The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:5942] From: Dr John Gilchrist (of Speddoch) / To: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / Regarding: Mr Hugh Lawson (of Girthead) (Patient) / 17 July 1781 / (Incoming)
Letter from Dr John Gilchrist concerning Mr Lawson who has a stone in his bladder or kidney. Gilchrist seeks Cullen's approval for a plan to accompany Lawson to Edinburgh for a few days.
- 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 | 5942 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/1106 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Incoming |
| Date | 17 July 1781 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Authorial original |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | No |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Letter from Dr John Gilchrist concerning Mr Lawson who has a stone in his bladder or kidney. Gilchrist seeks Cullen's approval for a plan to accompany Lawson to Edinburgh for a few days. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | Yes |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:517] |
Case of Mr Hugh Lawson who has developed pains in his joints, possibly gout or nephritic. His condition baffles local physician Dr John Gilchrist to whom he is related, but eventually proves to be a fatal case of kidney stone. |
6 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:115] | Author | Dr John Gilchrist (of Speddoch) |
| [PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:116] | Patient | Mr Hugh Lawson (of Girthead) |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:115] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr John Gilchrist (of Speddoch) |
Places linked to this document
| Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Writing | Dumfries | Borders | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Destination of Letter | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
Dumfries July 17. 1781.
Dear Sir
Many thanks for yours of the 15th and for the [pacus?] 1
you have taken to explain matters to me. Such letters,
especially when you indulge me so far as to come the
length of writing a [tergo?]. 2 I am fully sensible of the value
of. --- Mr Lawsons complaints are indeed very obvious, and
nothing but his being entirely free from all pain or other
uneasiness in the region of the kidneys could have led me
to express any doubt as to the condition of her urine's de¬
pending on the irritation of a stone, although I well knew
that a stone has been often detected; where its existence had
been more equivocal, and get its latent effects more con¬
siderable than in the present case. -- I had good reason to
have called the urine thick as well as foul.
I shall certainly remember well, and, I hope, make a pro¬
per use of, the facts you give me in the history of the gout
-- Blistering in any other case I would never have thought
of calling a repellent -- In a pleurisy, the disease is in¬
deed discussed 3 , or entirely dissipated, by Blistering. - In cases
of the Gout however, such as you mention, whether or not may
[Page 2]
the same remedy be reckoned, virtually, a repellent; not that
it does more than discuss the inflammations here as in the
pleurisy; - and its own tendency, i.e. of the Inflam disease, after
being so discussed, as to take to the Stomach lungs &c --- But
I am trespassing and tiring you with words.
Mr Lawson continues greatly better. The state of his urine
as almost natural again, and he is clear that the use of the
Tartar. regenerat. has had an obvious and a good effect upon
him, as it had before. -- All its effect however can be no
more than a little cooling andscouring;by which no doubt
it may be useful in clearing away the filans and pellicles, which
have covered, or even in dividing and dislodging smaller
and lower calculous concretions, none of which however he
has voided for three or four weeks past. -- I am constantly
inculcating the necessity of as steady and vigorous a plan
as possible, without trusting mere palliatives; and growing
secure and forgetful in his intervals of ease and spirits.
-- But I proceed to tell you, what indeed is the chief cause
of my writing to-day, that we have got another matter into
[our?] heads, which I will now submit to you. -- For several weeks
past Mr Lawson has been talking of an excursion to Edinburgh
[Page 3]
where he has several particular friends, and, among others, Professor
Robison, who is his Nephew, and with whom he would lodge. -- Last
night he said he would go, if I would accompany him, not that
he thought there was the least necessity for it on his account,
but merely if it suited me to make such an excursion for six
or eight days. -- Tho' it must be uncertain if I can venture on it,
yet, after thinking of the matter, -- as I have been as much a
slave to business as any man of the profession for seven years
past, - it really seems to be no unreasonable piece of
indulgence, if I was to steal away for eight days and
have the pleasure of seeing You & some others of
my Brethen 4 and friends in Edinburgh - Accordingly I told
Mr L. that, if it could be done, I would accompany him; but
that I would by no means be any way concerned in his going
unless you approve of it. -- He holds it cheap to make any doubt
of his fitness for the journey, and insist that he could with
perfect ease and safety go six times farther. -- At present, no
doubt, he is very easy, and in great spirits, so that I am
clear a journey would be useful to him, if it did not endanger
a nephretic paroxysm. -- I shall only say that the road which
he would take is all good, and, if I was to come along with
him, - my carriage, which we would use, is an ecceding easy one
- I will beg you to drop us two lines in course, just mentioning
[Page 4]
your opinion on the point; & believe me always
Dear Sir
Yours most sincerely
John Gilchrist.
