The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:1409] From: Dr James Kenneth Saunders / To: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / Regarding: Mrs Catherine Gordon (Innes) (of Gight) (Patient), Baron George Gordon (of Gight, 11th Baron of Gight) (Patient) / 22 May 1777 / (Incoming)
Letter from James Saunders concerning the case of the Gordons of Gight (maternal grandparents of Lord Byron). He has had care of the Baron since childhood. He has always been delicate, and has gout, stomach and nervous complaints, as well as an enlarged breast. Mrs Gordon has less severe health problems, but both seem to have been affected by the recent loss of one of their children.
- 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 | 1409 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/505 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Incoming |
| Date | 22 May 1777 |
| 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 James Saunders concerning the case of the Gordons of Gight (maternal grandparents of Lord Byron). He has had care of the Baron since childhood. He has always been delicate, and has gout, stomach and nervous complaints, as well as an enlarged breast. Mrs Gordon has less severe health problems, but both seem to have been affected by the recent loss of one of their children. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:833] |
Case of Gordon of Gight with gout, stomach and nervous complaints. |
3 |
| [Case ID:834] |
Case of Mrs Gordon of Gight with Fluor Albus and cough. |
2 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:596] | Author | Dr James Kenneth Saunders |
| [PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:1733] | Patient | Baron George Gordon (of Gight, 11th Baron of Gight) |
| [PERS ID:159] | Patient | Mrs Catherine Gordon (of Gight) |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:596] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr James Kenneth Saunders |
| [PERS ID:1734] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | Miss Abercromby Gordon |
Places linked to this document
| Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Writing | Banff (Bamf) | East Highlands | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Destination of Letter | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Mentioned / Other | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Mentioned / Other | Fochabers | East Highlands | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
I was favoured with your Letter
of the 10th, but shall not on this occasion pretend
to say how much I am obliged to you.
This will be delivered to you by my Friend Mr Gordon of Gight,
who has formally been your Patient. He goes to Edinburgh
purposely to have your advice about his own health
& Mrs Gordons, & as you will see them both, it is certainly
very unnecessary for me to trouble you with any long
information about them, but Mr Gordon desires it, as I have
had the charge of his health since he was born. He has
been from his Infancy very tender, & when he came to
be a Man, very subject to what are commonly called
Nervous & Stomach Complaints; it must be confessed
that these Complaints have sometimes been greatly
increased, by living too freely in Company, for which
he always afterwards severely suffered, but he was
commonly repaired again by living more cautiously
[Page 2]
& using Peterhead water, & Sea bathing in the Season, which
never failed hitherto to do him much good.
Of late he has lived with much caution as to drinking,
& yet his complaints have been greatly increased this
Winter. He has twice or thrice had fainting fits,
which alarmed him greatly, drinking warm water, brought
up great quantities of Bile & Phlegm from his Stomach,
which never failed to give him immediate relief -
During this distress he was seized with pains in his Feet
which had to me the appearance of being Goutish, & I
endeavoured by Sinapisms & every thing that occurred,
to promote its forming, & indeed his Feet swelled & have
been slightly inflamed & considerably swelled (↑pained↑) thro this Winter.
These complaints increased a habit, which he has a great
tendency to in bad health, that of keeping his bed & a
dislike to company & Exercise; In this time he gene¬
rally slept in the day time, sweat profusely, & tossed &
tumbled about in his bed restless all night.
He lost his appetite so that he could taste no food, without
bringing on violent reachings to vomit, by which he
was quite sunk. The first thing stayd on his Stomach
was Seltzer water, & he has since that drunk of it &
[Page 3]
spa water with considerable benefit. He has been prevailed
on for some weeks past, to get regularly out of bed
& take exercise every day in a Carriage; & now his Appetite
is restored & his strength very much increased.
He continues to live temperately as to drink, but in
eating he indulges his appetite too much, & is obliged
to have frequent recourse to vomiting for his relief.
All these Complaints & Mrs Gordon's likewise were great¬
ly increased by the loss of a favourite Child this Winter
Mrs Gordon's Complaints are a Fluor Albus & slight
Cough of all which she will inform you --
She has no doubt suffered greatly by a closs attendance
on Gight which has confined her much.
