
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