The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:91] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Mr Alexander Dunbar (Mr Alexander Dunbar of Thunderton) (Patient) / 23 May 1770 / (Outgoing)
Reply 'For Mr Al.[exander] Dunbar of Thunderton' who has a chill. Includes a postscript regarding the recipe from 2nd June.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 2 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 91 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/1/86 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 23 May 1770 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Scribal copy ( includes Casebook Entry) |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | Yes |
| Regimen | Yes |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply 'For Mr Al.[exander] Dunbar of Thunderton' who has a chill. Includes a postscript regarding the recipe from 2nd June. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:42] |
Case of Alexander Dunbar suffering from uneasiness and chilliness. |
1 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:20] | Patient | Mr Alexander Dunbar (Mr Alexander Dunbar of Thunderton) |
| [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 | Arbuthnot House | Arbuthnot | East Highlands | Scotland | Europe | inferred |
| Mentioned / Other | Moray | East Highlands | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
For Mr Al. Dunbar of Thunderton
I had the favour of yours on Monday but from particular circum¬
stances could not possibly answer you before now. I am now determined
with regard to your ailments & in the first place that they have no conse¬
quence. I am now fully persuaded that they have no connection with the kid¬
ney, I think the uneasiness you have so long felt is external & rheu¬
matic but that the Chilliness is more or less aguish. I fancy that
Arbuthnot house is a more dry situation than your own at home &
that this with the warmth of the season will deliver you from any thing
aguish & I would rather trust to that than have recourse to Medecines
without more necessity. If the pain or rather uneasiness of your side con¬
tinues I advise you to put on the blister which may be four inches long
by two & a half broad to be laid along the edges of your short ribs. The
blister may be healed up as in course as I hope it is not necessary to
keep it open & tho the uneasiness should not yield entirely to the first blis¬
ter I would rather after a little Interval apply a Second than [d?]employ
an Issue. I hope that this is all the remedy you require but I think
the pills ordered below may have a good effect on your constitution &
with the favour of the season obviate the return of any coldness in your side
Three of them are to be taken an hour before dinner as ma↑n↑y at bed time
every day only if they show any tendency to purge or do more than keep
your belly open the dose mus be diminished. Along with this remedy
you must drink no malt liquor of any kind. I do not think it possible
by any art to deprive malt liquor of [its?] purgative quality & tho you was
not taking this medecine I do not think it fit for you. Toast Water
with a little Wine in it is much more proper. In diet I do not think it
necessary to lay you under any restraint, only that you should avoid
everything liable to prove heavy on you Stomach & even with respect
[Page 2]
to quantity it should always be kept light. I don't hink it necessary
or even adviseable for you to abstain altogether from strong drink
but I would prefer Claret to Punch & with respect to either that you should
keep strictly within bounds & should never go the length of being in
any degree heated. Exercise is extremely proper for you & especially
on horseback. Moderate walking is also allowable but to any de¬
gree of fatigue will hurt you. It will be of the utmost consequence
for you to avoid Cold & as I suspect that Arbuthnot House is more
exposed to the Easterly Winds than your house in Murray 1 think
you must cover up accordingly & avoid the evenings. Take par¬
ticular care of your feet & legs. This is I hope all that is necessary
at present if any questions or doubts farther occur to you I shall
be ready to solve them as well as I can being with great regard
Take three drachms softened extract of Peruvian bark and half a drachm of each Aloe and vitriol. Add a sufficient quantity of mucilage of Gum Tragacanth in order to form a dough and divide it into 5 individual pills. Label it: Strengthening Pills, three for a dose twice a day.
1770
2d June
Continue the pills without Aloe, two to three times a day.
Notes:
1: The addressee, Alexander Dunbar of Thunderton's 'house in Murray', was probably "Northfield House" near Duffus, in Moray (his designation prior to 1776, being "Dunbar of Northfield'). In 1769 he had married Margaret, daughter of John, Viscount Arbuthnot, of Arbuthnott House in southern Aberdeenshire. The implication is that Dunbar is currently staying with his new in-laws at Arbuthnott.
Diplomatic Text
For Mr Al. Dunbar of Thunderton
I had the favour of yours on Monday but from particular circum¬
stances could not possibly answer you before now. I am now determined
with regard to your ailments & in the first place that they have no conse¬
quence. I am now fully persuaded that they have no connection wth the kid¬
ney, I think the uneasiness you have so long felt is external & rheu¬
matic but that the Chilliness is more or less aguish. I fancy that
Arbuthnot house is a more dry situation than your own at home &
that this wth the warmth of the season will deliver you from any thing
aguish & I would rather trust to that than have recourse to Medecines
wthout more necessity. If the pain or rather uneasiness of your side con¬
tinues I advise you to put on the blister which may be four inches long
by two & a half broad to be laid along the edges of your short ribs. The
blister may be healed up as in course as I hope it is not necessary to
keep it open & tho the uneasiness should not yield entirely to the first blis¬
ter I would rather after a little Interval apply a Second than [d?]employ
an Issue. I hope that this is all the remedy you require but I think
the pills ordered below may have a good effect on your constitution &
wth the favour of the season obviate the return of any coldness in your side
Three of them are to be taken an hour before dinner as ma↑n↑y at bed time
every day only if they show any tendency to purge or do more than keep
your belly open the dose mus be diminished. Along wth this remedy
you must drink no malt liquor of any kind. I do not think it possible
by any art to deprive malt liquor of [its?] purgative quality & tho you was
not taking this medecine I do not think it fit for you. Toast Water
with a little Wine in it is much more proper. In diet I do not think it
necessary to lay you under any restraint, only that you should avoid
everything liable to prove heavy on you Stomach & even wt respect
[Page 2]
to quantity it should always be kept light. I don't hink it necessary
or even adviseable for you to abstain altogether from strong drink
but I would prefer Claret to Punch & wt respect to either that you should
keep strictly within bounds & should never go the length of being in
any degree heated. Exercise is extremely proper for you & especially
on horseback. Moderate walking is also allowable but to any de¬
gree of fatigue will hurt you. It will be of the utmost consequence
for you to avoid Cold & as I suspect that Arbuthnot House is more
exposed to the Easterly Winds than your house in Murray 1 think
you must cover up accordingly & avoid the evenings. Take par¬
ticular care of your feet & legs. This is I hope all that is necessary
at present if any questions or doubts farther occur to you I shall
be ready to solve them as well as I can being with great regard
℞ Extr. Cort. Peruv. moll. ʒiii Aloes Socoterin. Sal Mart ad ʒfs
Mucilag. G. Tragac. q.s. ut f. massa dividenda in pil Sing. gr. v.
Signa Strengthening Pills three for a dose twice a day.
1770
2d June
Repetantur pil. Sine Aloes. Pil. ii vel iii bis
in die
Notes:
1: The addressee, Alexander Dunbar of Thunderton's 'house in Murray', was probably "Northfield House" near Duffus, in Moray (his designation prior to 1776, being "Dunbar of Northfield'). In 1769 he had married Margaret, daughter of John, Viscount Arbuthnot, of Arbuthnott House in southern Aberdeenshire. The implication is that Dunbar is currently staying with his new in-laws at Arbuthnott.
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