The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:108] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Mr John Sinclair (Patient) / 2 September 1770 / (Outgoing)
Reply 'For Mr John Sinclair'
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 3 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
[Page 3]
Metadata
Field | Data |
---|---|
DOC ID | 108 |
RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/1/103 |
Main Language | English |
Document Direction | Outgoing |
Date | 2 September 1770 |
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 'For Mr John Sinclair' |
Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
---|---|---|
[Case ID:306] |
Case of Mr John Sinclair who has a kidney complaint which may be gravel. |
1 |
People linked to this document
Person ID | Role in document | Person |
---|---|---|
[PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:62] | Patient | Mr John Sinclair |
[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 |
Normalized Text
For Mr John Sinclair.
Having considered the whole of Mr Sinclair's history I cannot per¬
ceive at present any other fault in his Constitution but that of a
disposition to Gravel. This has indeed substisted & is liable to gain
strength as per some advance in age so that now it may be difficult to
obviate it entire but as the disposition in Mr Sinclair is to no
great degree & has not yet produced any disorder in the kidneys, it
is hoped that the disposition may be moderated & the consequences in
a great measure avoided by the following measures.
1. Let his Diet be of Animal food, Grain & Milk avoiding
Roots, Grains, & Fruit. He may take any kind of animal that is
not salted smoke dryed or ver fat but the lighter kinds are to be
preferred. Every day he should begin his Dinner with some broth
without Roots or Greens but with Barley, Rice or Bread as he pleases
After that, he may take any kind of plain meat with the exceptions
above; but he should never make a full meal of meat & rather fill
up part of it with pudding or pancake. In summer when Garden things
are young & tender he may take a little of them along with his meat
but he must always take them very sparingly. The Roots he may
take most safely is Potatoes especially when they are dry & mealy.
Fruit of all kinds whether raw or baked I hold to be bad for him but
the last are safer the first. Upon the same plan he must take no¬
thing sowr & therefore no pickes & very little Vinegar. Of the ligh¬
ter kinds of fish he may take sometimes but seldom & modera¬
tely. Spiceries he may take of moderately & of mustard & Onion
kind he may take at pleasure if his stomach digest them.
For supper every night I would recommend some kind of milk
meat that is Milk with Bread Rice Barley Oat meal or Sago, & I would
[Page 2]
avoid on one hand both Flesh & Fish, & on the other all kinds of Roots or
Grains.
For breakfast Mr Sinclair may take Water Gruel Cocoa Tea or weak
chocolate but must avoid Indian Tea of any kind and Coffee. If he likes
If he likes or is accustomed to tea let him Balm Wild Thyme Rose¬
mary Sage or other plant of home growth. With any of these he must
take Bread & Butter but he must take butter sparingly. Marmalade,
Curran Jelly & all sorts of sweat meats are bad for him.
2. For ordinary drink Boiled water cooled again is the most pro¬
per & perhaps the only proper for him but if he is accustomed to a little
strong drink every day he may at Dinner & supper put a little spirits
to the Water but without Fruit or Sugar. All kinds of fermented Liquors
Wines, Malt Liquors, or Cyder are very improper for him. In general
plenty of Drink is good for him but it must be with the choice we have
marked. 3. ↑N L↑ Frequent Gentle Exercise ↑in every shape↑ is good for him but all Violent motion
may do harm & any degree of fatigue is also to be avoided.
4 Nothing is more necessary to Mr Sinclair than avoiding Cold. For that
purpose he should wear a Flannel shirt next his skin both in summer
& Winter. He must take particular care to keep his feet warm & dry.
He must never change his cloathing on account of weather. He must avoid
all cold & moisture & particularly being in any draught or stream of air.
5. His disposition to Costiveness must be attended to & avoided, by diet if
possible but if that does not answer he must have recourse to Medicine as
being long bound will do much harm
6. The above are as the particulars of Regimen that in my opinion
are most likely to moderate and check as far as possible the disposition
to Gravel & I hope they shall prove usefull. But there is an addition &
but one in ↑the way of↑ Medicine I would make. This is taking the solution ordered below
twice a day.
[Page 3]
It is always to be taken in half of a muchkin of Broth made of Beef, Veal,
Fowl & even of Mutton or Lamb if these can be taken without fat or the fat
well separated from the Broth after it is made. Into the half muchkin of
Broth as much of the solution by drops or tea spoonfuls is to be put
as the Broth will cover the taste of & this is to be taken about an hour
before dinner & as long or a little more before supper.
7. In spite of all these precautions if it shall happen that stones
are still bred & to such a size as to give difficulty & uneasiness in
their passage; the best means of rendering this matter easier is to drink
plentifully of Lintseed Tea Marsh mallow decoction or Arabic Emul¬
sion and at the same time to open the belly by a Laxative Glyster if
necessary or if not by Glysters of warm water alone. If th[ese?]
symptoms are any thing sivere the body must be kept cool by
avoiding animal food & by keeping out of bed. One measure parti¬
cularly useful is to avoid as much as much as much as possible
the frequent irritation to make water & sometimes for that purpose
an opiate is necessary.
