The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:1133] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Mr Alexander Campbell (Patient) / 8 March 1775 / (Outgoing)
Reply, in form of retained, neat authorial draft, giving directions for Alexander Campbell. Cullen is unsure how much of his ill health is 'from any hurt which his constitution received in the W. Indies or from circumstances in his manner of living since', but believes regardless that his constitution is 'somewhat broken'. Although not presented in numbered paragraphs, this substantial set of directions is termed a 'regimen' by Cullen and has, as a consequence, been tagged in the database as a formal 'Regimen'. Final of three recipes deleted.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 8 images for this document.
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Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 1133 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/234 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 8 March 1775 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Authorial original |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | Yes |
| Regimen | Yes |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply, in form of retained, neat authorial draft, giving directions for Alexander Campbell. Cullen is unsure how much of his ill health is 'from any hurt which his constitution received in the W. Indies or from circumstances in his manner of living since', but believes regardless that his constitution is 'somewhat broken'. Although not presented in numbered paragraphs, this substantial set of directions is termed a 'regimen' by Cullen and has, as a consequence, been tagged in the database as a formal 'Regimen'. Final of three recipes deleted. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:336] |
Case of Alexander Campbell who is suffering from various symptoms after spending some time in the West Indies. |
3 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:1722] | Patient | Mr Alexander Campbell |
| [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 |
| Mentioned / Other | West Indies | certain |
Normalized Text
For Alexander Campbell Esq.r
Whether from any hurt which his constitution
recieved in the West Indies or from circumstances in
his manner of living since, his constitution has
suffered, is not easy to determine: but it appears
sufficiently that more than a twelvemonth ago se¬
veral symptoms shewed his constitution to be
somewhat broken & the stroke which he received
on his head in August last has rendered every cir¬
cumstance still worse. He is not yet properly
affected with any particular disease & his symp¬
toms express only a general loss of vigour in his
whole body. For what I can see this may with
good management still be repaired but it will re¬
quire a great deal of attention for some time. The
following measures are what I can recommend to
him.
In Diet he may take any plain meat whether
[Page 2]
flesh or fish as his appetite disposes him to: but
when his appetite is tolerable he should prefer
the lighter kinds & at any rate he should take
meat but once a day ↑& with respect to quantity he should keep his stomach always light↑. While his appetite, is bad
& his stomach disposed to flatulency he should
take no broths & he must be very sparing of
all sort of vegetables except it may be in the
summer seasons when the vegetables first come
in & are very young and tender. He may take
mustard freely & some kinds of spiceries mo¬
derately but should take no kind of Pickles.
I have no objection to his taking cold meat
whenever his appetite disposes him to it. He
should keep his suppers always very light; for
breakfast or at any other time he should take
no Indian tea, or coffee, but may take weak cho¬
colate, cocoa tea, or bread & milk.
In Drink he should be as moderate as
[Page 3]
possible in point of quantity, of any kind. He
should entirely abstain from malt liquors and
his ordinary drink should be plain water or
with a little wine in it. As I suppose he has
been accustomed to take more or less of strong
drink every day, he must continue to do so but
it must be always moderately & quantity
that heats him or approaches to intoxication
will always do him much harm. On these
conditions he may take either wine or punch
& the liquor which passes most readily by wine
I should think the best for him, & I should
think his punch the better for both being
weak & having little souring.
It is very proper & even necessary to avoid sit¬
ting long at business of any kind & particularly
in writing. he should be frequently in the fresh
air & in moderate exercise. His walking must
[Page 4]
particularly be very moderate, for walking fast,
walking up hill, or long at one time will do
him always harm. Now the severity of the
season being over, riding on horseback is the
most proper exercise for him, & he should be
on horseback more or less every day, taking
care however that it is always within the
bounds of fatigue & that his legs and feet
be never much chilled.
Every morning he should have his feet &
legs well rubbed & chafed with warm
flannel or he may have them rubbed gently but
for a long time with a flesh brush. At
all times by thick shoes & warm stockings he should
keep his feet warm and dry.
In every other respect the should guard a¬
gainst cold & at the same time avoid soaking
much in warm chambers. Late hours are very
[Page 5]
bad for him & it is almost as hurtfull for him
to lye long abed in the morning.
