The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:5963] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Miss Niven (Patient) / 26 May 1768 / (Outgoing)
Reply 'For Miss Niven', with detailed directions concerning diet and two prescriptions for a stomach powder and an aperient salt mixture.
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- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
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Facsimile
There are 3 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
[Page 3]
Metadata
Field | Data |
---|---|
DOC ID | 5963 |
RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/2/38 |
Main Language | English |
Document Direction | Outgoing |
Date | 26 May 1768 |
Annotation | None |
Type | Scribal copy ( includes Casebook Entry) |
Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
Autopsy | No |
Recipe | Yes |
Regimen | No |
Letter of Introduction | No |
Case Note | No |
Summary | Reply 'For Miss Niven', with detailed directions concerning diet and two prescriptions for a stomach powder and an aperient salt mixture. |
Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
---|---|---|
[Case ID:103] |
Case of Miss Niven who is provided with a regimen and medicines to strengthen her stomach. |
1 |
People linked to this document
Person ID | Role in document | Person |
---|---|---|
[PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:1855] | Patient | Miss Niven |
[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 |
Normalized Text
For Miss Niven
Miss Niven's ailments however troublesome are not
dangerous & with some attention & care are generally to be cured but
it is by Regimen rather than Medicines. --- The best are often
usefull but can have no durable effect without the former ------
Let her therefore study her diet avoiding in the first place most
things from the Garden. She must take no raw Vegetables or Sallad
or Cucumber. -- She must also abstain from all kind of fruit, whether
raw, boiled or baked - But as some quantity of Vegetables is necessary
to keep our blood in good condition Miss N. may take a few green
pease when they first come in season but must let them alone when
they become older & the same thing may be said of Turnep, Collyflower
& artichoke. - When they are young & tender a little of them may
be taken; but when they become older or when they are taken largely
they may increase her ailments. -----
On the other hand she must abstain from all fat & heavy meats
Bacon Pork & indeed the fat of all meats & all heavy Sauces - Of
any kind of plain meat as Beef Mutton Veal Lamb Whitefowl,
Pidgeons she may take moderately that is, always keeping her stomach
light & never making a full meal of meat. She should take no broth
of any kind. -- She must like wise be very sparing of fish, that is, take
them very seldom & only ↑of↑ the lightest kinds of whitefish according Salmon
Herring & Shellfish. -- Of any kind of grain as well leavened
bread, Rice Barley, Millet or Sago she may take freely drest in the
manner she likes best only let her avoid puddings with fruit. She must
abstain from tea & Coffee at all times -- For breakfast she may take
Water gruel weak Chocolate or rather Cocoa tea which is to be got here -
For supper she may take an Egg or a bit of any light cold meat ----
[Page 2]
Bread & Butter either at breakfast or supper she may take
but the butter sparingly. -- All kinds of sweet meats must be avoi¬
ded. A bit of Cheese such as people commonly take after meals is very
allowable. -- I omitted to enquire at Miss Niven how she digests
milk but it was because I did not think it proper for her, & I only
say now that if she digests milk easily she may take it sometimes but it
should be seldom & never any quantity of Cream. ---
For drink there is only ↑one↑ kind of drink fit for her & that is plain
water -- She may sometimes put a little spirit to it, but the less the
better & she should put no sugar to it. - All kinds of formented li¬
quors whither Wines or Malt Liquors are very bad for her and let
her abstain from them altogether. ------
If due care is taken of her diet agreable to these directions I
expect Miss Niven will be more free from complaints, but some pains
must be taken also to strengthen her stomach by fresh air & gentle
Exercise. -- The more frequently she goes on horseback especially
in the forenoon she will be soonner well -- But the horse ought
to have an easy motion for a hard trot would do harm & if it is a long
continued gentle motion rather than more violent Exercise that does
Service in such a case as this -- Moderate walking is also good for
her but any bodily fatigue is very improper & therefore much dancing -
Sitting late at night or lying long in the morning are both bad for Miss
N.s complaints -----
These are the Particulars of her Regimen & I depend much upon
them so as to offer few Medicines but these few prescribed below will
I expect be of much service to her. -------
Let her take one of the stomachic Pills Powders every day
about half an hour or an hour after dinner -----
[Page 3]
Every morning let her take a dose of the Aperient Salts
each does is to be dissolved in a muchkin of Spring Water
and when dissolved the water is to be divided into three draughts, one
to be taken every half hour. She should begin at seven in the
morning or at least half an hour after it that her draughts may be
finished at least half an hour before breakfast -- These salts
should keep her belly regular but no more - If they purge the dose
must be diminished. If they do not keep her to once a day the dose -
should be increased. If any part of these directions want explana¬
tion or correction I shall ↑be↑ very ready to give it. -------
Edinburgh 26th. May.