Edinburgh September 2d
1770
Take two ounces of lye, and label: The Antinephritic Solution.
Diplomatic Text
For Mr John Sinclair.
Having considered the whole of Mr Sinclair's history I cannot per¬
ceive at present any other fault in his Constitution but that of a
disposition to Gravel. This has indeed substisted & is liable to gain
strength as per some advance in age so that now it may be difficult to
obviate it entire but as the disposition in Mr Sinclair is to no
great degree & has not yet produced any disorder in the kidneys, it
is hoped that the disposition may be moderated & the consequences in
a great measure avoided by the following measures.
1. Let his Diet be of Animal food, Grain & Milk avoiding
Roots, Grains, & Fruit. He may take any kind of animal that is
not salted smoke dryed or ver fat but the lighter kinds are to be
preferred. Every day he should begin his Dinner with some broth
without Roots or Greens but with Barley, Rice or Bread as he pleases
After that, he may take any kind of plain meat with the exceptions
above; but he should never make a full meal of meat & rather fill
up part of it wth pudding or pancake. In summer when Garden things
are young & tender he may take a little of them along with his meat
but he must always take them very sparingly. The Roots he may
take most safely is Potatoes especially when they are dry & mealy.
Fruit of all kinds whether raw or baked I hold to be bad for him but
the last are safer the first. Upon the same plan he must take no¬
thing sowr & therefore no pickes & very little Vinegar. Of the ligh¬
ter kinds of fish he may take sometimes but seldom & modera¬
tely. Spiceries he may take of moderately & of mustard & Onion
kind he may take at pleasure if his stomach digest them.
For supper every night I would recommend some kind of milk
meat that is Milk with Bread Rice Barley Oat meal or Sago, & I would
[Page 2]
avoid on one hand both Flesh & Fish, & on the other all kinds of Roots or
Grains.
For breakfast Mr Sinclair may take Water Gruel Cocoa Tea or weak
chocolate but must avoid Indian Tea of any kind and Coffee. If he likes
If he likes or is accustomed to tea let him Balm Wild Thyme Rose¬
mary Sage or other plant of home growth. With any of these he must
take Bread & Butter but he must take butter sparingly. Marmalade,
Curran Jelly & all sorts of sweat meats are bad for him.
2. For ordinary drink Boiled water cooled again is the most pro¬
per & perhaps the only proper for him but if he is accustomed to a little
strong drink every day he may at Dinner & supper put a little spirits
to the Water but wthout Fruit or Sugar. All kinds of fermented Liquors
Wines, Malt Liquors, or Cyder are very improper for him. In general
plenty of Drink is good for him but it must be with the choice we have
marked. 3. ↑N L↑ Frequent Gentle Exercise ↑in every shape↑ is good for him but all Violent motion
may do harm & any degree of fatigue is also to be avoided.
4 Nothing is more necessary to Mr Sinclair than avoiding Cold. For that
purpose he should wear a Flannel shirt next his skin both in summer
& Winter. He must take particular care to keep his feet warm & dry.
He must never change his cloathing on account of weather. He must avoid
all cold & moisture & particularly being in any draught or stream of air.
5. His disposition to Costiveness must be attended to & avoided, by diet if
possible but if that does not answer he must have recourse to Medicine as
being long bound will do much harm
6. The above are as the particulars of Regimen that in my opinion
are most likely to moderate and check as far as possible the disposition
to Gravel & I hope they shall prove usefull. But there is an addition &
but one in ↑the way of↑ Medicine I would make. This is taking the solution ordered below
twice a day.
[Page 3]
It is always to be taken in half of a muchkin of Broth made of Beef, Veal,
Fowl & even of Mutton or Lamb if these can be taken without fat or the fat
well separated from the Broth after it is made. Into the half muchkin of
Broth as much of the solution by drops or tea spoonfuls is to be put
as the Broth will cover the taste of & this is to be taken about an hour
before dinner & as long or a little more before supper.
7. In spite of all these precautions if it shall happen that stones
are still bred & to such a size as to give difficulty & uneasiness in
their passage; the best means of rendering this matter easier is to drink
plentifully of Lintseed Tea Marsh mallow decoction or Arabic Emul¬
sion and at the same time to open the belly by a Laxative Glyster if
necessary or if not by Glysters of warm water alone. If th[ese?]
symptoms are any thing sivere the body must be kept cool by
avoiding animal food & by keeping out of bed. One measure parti¬
cularly useful is to avoid as much as much as much as possible
the frequent irritation to make water & sometimes for that purpose
an opiate is necessary.
Edinr Septr 2d
1770
℞ Lixivii caustici ℥ii
signa the Antinephritic Solution
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