The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:923] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Mr James Garthshore (James Garthshore of Alderston) (Patient) / October 1774 / (Outgoing)
Reply, in the form of a very neatly written loose draft almost certainly in Cullen's own hand, with regimen for James Garthshore of Alderston, whose complaints 'are such as require a very serious attention', with recipes for Stomachic Powders and a Laxative Electuary.
- 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 | 923 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/186 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | October 1774 |
| 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 the form of a very neatly written loose draft almost certainly in Cullen's own hand, with regimen for James Garthshore of Alderston, whose complaints 'are such as require a very serious attention', with recipes for Stomachic Powders and a Laxative Electuary. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:5] |
Case of James Garthshore whose has stomach complaint. |
4 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:443] | Patient | Mr James Garthshore (Gartshore of Alderston) |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:834] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | Mr James Garthshore (James Garthshore snr. of Alderston) |
Places linked to this document
| Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Writing | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | inferred | |
| Destination of Letter | Alderston House | Haddington | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | inferred |
| Mentioned / Other | Ormiston | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Mentioned / Other | Alderston House | Haddington | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
For M.r Garthshore
Having attended to every Circumstance of M.r
Garthshore's Complaints I find they are such as
require a very serious attention. If they shall
continue to recurr and that with any increase
of violence they may certainly be of the worst
consequence. But at the same time I am well
persuaded that by due attention and a proper
regimen they may be prevented altogether and
in the mean time rendered[t?] very safe. The
measures to be pursued are I think the following
1st As his ailments depend upon a fullness of
blood which his Constitution is naturaly dis¬
posed to it will be necessary for him to take
down his diet to a considerable degree. He
must for some time give up animal food alto¬
gether and take to vegetables and milk. He 1 .
is possible however that vegetables may for
some time be troublesome by their flatulen¬
cy but that I expect will soon wear off and
in the mean time he may avoid the more
windy kinds as Cabbage or the colder kinds
as cucumber and sallatt (↑d↑)ing. The vegetable food
which will give the least disturbance and
which he ought therefore chiefly to deal in is grain
[Page 2]
of all kinds as wheat, Rice ↑millet↑ Barley, oats, and
what is of the same nature with these sego
and salep. These may be prepared in very various
ways and may be either taken by themselves
or with milk and all kinds of fruit. and
Some variety ought to be studied to prevent his
ty (↑i↑)ring of this Diet. What milk he takes should
be as fresh from the Cow as he can convenient¬
ly get it and if he finds any difficulty in
digesting it he may at first take it with an
equal part of warm water gruel sweetened
very well with sugar. By degrees the gruel
may be withdrawn and the milk taken
alone.
2. While he is upon this diet he must abstain
from all sort of fermented liquor whether wines
or malt liquors and at the same time/{illeg}
from Spirits in any shape. His ordinary
drink may be water or fresh drawn whey. If
tea is ↑not↑ found to increase the flatulency of his
stomach he may take it as usual and espe¬
cialy if instead of indian tea he will take balm
rosemary or sage.
3. Even this diet will not prevent fullness if
he does not at the same time take a good
[Page 3]
deal of exercise. He should not ly long
abed in the morning and he should be
almost always in the fresh air and in
[Start of margin text]constant[End of margin text] gentle motion. His bodily exercise should never
be violent and never so much as ↑either↑ to heat or to
fatigue him. But under this restriction
he can hardly take so much in that (↑bodily exer¬
cise↑) way as may be necessary and therefore he
should be very frequently on horseback.
It is ↑indeed pretty constant↑ moderate exercise that is especially necessary
for him but it is hardly to be supposed that
any man will be sufficiently assiduous in
this without some bussiness and Employment
that engages him. I must therefore earnestly
advise M.r Garthshore to provide some bussiness
for himself particularly in the way of farming
and till he gets a farm of his own he should
take the Charge of his Fathers. To go and com[e]
between Ormiston and Alderston and to spend
some time upon the latter every day will [be]
no more than enough for him.
4.th If these measures are followed there will be
little occasion for medicine but for some time he
may continue to take the cephalic wine two
or three times every day and also twice a day
[Page 4]
one of the powders ordered below.
5.th I expect that his vegetable diet will
keep him more regular in his Stools than
he has hitherto been But if this should
not happen there is nothing more neces¬
sary for him than to avoid costiveness
and therefore as often as occasion requires
let him take in the morning a dose
of the laxative electuary ordered below.
