The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:762] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Mr Pratt / Regarding: Mr Pratt (Patient), Mrs Pratt (Patient) / 22? May? 1764? / (Outgoing)
Reply, in the form of a retained loose, neat draft in Cullen's hand, to a Mr Pratt, regarding the case of his son and briefly mentioning that of his wife. Cullen gives directions for the son (who is consumptive), and says that directions for the wife will follow in next post. Date is inferred from that of the follow-up letter concerning Mrs Pratt.
- 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 | 762 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/30 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 22? May? 1764? |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Authorial original |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | No |
| Regimen | Yes |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply, in the form of a retained loose, neat draft in Cullen's hand, to a Mr Pratt, regarding the case of his son and briefly mentioning that of his wife. Cullen gives directions for the son (who is consumptive), and says that directions for the wife will follow in next post. Date is inferred from that of the follow-up letter concerning Mrs Pratt. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:14] |
Case of Mrs Pratt who has a 'broken constitution'. |
3 |
| [Case ID:15] |
Case of Mr Pratt (Junior), who is 'liable to a Consumption'. |
3 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:1173] | Addressee | Mr Pratt |
| [PERS ID:1172] | Patient | Mr Pratt |
| [PERS ID:1174] | Patient | Mrs Pratt |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:1173] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | Mr Pratt |
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 |
| Therapeutic Recommendation | Cheviot Hills | North-East | England | Europe | certain | |
| Mentioned / Other | Berwick-upon-Tweed (Berwick) | North-East | England | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
I have been at what pains I can to
consider your Ladys & Sons case & I write you now
of the last as it is all I can at this time overtake.
I am afraid he is liable to a Consumption but
I hope it has not yet made any progress & by a
little attention to his manner of life may be en¬
tirely prevented. Formerly when his symptoms
were more urgent Medicines might have been
necessary but now his symptoms are moderate
few or no Medicines will be necessary I depend
upon a proper regimen such as follows.
1. He should give up taking Meat that is either
fish or flesh altogether & continue himself to Milk
& Grain. Roots & Greens he may take if he is very
fond of them but I would rather he should let them
alone & keep to Milk meats. He should take no
other drink but toast & water
[Page 2]
2. While he continues at Berwick he should
take half a pint of Asses milk every morning but
I think he would be the better for quitting the
neighbourhood of the sea for six weeks at this
season & he should go over to the Cheviot Hills
& drink Goat Whey for that time. If this mea¬
sure is agreeable to you & him let me know
& I shall give particular directions for the ma¬
nagement of the Goat Whey Course.
3. Whether he takes that Course or remains
at home it is proper for him to lay aside all
sedentary business & to get some health & strength
before he takes to it again
4. Every day that the weather is fair he should
go on horseback for two three or four hours; at
first for a short time but by degrees increasing
it. The motion should always be easy & any vio¬
[Page 3]
lent Exercise may do him much harm. When the
Wind is from the West he may take the Sea Coast
but ↑when↑ from the East he should go up the Tweed.
Walking gently is allowable but walking fast,
uphill or long at one time is very bad for him
& in short Dancing or any violent bodily Exercise
will be very hurtfull.
5. Being much in the open Air is good for
him & it is only by being much accostomed to this
that he can avoid being affected with Cold but
in the mean time He must avoid this with the
utmost care. He must ↑not↑ be abroad in the Evening
later than an hour before sunset. His cloathing
should even in summer be very warm & a flannel
shirt or vest next his skin will be of service to him
Let him avoid walking on wet ground [&?] in every
Circumstance avoid all damp & moisture.
[Page 4]
6. It is proper for him to go to bed betimes in
the evening & he may ly as long in the morning
as he sleeps sound but soaking abed without
sleeping & or even with broken slumbers will
weaken him & hurt him much, especially if he
has any disposition to sweat
7. These are the measures that are proper
just now & I hope they will restore Mr Pratt
entirely but if the pain of his side that he now
feels on a full breathing does not soon remove
he should have a perpetual Blister made upon
the part
If at any ↑time↑ I can be further usefull I shall
always be ready to give my best advice. By next
Post I shall advise fully for Mrs Pratt. I am
Diplomatic Text
I have been at what pains I can to
consider your Ladys & Sons case & I write you now
of the last as it is all I can at this time overtake.
I am afraid he is liable to a Consumption but
I hope it has not yet made any progress & by a
little attention to his manner of life may be en¬
tirely prevented. Formerly when his symptoms
were more urgent Medicines might have been
necessary but now his symptoms are moderate
few or no Medicines will be necessary I depend
upon a proper regimen such as follows.
1. He should give up taking Meat that is either
fish or flesh altogether & continue himself to Milk
& Grain. Roots & Greens he may take if he is very
fond of them but I would rather he should let them
alone & keep to Milk meats. He should take no
other drink but toast & water
[Page 2]
2. While he continues at Berwick he should
take half a pint of Asses milk every morning but
I think he would be the better for quitting the
neighbourhood of the sea for six weeks at this
season & he should go over to the Cheviot Hills
& drink Goat Whey for that time. If this mea¬
sure is agreeable to you & him let me know
& I shall give particular directions for the ma¬
nagement of the Goat Whey Course.
3. Whether he takes that Course or remains
at home it is proper for him to lay aside all
sedentary business & to get some health & strength
before he takes to it again
4. Every day that the weather is fair he should
go on horseback for two three or four hours; at
first for a short time but by degrees increasing
it. The motion should always be easy & any vio¬
[Page 3]
lent Exercise may do him much harm. When the
Wind is from the West he may take the Sea Coast
but ↑when↑ from the East he should go up the Tweed.
Walking gently is allowable but walking fast,
uphill or long at one time is very bad for him
& in short Dancing or any violent bodily Exercise
will be very hurtfull.
5. Being much in the open Air is good for
him & it is only by being much accostomed to this
that he can avoid being affected with Cold but
in the mean time He must avoid this with the
utmost care. He must ↑not↑ be abroad in the Evening
later than an hour before sunset. His cloathing
should even in summer be very warm & a flannel
shirt or vest next his skin will be of service to him
Let him avoid walking on wet ground [&?] in every
Circumstance avoid all damp & moisture.
[Page 4]
6. It is proper for him to go to bed betimes in
the evening & he may ly as long in the morning
as he sleeps sound but soaking abed without
sleeping & or even with broken slumbers will
weaken him & hurt him much, especially if he
has any disposition to sweat
7. These are the measures that are proper
just now & I hope they will restore Mr Pratt
entirely but if the pain of his side that he now
feels on a full breathing does not soon remove
he should have a perpetual Blister made upon
the part
If at any ↑time↑ I can be further usefull I shall
always be ready to give my best advice. By next
Post I shall advise fully for Mrs Pratt. I am
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