1768.
Take two drachms of white Magnesia, five grains of powdered Columbo root, two grains of powdered Ginger root. Mix and make into twelve doses as required. Label: Stomachic Powders.
Take two drachms each of Soluble Tartar and Glauber's Salts, half a drachm of Spanish Sea-salt, and two and a half drachms of white Sugar. Mix and make into a powder, and make into twelve doses as required. Label: Aperient Salts.
Diplomatic Text
For Miss Niven
Miss Niven's ailments however troublesome are not
dangerous & with some attention & care are generally to be cured but
it is by Regimen rather than Medicines. --- The best are often
usefull but can have no durable effect without the former ------
Let her therefore study her diet avoiding in the first place most
things from the Garden. She must take no raw Vegetables or Sallad
or Cucumber. -- She must also abstain from all kind of fruit, whether
raw, boiled or baked - But as some quantity of Vegetables is necessary
to keep our blood in good condition Miss N. may take a few green
pease when they first come in season but must let them alone when
they become older & the same thing may be said of Turnep, Collyflower
& artichoke. - When they are young & tender a little of them may
be taken; but when they become older or when they are taken largely
they may increase her ailments. -----
On the other hand she must abstain from all fat & heavy meats
Bacon Pork & indeed the fat of all meats & all heavy Sauces - Of
any kind of plain meat as Beef Mutton Veal Lamb Whitefowl,
Pidgeons she may take moderately that is, always keeping her stomach
light & never making a full meal of meat. She should take no broth
of any kind. -- She must like wise be very sparing of fish, that is, take
them very seldom & only ↑of↑ the lightest kinds of whitefish according Salmon
Herring & Shellfish. -- Of any kind of grain as well leavened
bread, Rice Barley, Millet or Sago she may take freely drest in the
manner she likes best only let her avoid puddings with fruit. She must
abstain from tea & Coffee at all times -- For breakfast she may take
Water gruel weak Chocolate or rather Cocoa tea which is to be got here -
For supper she may take an Egg or a bit of any light cold meat ----
[Page 2]
Bread & Butter either at breakfast or supper she may take
but the butter sparingly. -- All kinds of sweet meats must be avoi¬
ded. A bit of Cheese such as people commonly take after meals is very
allowable. -- I omitted to enquire at Miss Niven how she digests
milk but it was because I did not think it proper for her, & I only
say now that if she digests milk easily she may take it sometimes but it
should be seldom & never any quantity of Cream. ---
For drink there is only ↑one↑ kind of drink fit for her & that is plain
water -- She may sometimes put a little spirit to it, but the less the
better & she should put no sugar to it. - All kinds of formented li¬
quors whither Wines or Malt Liquors are very bad for her and let
her abstain from them altogether. ------
If due care is taken of her diet agreable to these directions I
expect Miss Niven will be more free from complaints, but some pains
must be taken also to strengthen her stomach by fresh air & gentle
Exercise. -- The more frequently she goes on horseback especially
in the forenoon she will be soonner well -- But the horse ought
to have an easy motion for a hard trot would do harm & if it is a long
continued gentle motion rather than more violent Exercise that does
Service in such a case as this -- Moderate walking is also good for
her but any bodily fatigue is very improper & therefore much dancing -
Sitting late at night or lying long in the morning are both bad for Miss
N.s complaints -----
These are the Particulars of her Regimen & I depend much upon
them so as to offer few Medicines but these few prescribed below will
I expect be of much service to her. -------
Let her take one of the stomachic Pills Powders every day
about half an hour or an hour after dinner -----
[Page 3]
Every morning let her take a dose of the Aperient Salts
each does is to be dissolved in a muchkin of Spring Water
and when dissolved the water is to be divided into three draughts, one
to be taken every half hour. She should begin at seven in the
morning or at least half an hour after it that her draughts may be
finished at least half an hour before breakfast -- These salts
should keep her belly regular but no more - If they purge the dose
must be diminished. If they do not keep her to once a day the dose -
should be increased. If any part of these directions want explana¬
tion or correction I shall ↑be↑ very ready to give it. -------
Edinr. 26th. May.
1768.
℞ Magnes. alb. ʒſs. Rad. Colomb. pulv. gr.v.
-- Zingiber. pulv. gr. ij ℳ & fiant h. m. dos № xij --
Signa Stomachic Powders.
℞ Tartar. Solub. Sal. Glauber @ ʒj Sal.
marin. Hispan. ʒſs. Sacchar. alb. ʒijſs. ℳ f. pulvis
& fiant. h. m. Dos № xij. Signa Aperient Salts.
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