Take 10 grains of prepared Crabs' Eyes, 20 grains of White Magnesia and 1 grain of Nutmeg. Mix and make into a powder, and let there be made in this way 24 doses. Label: Stomachic powders one to be taken in a little water twice a day.
Take 2 ounces of powdered Crystal Tartar, 1 ounce of the pulp of French Prunes, 1 drachm of Nutmeg, and enough common syrup as to make a thin Electuary or Linctus. Label: Laxative Electuary two or three tea spoonfulls for a dose.
Notes:
1: 'He' probably written in error for "It"
Diplomatic Text
For M.r Garthshore
Having attended to every Circumstance of M.r
Garthshore's Complaints I find they are such as
require a very serious attention. If they shall
continue to recurr and that with any increase
of violence they may certainly be of the worst
consequence. But at the same time I am well
persuaded that by due attention and a proper
regimen they may be prevented altogether and
in the mean time rendered[t?] very safe. The
measures to be pursued are I think the following
1st As his ailments depend upon a fullness of
blood which his Constitution is naturaly dis¬
posed to it will be necessary for him to take
down his diet to a considerable degree. He
must for some time give up animal food alto¬
gether and take to vegetables and milk. He 1 .
is possible however that vegetables may for
some time be troublesome by their flatulen¬
cy but that I expect will soon wear off and
in the mean time he may avoid the more
windy kinds as Cabbage or the colder kinds
as cucumber and sallatt (↑d↑)ing. The vegetable food
which will give the least disturbance and
which he ought therefore chiefly to deal in is grain
[Page 2]
of all kinds as wheat, Rice ↑millet↑ Barley, oats, and
what is of the same nature with these sego
and salep. These may be prepared in very various
ways and may be either taken by themselves
or with milk and all kinds of fruit. and
Some variety ought to be studied to prevent his
ty (↑i↑)ring of this Diet. What milk he takes should
be as fresh from the Cow as he can convenient¬
ly get it and if he finds any difficulty in
digesting it he may at first take it with an
equal part of warm water gruel sweetened
very well with sugar. By degrees the gruel
may be withdrawn and the milk taken
alone.
2. While he is upon this diet he must abstain
from all sort of fermented liquor whether wines
or malt liquors and at the same time/{illeg}
from Spirits in any shape. His ordinary
drink may be water or fresh drawn whey. If
tea is ↑not↑ found to increase the flatulency of his
stomach he may take it as usual and espe¬
cialy if instead of indian tea he will take balm
rosemary or sage.
3. Even this diet will not prevent fullness if
he does not at the same time take a good
[Page 3]
deal of exercise. He should not ly long
abed in the morning and he should be
almost always in the fresh air and in
[Start of margin text]constant[End of margin text] gentle motion. His bodily exercise should never
be violent and never so much as ↑either↑ to heat or to
fatigue him. But under this restriction
he can hardly take so much in that (↑bodily exer¬
cise↑) way as may be necessary and therefore he
should be very frequently on horseback.
It is ↑indeed pretty constant↑ moderate exercise that is especially necessary
for him but it is hardly to be supposed that
any man will be sufficiently assiduous in
this without some bussiness and Employment
that engages him. I must therefore earnestly
advise M.r Garthshore to provide some bussiness
for himself particularly in the way of farming
and till he gets a farm of his own he should
take the Charge of his Fathers. To go and com[e]
between Ormiston and Alderston and to spend
some time upon the latter every day will [be]
no more than enough for him.
4.th If these measures are followed there will be
little occasion for medicine but for some time he
may continue to take the cephalic wine two
or three times every day and also twice a day
[Page 4]
one of the powders ordered below.
5.th I expect that his vegetable diet will
keep him more regular in his Stools than
he has hitherto been But if this should
not happen there is nothing more neces¬
sary for him than to avoid costiveness
and therefore as often as occasion requires
let him take in the morning a dose
of the laxative electuary ordered below.
℞ Ocul. cancr. ppt. gr. x
Magnes. alb. gr. xx
Nuc. Moschat. vas. gr. 1
ℳ f. pulvis et fiant hujus modi dos. № xxiv
Signa Stomachic powders one to be taken in a little water
twice a day.
℞ Crystall. Tartar pulv. ℥ii
pulp. prunor. Gall. ℥i
Nuc. mosch. vas. ʒi
[Syr. commun. q.s. ut f. Electuarium tenue?]
sive Lochoch.
Sig. Laxative Electuary two or three tea spoonfulls for
a dose.
Notes:
1: 'He' probably written in error for "It"
XML
XML file not yet available.
Feedback
Send us specfic feeback about this document [DOC ID:923]
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...
