
The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:5104] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Mr / Regarding: Miss Colquhoun (Patient) / 20 July 1785 / (Outgoing)
Reply 'For Miss Colquhoun'. The patient has 'a certain degree of delicacy and debility'. Advice is given on diet and exercise, and stomachic recipes.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 5 images for this document.

[Page 1]

[Page 2]

[Page 3]

[Page 4]

[Page 5]
Metadata
Field | Data |
---|---|
DOC ID | 5104 |
RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/18/87 |
Main Language | English |
Document Direction | Outgoing |
Date | 20 July 1785 |
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 Colquhoun'. The patient has 'a certain degree of delicacy and debility'. Advice is given on diet and exercise, and stomachic recipes. |
Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
---|---|---|
[Case ID:1856] |
Case of Miss Colquhoun who has no constitutional problem beyond ''delicacy and debility', so is just given advice on managing 'the purposes of life'. |
1 |
People linked to this document
Person ID | Role in document | Person |
---|---|---|
[PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:5801] | Addressee | Mr |
[PERS ID:5800] | Patient | Miss Colquhoun |
[PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:5801] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Mr |
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 |
Normalized Text
For Miss Colquhoun
After considering attentively the whole cir¬
cumstances of Miss Colquhouns Constitution and
complaints I am glad to say that I can find
no disease, nor any fault of the constitution but
a certain degree of delicacy and debility.
As it is not possible to make persons
{illeg}s, so an original constitution as that
of Miss Colquhoun can be very much mended
and by a little care be made very sufficient
for all the purposes of life.
One means for this purpose is Riding
frequently on horseback if kept always with¬
in the bounds of fatigue and free from the
accidents of weather.
A [second?] means is the use of Cold bathing.
[Page 2]
The most advantageous manner of Practising
this, is perhaps by bathing in the Sea, but
this has (↑is↑) exposed to many accidents and inter¬
ruptions and I can promise much more benefit
to Miss Colquhoun from the use of the Shower
Bath, for which I shall give her particular
directions too long to be inscribed here.
With these means of Riding and Bathing
I have only to offer one medicine intended par¬
ticularly for strengthening her Stomach and
bringing her to take proper nourishment.
I have given the Prescription for this with
directions for its use upon a separate paper
here inclosed.
In the present state of Miss Colquhouns
appetite I would not enjoin any particular
diet but would leave her to take a part of
[Page 3]
any ordinary fare that she finds herself most
disposed to. I would wish her to take every day
at dinner a little of Solid Animal food but
avoiding every thing fat or heavy and no more
of any meat than what She can take willingly
and easily. All kinds of light pudding are pro¬
per for her and if She does not Complain
of flatulency or indigestion from Vegetables
I would leave these and even fruit to her
own discretion. At Breakfast She must
take neither tea nor Coffee. A weak Chocolate
[or?] Cocoa are allowable but I would prefer to
either of them fresh milk and I think the
same will be the best Supper She can take
for while She digests milk easily nothing
will nourish or strengthen her better.
That it will be of the greatest benefit
to Miss Colquhoun to be much in the fresh air
[Page 4]
and in gentle exercise, but all violent bodily exercise
is to be carefully avoided and at all times within
doors or without She must take the greatest care
to avoid Cold and for that purpose among other
precautions she should always be warmly Cloathed
1785
[Page 5]
For Miss Colquhoun
Take 2 ounces of ground Peruvian Bark, and ounce of powdered Chamomile flowers, and a ½ ounce of ground Cinnamon. Mix thoroughly to make a powder to be served in a wide-mouthed Phial. Label: Stomachic Powder a heaped tea spoonful to be infused over night in a gill of boiling water to be strained off through a piece of flannel in the morning and one half of this to be taken with a tea Spoonful of the following Stomachic mixture (in the morning or forenoon [and?] the other half between Seven and Eight in the evening
Take 3 ounces of Rosewater and a ½ ounce each of Syrup of Dried Roses and Thin Vitriolic Spirit. Mix. Label: Stomachic Mixture
Diplomatic Text
For Miss Colquhoun
After considering attentively the whole cir¬
cumstances of Miss Colquhouns Constitution and
complaints I am glad to say that I can find
no disease, nor any fault of the constitution but
a certain degree of delicacy and debility.
As it is not possible to make persons
{illeg}s, so an original constitution as that
of Miss Colquhoun can be very much mended
and by a little care be made very sufficient
for all the purposes of life.
One means for this purpose is Riding
frequently on horseback if kept always with¬
in the bounds of fatigue and free from the
accidents of weather.
A [second?] means is the use of Cold bathing.
[Page 2]
The most advantageous manner of Practising
this, is perhaps by bathing in the Sea, but
this has (↑is↑) exposed to many accidents and inter¬
ruptions and I can promise much more benefit
to Miss Colquhoun from the use of the Shower
Bath, for which I shall give her particular
directions too long to be inscribed here.
With these means of Riding and Bathing
I have only to offer one medicine intended par¬
ticularly for strengthening her Stomach and
bringing her to take proper nourishment.
I have given the Prescription for this with
directions for its use upon a separate paper
here inclosed.
In the present state of Miss Colquhouns
appetite I would not enjoin any particular
diet but would leave her to take a part of
[Page 3]
any ordinary fare that she finds herself most
disposed to. I would wish her to take every day
at dinner a little of Solid Animal food but
avoiding every thing fat or heavy and no more
of any meat than what She can take willingly
and easily. All kinds of light pudding are pro¬
per for her and if She does not Complain
of flatulency or indigestion from Vegetables
I would leave these and even fruit to her
own discretion. At Breakfast She must
take neither tea nor Coffee. A weak Chocolate
[or?] Cocoa are allowable but I would prefer to
either of them fresh milk and I think the
same will be the best Supper She can take
for while She digests milk easily nothing
will nourish or strengthen her better.
That it will be of the greatest benefit
to Miss Colquhoun to be much in the fresh air
[Page 4]
and in gentle exercise, but all violent bodily exercise
is to be carefully avoided and at all times within
doors or without She must take the greatest care
to avoid Cold and for that purpose among other
precautions she should always be warmly Cloathed
1785
[Page 5]
For Miss Colquhoun
℞ Pulv. Cort. Peruv. ℥ij
flor. Chamamel. ℥i
Cinnamom. ℥ſs
ℳ accurate ut f. pulvis in Phiala patulioris servanda
Sig. Stomachic Powder a heaped tea spoonful to be
infused over night in a gill of boiling water to be strained
off through a piece of flannel in the morning and one
half of this to be taken with a tea Spoonful of the
following Stomachic mixture (in the morning or forenoon
[and?] the other half between Seven and Eight in the
evening
℞ aq. rosar. ℥iij
Syr. e ros. sicc.
Sp. vitr. ten. @ ℥ſs
ℳ. Sig. Stomachic Mixture
XML
XML file not yet available.
Feedback
Send us specfic feeback about this document [DOC ID:5104]
Please note that the Cullen Project team have now disbanded but your comments will be logged in our system and we will look at them one day...