They now set out for Edinburgh, resolved to under¬
take any Journey or any thing whatsomever which
you shall recommend.
I am sensible I have said much more than
was necessary as you are to see them, but I could
not avoid it.
I am with the most sincere esteem
your most affectionate &
obliged Huble Servant.
[Page 4]
For some years past Gight has had one of the breasts larger
than the other, without any increase or decrease. The Nipple
is sometimes slightly inflamed & pain'd, which alarms him
but without cause I hope - The only application that has
been made was the Unguent: Nutrit:
To
Doctor William Cullen
Physician
in Edinburgh
Dr Saunders Concerning
Gordon of Gight
May 1777
V171 p 57 --
Diplomatic Text
I was favoured with your Letter
of the 10th, but shall not on this occasion pretend
to say how much I am obliged to you.
This will be delivered to you by my Friend Mr Gordon of Gight,
who has formally been your Patient. He goes to Edinr
purposely to have your advice about his own health
& Mrs Gordons, & as you will see them both, it is certainly
very unnecessary for me to trouble you with any long
information about them, but Mr Gordon desires it, as I have
had the charge of his health since he was born. He has
been from his Infancy very tender, & when he came to
be a Man, very subject to what are commonly called
Nervous & Stomach Complaints; it must be confessed
that these Complaints have sometimes been greatly
increased, by living too freely in Company, for which
he always afterwards severely suffered, but he was
commonly repaired again by living more cautiously
[Page 2]
& using Peterhead water, & Sea bathing in the Season, which
never failed hitherto to do him much good.
Of late he has lived with much caution as to drinking,
& yet his complaints have been greatly increased this
Winter. He has twice or thrice had fainting fits,
which alarmed him greatly, drinking warm water, brought
up great quantities of Bile & Phlegm from his Stomach,
which never failed to give him immediate relief -
During this distress he was seized with pains in his Feet
which had to me the appearance of being Goutish, & I
endeavoured by Sinapisms & every thing that occurred,
to promote its forming, & indeed his Feet swelled & have
been slightly inflamed & considerably swelled (↑pained↑) thro this Winter.
These complaints increased a habit, which he has a great
tendency to in bad health, that of keeping his bed & a
dislike to company & Exercise; In this time he gene¬
rally slept in the day time, sweat profusely, & tossed &
tumbled about in his bed restless all night.
He lost his appetite so that he could taste no food, without
bringing on violent reachings to vomit, by which he
was quite sunk. The first thing stayd on his Stomach
was Seltzer water, & he has since that drunk of it &
[Page 3]
spa water with considerable benefit. He has been prevailed
on for some weeks past, to get regularly out of bed
& take exercise every day in a Carriage; & now his Appetite
is restored & his strength very much increased.
He continues to live temperately as to drink, but in
eating he indulges his appetite too much, & is obliged
to have frequent recourse to vomiting for his relief.
All these Complaints & Mrs Gordon's likewise were great¬
ly increased by the loss of a favourite Child this Winter
Mrs Gordon's Complaints are a Fluor Albus & slight
Cough of all which she will inform you --
She has no doubt suffered greatly by a closs attendance
on Gight which has confined her much.
They now set out for Edinburgh, resolved to under¬
take any Journey or any thing whatsomever which
you shall recommend.
I am sensible I have said much more than
was necessary as you are to see them, but I could
not avoid it.
I am with the most sincere esteem
your most affectionate &
obliged Huble Servant.
[Page 4]
For some years past Gight has had one of the breasts larger
than the other, without any increase or decrease. The Nipple
is sometimes slightly inflamed & pain'd, which alarms him
but without cause I hope - The only application that has
been made was the Unguent: Nutrit:
To
Doctor William Cullen
Physician
in Edinburgh
Dr Saunders C.
Gordon of Gight
May 1777
V171 p 57 --
XML
XML file not yet available.
Feedback
Send us specfic feeback about this document [DOC ID:1409]
Please note that the Cullen Project team have now disbanded but your comments will be logged in our system and we will look at them one day...
