The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:4892] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Miss Mary Renton (Patient) / 3 August 1784 / (Outgoing)
Reply, 'For Miss Renton'
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 4 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
[Page 3]
[Page 4]
Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 4892 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/17/88 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 3 August 1784 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Machine scribal copy |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | Yes |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply, 'For Miss Renton' |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:725] |
Case of Miss Mary Renton who has a cough accompanied by chest and shoulder pains. |
9 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:3065] | Patient | Miss Mary Renton |
| [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 | Cullen's House / Mint Close | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain |
| Destination of Letter | Eyemouth (Eymouth) | Borders | Scotland | Europe | inferred | |
| Mentioned / Other | Britain | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
For Miss Renton
As soon as She is settled two days at home let six
Ounces of blood be taken from her Arm and if pains her
breast or Stitch of her side should soon trouble her a
like bleeding may be repeated.
The day after the bleeding let a blister a little
larger than the breadth of the hand be applied to the
nape of the neck or a little lower and let about the
bigness of a Crown be in the upper part of it be kept open
as a perpetual issue.
Her diet must be kept light and cooling. Her
Animal food should be very little and that of the lightest
kind. Her food should be chiefly Grain, fruit, and
Garden [things if?] She can be brought to digest milk
it should make a great part of her diet. If Asses or
Mares Milk ↑can be got↑ let her take half a Mutckin of it
every morning pretty early. If these cannot be got
let her try Ewe milk whey in the same manner
[Page 2]
Very fresh Butter {illeg} may probably agree with
her very well and particularly Butter milk {illeg}
from fresh milk in a bottle and this She may take
for a great part of her diet.
I am much against her taking any fermented
or Spirituous liquor and would have her drink to be
water or watery liquors only as Whey Water gruel
or Barley water.
It will be of great service to her to go frequently
on horseback or in a Carriage but let her motion be
always gentle and taken especially in the forenoon
when the weather is neither very hot nor very wet.
She may walk on foot sometimes but it should be
always very gently never up hill, never fast, nor
never long at one time.
In every Situation it is of the utmost conse¬
quence for her to avoid cold and for that purpose
she should wear constantly a flannel shift
[Page 3]
next her Skin. {illeg} often exposed
to {illeg} and cold {illeg} Miss Renton could be
{illeg}to some {illeg} place it might be for
her advantage. Nay, I doubt it may be difficult
to preserve her health without removing her for
the Winter to a Climate warmer than any part of
Britain.
The measures now mentioned are what I
depend upon for receiving her health and at the
same time I think few medicines can be of use to her
but I have food to moderate and relieve her Cough
I have here inclosed a Prescription which upon
trial here seems to agree with her.
If at any time after [bleeding?] her appetite falls off
or any indigestion seem to prevail she may take a
gentle vomit and at all times care should be taken
to remove any great degree of costiveness but this should
be done if possible with very little purging.
William Cullen.
Edinburgh 3d. August 1784
[Page 4]
✍
For Miss Renton
Take one ounce of the best Olive Oil and two ounces of raw Gum Arabic mucilage. You will diligently crush them together, and add little by little one ounce of balsamic Syrup, one ounce of simple Water cinnamon, three ounces of rose water and one drachm of caustic Spirit of ammoniac Salt. Mix and label Pectoral Mixture; a tablespoon to be taken several times a day and night when the cough is troublesome, shaking the phial always very well before pouring out.
W.C.
3d August
1784
Diplomatic Text
For Miss Renton
As soon as She is settled two days at home let six
Ounces of blood be taken from her Arm and if pains her
breast or Stitch of her side should soon trouble her a
like bleeding may be repeated.
The day after the bleeding let a blister a little
larger than the breadth of the hand be applied to the
nape of the neck or a little lower and let about the
bigness of a Crown be in the upper part of it be kept open
as a perpetual issue.
Her diet must be kept light and cooling. Her
Animal food should be very little and that of the lightest
kind. Her food should be chiefly Grain, fruit, and
Garden [things if?] She can be brought to digest milk
it should make a great part of her diet. If Asses or
Mares Milk ↑can be got↑ let her take half a Mutckin of it
every morning pretty early. If these cannot be got
let her try Ewe milk whey in the same manner
[Page 2]
Very fresh Butter {illeg} may probably agree with
her very well and particularly Butter milk {illeg}
from fresh milk in a bottle and this She may take
for a great part of her diet.
I am much against her taking any fermented
or Spirituous liquor and would have her drink to be
water or watery liquors only as Whey Water gruel
or Barley water.
It will be of great service to her to go frequently
on horseback or in a Carriage but let her motion be
always gentle and taken especially in the forenoon
when the weather is neither very hot nor very wet.
She may walk on foot sometimes but it should be
always very gently never up hill, never fast, nor
never long at one time.
In every Situation it is of the utmost conse¬
quence for her to avoid cold and for that purpose
she should wear constantly a flannel shift
[Page 3]
next her Skin. {illeg} often exposed
to {illeg} and cold {illeg} Miss Renton could be
{illeg}to some {illeg} place it might be for
her advantage. Nay, I doubt it may be difficult
to preserve her health without removing her for
the Winter to a Climate warmer than any part of
Britain.
The measures now mentioned are what I
depend upon for receiving her health and at the
same time I think few medicines can be of use to her
but I have food to moderate and relieve her Cough
I have here inclosed a Prescription which upon
trial here seems to agree with her.
If at any time after [bleeding?] her appetite falls off
or any indigestion seem to prevail she may take a
gentle vomit and at all times care should be taken
to remove any great degree of costiveness but this should
be done if possible with very little purging.
William Cullen.
Edinr. 3d. August 1784
[Page 4]
✍
For Miss Renton
℞ Ol. Olivar. opt. ℥j
Mucil. G. Arab. crass. ℥ij
Terito Simul diligenter et paulatim
adde Syr. balsam.
Aq. cinnam. Simpl. @℥j
--- rosar. ℥iij
Spt. Sal. ammon. caust. ʒj
ℳ. Sig. Pectoral Mixture a table
Spoonfull to be taken several times
of the day and night when the cough
is troublesome Shaking the phial al¬
ways very well before pouring out. --
W.C.
3d August
1784
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