Dr Gilchrist
Concerning Mr Lawson
July 1781
To
Doctor Cullen Physician
Edinburgh
Notes:
1: Obscure, but possibly a contraction for 'particulars' (or 'patience'?).
2: If this is the correct reading it is unclear what Gilchrist implies here by "a tergo" ('from behind').
3: Meaning 'dispersed' or 'destroyed'.
4: This has no religious connotations. By 'Brethren' Gilchrist is simply referring to his fellow physicians.
Diplomatic Text
Dumfries July 17. 1781.
Dear Sir
Many thanks for yours of the 15th and for the [pacus?] 1
you have taken to explain matters to me. Such letters,
especially when you indulge me so far as to come the
length of writing a [tergo?]. 2 I am fully sensible of the value
of. --- Mr Lawsons complaints are indeed very obvious, and
nothing but his being entirely free from all pain or other
uneasiness in the region of the kidneys could have led me
to express any doubt as to the condition of her urine's de¬
pending on the irritation of a stone, although I well knew
that a stone has been often detected; where its existence had
been more equivocal, and get its latent effects more con¬
siderable than in the present case. -- I had good reason to
have called the urine thick as well as foul.
I shall certainly remember well, and, I hope, make a pro¬
per use of, the facts you give me in the history of the gout
-- Blistering in any other case I would never have thought
of calling a repellent -- In a pleurisy, the disease is in¬
deed discussed 3 , or entirely dissipated, by Blistering. - In cases
of the Gout however, such as you mention, whether or not may
[Page 2]
the same remedy be reckoned, virtually, a repellent; not that
it does more than discuss the inflammations here as in the
pleurisy; - and its own tendency, i.e. of the Inflam disease, after
being so discussed, as to take to the Stomach lungs &c --- But
I am trespassing and tiring you with words.
Mr Lawson continues greatly better. The state of his urine
as almost natural again, and he is clear that the use of the
Tartar. regenerat. has had an obvious and a good effect upon
him, as it had before. -- All its effect however can be no
more than a little cooling andscouring;by which no doubt
it may be useful in clearing away the filans and pellicles, which
have covered, or even in dividing and dislodging smaller
and lower calculous concretions, none of which however he
has voided for three or four weeks past. -- I am constantly
inculcating the necessity of as steady and vigorous a plan
as possible, without trusting mere palliatives; and growing
secure and forgetful in his intervals of ease and spirits.
-- But I proceed to tell you, what indeed is the chief cause
of my writing to-day, that we have got another matter into
[our?] heads, which I will now submit to you. -- For several weeks
past Mr Lawson has been talking of an excursion to Edinr
[Page 3]
where he has several particular friends, and, among others, Professor
Robison, who is his Nephew, and with whom he would lodge. -- Last
night he said he would go, if I would accompany him, not that
he thought there was the least necessity for it on his account,
but merely if it suited me to make such an excursion for six
or eight days. -- Tho' it must be uncertain if I can venture on it,
yet, after thinking of the matter, -- as I have been as much a
slave to business as any man of the profession for seven years
past, - it really seems to be no unreasonable piece of
indulgence, if I was to steal away for eight days and
have the pleasure of seeing You & some others of
my Brethen 4 and friends in Edin.r - Accordingly I told
Mr L. that, if it could be done, I would accompany him; but
that I would by no means be any way concerned in his going
unless you approve of it. -- He holds it cheap to make any doubt
of his fitness for the journey, and insist that he could with
perfect ease and safety go six times farther. -- At present, no
doubt, he is very easy, and in great spirits, so that I am
clear a journey would be useful to him, if it did not endanger
a nephretic paroxysm. -- I shall only say that the road wh
he would take is all good, and, if I was to come along with
him, - my carriage, which we would use, is an ecceding easy one
- I will beg you to drop us two lines in course, just mentioning
[Page 4]
your opinion on the point; & believe me always
Dear Sir
Yours most sincerely
John Gilchrist.
Dr Gilchrist
C Mr Lawson
July 1781
To
Doctor Cullen Physician
Edinburgh
Notes:
1: Obscure, but possibly a contraction for 'particulars' (or 'patience'?).
2: If this is the correct reading it is unclear what Gilchrist implies here by "a tergo" ('from behind').
3: Meaning 'dispersed' or 'destroyed'.
4: This has no religious connotations. By 'Brethren' Gilchrist is simply referring to his fellow physicians.
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