These are articles of regimen which Mr
Campbell must consider as essentially necessary
& unless they be strictly observed, the remedies
I am to propose will be of little service: but
with a proper regimen & the following reme¬
dies I hope he will recover his wonted health
& vigour.
In the place of his neck where we ordinarily
put a seton, let a pea issue be put in on each
side of the spine which may be done by caustic 1
but, I think, better by the lancet. If these issues
discharge well they must be continued for some
time but if they either do not discharge well or
be very troublesome in that part they may be
transferred to the legs on the inside a little be¬
low the knee & this measure will be especially
[Page 6]
proper if the edematous swellings of his legs
should increase.
To restore the tone of his system let him
take a dose of the tonic powders ordered on t'o¬
ther page twice a day, that is about eleven o clock
forenoon & again at seven of the evening wa¬
shing down each dose with a small teacup¬
full of the Strengthening Infusion also orde¬
red on the other page.
If after a few days trial the powders be found
to sit well on his stomach it will be proper
to increase the dose of the Limatura to double
of what is now prescribed & in a week or ten days
after on the same condition, the Limatura may
be increased at each dose to three or four times
the quantity now ordered. These medicines may
be continued for a month but no longer at one time,
& if the edematous swellings of his legs & scarcity
[Page 7]
of urine should notwithstanding these medicines
continue to increase they must be interrupted &
he must take to the use of the Diuretic mix¬
ture ordered below, & in continuing the use of
this the dose of it must be increased to what
his stomach & bowels easily bear.
These are all the medicines I think necessary
at present but if Mr Campbell will be pleased
to give me any report of their effects & an account
of his then circumstances I shall be very ready
to contribute whatever is in my power to his re¬
covery.
Take five grains of prepared Limat. Martis, ten grains each of powdered cinnamon and white sugar. Mix and make a powder and in an emergency make a dose of twelve. Label: Tonic Powders, one to be taken in a little currant jelly twice a day.
[Page 8]
Take half an ounce of powdered Peruvian Bark. In a glass or marble mortar rub with a little water [for an hour?] then add two pounds of water {illeg} in powder {illeg} and add half a drachm each of orange peel and cinnamon, one drachm of coriander seeds. Soak to soften for eight hours then strain in paper and to the strained solution add two ounces of aromatic Tincture. Label: Strengthening Infusion. A small teacupful to be taken with every dose of the powders.
Take 3 a drachm and a half four scruples of Salt volatile of hartshorn ↑Tartar↑, two ounces of lemon juice or a sufficient quantity, yet no more than his; and three ounces of rose water, two ounces of simple cinnamon, ten drachms of simple syrup and one drachm of soluable Tartar. Mix. Label: Diuretic Mixture. Two tablespoonfulls to be taken three or four times a day.
AlexanderCampbell
Esquire March. 1776 [End of margin text]
Diplomatic Text
For Alexander Campbell Esq.r
Whether from any hurt which his constitution
recieved in the W. Indies or from circumstances in
his manner of living since, his constitution has
suffered, is not easy to determine: but it appears
sufficiently that more than a twelvemonth ago se¬
veral symptoms shewed his constitution to be
somewhat broken & the stroke which he received
on his head in August last has rendered every cir¬
cumstance still worse. He is not yet properly
affected with any particular disease & his symp¬
toms express only a general loss of vigour in his
whole body. For what I can see this may with
good management still be repaired but it will re¬
quire a great deal of attention for some time. The
following measures are what I can recommend to
him.
In Diet he may take any plain meat whether
[Page 2]
flesh or fish as his appetite disposes him to: but
when his appetite is tolerable he should prefer
the lighter kinds & at any rate he should take
meat but once a day ↑& with respect to quantity he should keep his stomach always light↑. While his appetite, is bad
& his stomach disposed to flatulency he should
take no broths & he must be very sparing of
all sort of vegetables except it may be in the
summer seasons when the vegetables first come
in & are very young and tender. He may take
mustard freely & some kinds of spiceries mo¬
derately but should take no kind of Pickles.
I have no objection to his taking cold meat
whenever his appetite disposes him to it. He
should keep his suppers always very light; for
breakfast or at any other time he should take
no Indian tea, or coffee, but may take weak cho¬
colate, cocoa tea, or bread & milk.
