The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[Case ID:1977]: Case of Charles, Clara and Gideon, the deceased children of Alexander Murray, 7th Lord Elibank, who all died in infancy and concerning his fears about hereditary weakness and how to prevent premature death.
Documents in this case
2 document(s) found in this case.
| DOC ID | Summary | Date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
[DOC ID:2753] |
Case note describing the cases of Charles (1781-82), Clara (1785-86) and Gideon (1783-84), children of Alexander Murray, 7th Lord Elibank, who all died in infancy died between 1782 and 1786. Charles and Clara had been inoculated against smallpox, and Charles's first wet-nurse had a herpetic rash on her breasts. Includes reports of Charles and Clara's post-mortems. Contextual evidence affirms that this report was drawn up by the Peebles surgeon James Reid, and was probably written shortly after the death of Clara in mid-January 1786. | January 1786 | |||
|
[DOC ID:5224] |
Letter to Alexander Murray, 7th Baron Elibank, concerning fears about infant health, after Cullen has read Mr Reid's account of the last illnesses and autopsies of his three dead babies (Charles, Clara and Gideon). He tries to reassure him: 'Upon the most anxious enquiry I cannot find that there were any unusual, or any ways faulty circumstances in the Mother that could be suspected to give occasion to the unhappy events which happened to the Children, nor indeed can I find any circumstances in the rearing and management of the Children that could be supposed to have such effect.' He hopes there is no congenital defect, but that 'there are very few instances of the same faults taking place in many Children of the same family', and gives some general advice about medicines for his living children. | 16 March 1786 | |||
People involved in this case
8 found.
| PERS ID | Full Name |
|---|---|
| [PERS ID: 4404] | Mrs |
| [PERS ID: 1] | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID: 1287] | Lady Mary Clara Murray (Lady Elibank) |
| [PERS ID: 1455] | Baron Alexander Murray (of Darnhall or Blackbarony; of Elibank; Lord Elibank; 7th Baron Elibank) |
| [PERS ID: 4401] | Mr Charles Murray |
| [PERS ID: 4402] | Miss Clara Murray |
| [PERS ID: 4403] | Mr Gideon Murray |
| [PERS ID: 2803] | Mr James Reid |
Unique Places linked to this Case
4 found.
| Type | Specific Place | Village/Town/City (aka) | Region | Country | Continent | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specific | Cullen's House / Mint Close | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain |
| Place | Peebles | Borders | Scotland | Europe | inferred | |
| Place | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | inferred | |
| Specific | Blackbarony / Black Barony Castle / Darnhall / Darn Hall | Peebles | Borders | Scotland | Europe | inferred |
Places and role of place
4 found.
| Type | Role | Specific Place | Village/Town/City (aka) | Region | Country | Continent | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specific | Place of Writing | Cullen's House / Mint Close | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain |
| Place | Place of Writing | Peebles | Borders | Scotland | Europe | inferred | |
| Place | Destination of Letter | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | inferred | |
| Specific | Destination of Letter | Blackbarony / Black Barony Castle / Darnhall / Darn Hall | Peebles | Borders | Scotland | Europe | inferred |
