The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:4343] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Dr David Goodsir / Regarding: Mrs Margaret Thomson (Paterson) (Thompson; of Charleton) (Patient) / 25 November 1778 / (Outgoing)
Reply titled 'For Mrs Thomson - to Mr Goodsir'.. 'Yours of the 16th I did not think it necessary to answer till Mrs Thomson should return to Fife. She has no topical affection nor particular disease unless you will call it Hypochondriasis'. He advises the use of opiates to help her sleep, with laxatives.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
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Facsimile
There are 2 images for this document.
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Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 4343 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/11/81 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 25 November 1778 |
| 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 titled 'For Mrs Thomson - to Mr Goodsir'.. 'Yours of the 16th I did not think it necessary to answer till Mrs Thomson should return to Fife. She has no topical affection nor particular disease unless you will call it Hypochondriasis'. He advises the use of opiates to help her sleep, with laxatives. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:555] |
Case of Mrs Thomson of Charlton who suffers from sleeplessness and abdominal pains described as hypochondriasis. She is later suspected of having bladder stones and has a paralysis in the arm. |
9 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:1295] | Addressee | Dr David Goodsir |
| [PERS ID:831] | Patient | Mrs Margaret Thomson (Thompson; of Charleton) |
| [PERS ID:1295] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr David Goodsir |
| [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 | Leven | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | inferred | |
| Mentioned / Other | Fife | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
For Mrs Thomson –– to Mr Goodsir.
Yours of the 16th I did not think it necessary to an¬
swer till Mrs Thomson should return to Fife.
She has no topical affection nor particular disease
unless you will call it Hypochondriasis. Low spirits,
want of sleep & some pains of her bowels from costiveness
are her chief complaints. For the two first she must
take what exercise the state of the weather & her indo¬
lence will allow of but I recommend it very earnestly.
For her want of sleep she must frequently have an opiate.
As she commonly sleeps in the fore part of the night &
lies awake in the morning I give her a draught with
30 drops of Thebaic Tincture to be taken some time after said night.
It answered well several times. You may give her a
mixture containing 30 drops to the ounce & therefore to be
taken by two spoonfuls for a dose after midnight when
she happens to awake. But as I found this could not be
repeated often without increasing the dose I gave her a
dose of pills consisting of 5 grains of Asafœtida, 3 grains of Camphor, 3 grains of Nitre & 1 grain of Opium made up with mucilage
& formed into three Pills. You may make a mass of that
kind but as it is difficult to diffuse the Opium equably
in any thing of a mass you must in the first place divide
the mass of the other ingredients into doses and add a
grain of Opium to each. You may set both these ano¬
dynes by her to take the one or other by turns but
neither constantly and only when she misses sleep for a
night or two together. The pills as operating slowly
are to be taken at bed time. Both for relieving her
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tendency to costiveness & the effects of these anodynes
nothing seems better than the Soluble Tartar. But is
an uncertain medicine & is the better of having a
little stimulus added to it.
Take 2 ounces of Soluble Tartar, ½ an ounce each of Spanish Sea-salt and Polychrest Salts, 6 ounces of spring water and 2 ounces of simple Cinnamon water. Dissolve and strain. Label: Aperient solution two table spoonfuls in a muchkin of spring water or cow milk whey at two draughts in the morning.
Increase or diminish this as it gives more or less
than one stool. When she happens to neglect the
use of this medicine so that she misses a stool for
two days she should then immediately have recourse
to such a glyster as I directed her to take here.
Diplomatic Text
For Mrs Thomson –– to Mr Goodsir.
Yours of the 16th I did not think it necessary to an¬
swer till Mrs Thomson should return to Fife.
She has no topical affection nor particular disease
unless you will call it Hypochondriasis. Low spirits,
want of sleep & some pains of her bowels from costiveness
are her chief complaints. For the two first she must
take what exercise the state of the weather & her indo¬
lence will allow of but I recommend it very earnestly.
For her want of sleep she must frequently have an opiate.
As she commonly sleeps in the fore part of the night &
lies awake in the morning I give her a draught with
gtt. XXX Tinct. Theb. to be taken some time after said night.
It answered well several times. You may give her a
mixture containing gtt. XXX to the ounce & therefore to be
taken by two spoonfuls for a dose after midnight when
she happens to awake. But as I found this could not be
repeated often without increasing the dose I gave her a
dose of pills consisting of As. fœtid. gr. V Camph. gr. iij
Nitr. gr. iij & gr. j of Opium made up with mucilage
& formed into three Pills. You may make a mass of that
kind but as it is difficult to diffuse the Opium equably
in any thing of a mass you must in the first place divide
the mass of the other ingredients into doses and add a
grain of Opium to each. You may set both these ano¬
dynes by her to take the one or other by turns but
neither constantly and only when she misses sleep for a
night or two together. The pills as operating slowly
are to be taken at bed time. Both for relieving her
[Page 2]
tendency to costiveness & the effects of these anodynes
nothing seems better than the Soluble Tartar. But is
an uncertain medicine & is the better of having a
little stimulus added to it.
℞ Tart. solub. ℥ij Sal.
marin. hispan –––– polychrest. @ ℥ſs Aq. font. ℥vj
Aq. cinnam. simpl. ℥ij Solve et cola. S. Aperient
solution two table spoonfuls in a muchkin of spring
water or cow milk whey at two draughts in the morng.
Increase or diminish this as it gives more or less
than one stool. When she happens to neglect the
use of this medicine so that she misses a stool for
two days she should then immediately have recourse
to such a glyster as I directed her to take here.
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