In Drink he should be as moderate as
[Page 3]
possible in point of quantity, of any kind. He
should entirely abstain from malt liquors and
his ordinary drink should be plain water or
with a little wine in it. As I suppose he has
been accustomed to take more or less of strong
drink every day, he must continue to do so but
it must be always moderately & quantity
that heats him or approaches to intoxication
will always do him much harm. On these
conditions he may take either wine or punch
& the liquor which passes most readily by wine
I should think the best for him, & I should
think his punch the better for both being
weak & having little souring.
It is very proper & even necessary to avoid sit¬
ting long at business of any kind & particularly
in writing. he should be frequently in the fresh
air & in moderate exercise. His walking must
[Page 4]
particularly be very moderate, for walking fast,
walking up hill, or long at one time will do
him always harm. Now the severity of the
season being over, riding on horseback is the
most proper exercise for him, & he should be
on horseback more or less every day, taking
care however that it is always within the
bounds of fatigue & that his legs and feet
be never much chilled.
Every morning he should have his feet &
legs well rubbed & chafed with warm
flannel or he may have them rubbed gently but
for a long time with a flesh brush. At
all times by thick shoes & warm stockings he should
keep his feet warm and dry.
In every other respect the should guard a¬
gainst cold & at the same time avoid soaking
much in warm chambers. Late hours are very
[Page 5]
bad for him & it is almost as hurtfull for him
to lye long abed in the morning.
These are articles of regimen which Mr
Campbell must consider as essentially necessary
& unless they be strictly observed, the remedies
I am to propose will be of little service: but
with a proper regimen & the following reme¬
dies I hope he will recover his wonted health
& vigour.
In the place of his neck where we ordinarily
put a seton, let a pea issue be put in on each
side of the spine which may be done by caustic 1
but, I think, better by the lancet. If these issues
discharge well they must be continued for some
time but if they either do not discharge well or
be very troublesome in that part they may be
transferred to the legs on the inside a little be¬
low the knee & this measure will be especially
[Page 6]
proper if the edematous swellings of his legs
should increase.
To restore the tone of his system let him
take a dose of the tonic powders ordered on t'o¬
ther page twice a day, that is about eleven o clock
forenoon & again at seven of the evening wa¬
shing down each dose with a small teacup¬
full of the Strengthening Infusion also orde¬
red on the other page.
If after a few days trial the powders be found
to sit well on his stomach it will be proper
to increase the dose of the Limatura to double
of what is now prescribed & in a week or ten days
after on the same condition, the Limatura may
be increased at each dose to three or four times
the quantity now ordered. These medicines may
be continued for a month but no longer at one time,
& if the edematous swellings of his legs & scarcity
[Page 7]
of urine should notwithstanding these medicines
continue to increase they must be interrupted &
he must take to the use of the Diuretic mix¬
ture ordered below, & in continuing the use of
this the dose of it must be increased to what
his stomach & bowels easily bear.
These are all the medicines I think necessary
at present but if Mr Campbell will be pleased
to give me any report of their effects & an account
of his then circumstances I shall be very ready
to contribute whatever is in my power to his re¬
covery.
℞ Limat. Mart. pp.t [gr.?] V
cinnam. pulv.
sacch. alb. duriss. @ gr. X
ℳ. f. pulvis et f. h:m. dos. No xii
Signa Tonic powders one to be taken in a little cur¬
rant jelly twice a day.
[Page 8]
℞ Pulv. cort. Peruv. ℥ſs
In mortario vitreo vel marmoreo terito cum pauxillo
aquae per horam dein adde Aquam ad lbij
{illeg} in p {illeg} et adde
Cort. aurant.
-- cinnam. @ ʒjſs
sem. coriandr. ʒi
Macera horas octo dein p chart. cola et liquori
colato adde Tinct. aromat. ℥ij
Signa strengthening Infusion a small tea cup
ful to be taken with every dose of the powders.
℞ 2 Sal.vol. c. cerv ↑Tartar↑ ʒiſs ℈jv
Succ. limon ℥ij vel. q.s. necamplius
Aq. rosar. ℥iij
- cinnam. simpl. ℥ij
Syr. simpl. ʒx
Sol. Tartar ʒj
ℳ. Signa Diuretic Mixture. two tablespoon¬
fuls to be taken three or four times a day.
AlexrCampbell
Esqr March. 1776 [End of margin text]
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