The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:1258] From: Reverend Townsend / To: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / Regarding: (A.B.) (Patient) / 22? March 1776 / (Incoming)
Letter from Mr Townsend presenting the case of 'A. B.', a 36-year-old woman with 'Lameness in the right Limb, with weakness, pain & spasms in the right hip extending from thence to the outside of the knee'.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 4 images for this document.
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Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 1258 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/358 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Incoming |
| Date | 22? March 1776 |
| 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 Mr Townsend presenting the case of 'A. B.', a 36-year-old woman with 'Lameness in the right Limb, with weakness, pain & spasms in the right hip extending from thence to the outside of the knee'. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:703] |
Case of A. B., a 36-year-old woman with 'Lameness in the right Limb, with weakness, pain & spasms in the right hip extending from thence to the outside of the knee'. |
2 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:2053] | Author | Reverend Townsend |
| [PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:2054] | Patient | (A.B.) |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:2053] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Reverend Townsend |
Places linked to this document
| Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Destination of Letter | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | inferred |
Normalized Text
A:B: aged 36. Complains of Lameness in the right Limb, with
weakness, pain & spasms in the right hip extending from thence to
the outside of the knee - Weakness & Pain in the Back.
The Spasms come on, if in walking she happens to hit her foot against:
anything; or while sitting, if she endeavours to draw herself back
in her chair or attempts to move quicker than usual.
If she strikes one Knee the pain shoots, like an electric shock,
quite round her Loins to the same part of the other knee .
She has often the most violent convulsive
In January 1768 after having lain in [5 weeks?] she rode to church where
she was seized with coldness & violent pain in the small or her back:
her left breast immediately inflamed, hardened & the next day broke.
She has passed gravel & once some small strings of blood with
Fits of dreadfull Pain.
While suckling her next child she was seized with a Cholic & Flux
sometimes of pure Milk at others of Milk mixt with the
faeces, which continued for many Months.
In the midst of this distress she was seized with convulsive
cough & convulsion in the Windpipe & Diaphragm, barking
like a Dog. - She was relieved by bleeding & blistering.
Her fits of the gravel grew worse & brought on suppression
of Urine & Inflammation in the Kidney
As it abated a weakness seized her in each hip extending
from the spine of the Iluem to the outside of the Thighs & to
[Page 2]
each knee, with coldness, numbness & violent pain. They
grew weaker & weaker. - On being brought to bed again
she seemed to get better but ↑was seized with a Stranguary &↑ at the end of the fortnight swelled
from the Hips to the Toes of a monstrous size.
A few days after her Delivery the Lochia were suppressed instead
of which there was a discharge like that from a wound smelling
very bad
One of her Legs being scarified the water went off, but the
wound continuing notwithstanding all endeavours to heal
it, she has an Issue cut in her Leg - From this Issue
she had her Courses for three Months, after ↑which↑ they returned
in a great Measure to their proper channel, but still
the first day of them the discharge of blood is from
this Issue .
Her Bowels are very irritable, her stomach weak & subject
to Indigestion & she is subject to suffocation almost
amounting to strangulation.
For this last complaint I ordered frequent small doses
of Rheubarb, which have answered my expectations
For the Lameness I prescribed Volatile Liniment with
good success. She has likewise found benefit by Sea
Bathing. - The weakness, pain & spasm have
[Page 3]
returned the two last years about Febuary. - Last
year a most violent trembling in the Limb succeeded
the spasm & lasted a few minutes.
The Above is the case of one of my Patients. I must
beg the favour of you to talk over this case with Dr.
Cullen & send me his Ideas, also beg him to give me
his advice in what manner to proceed with her.
[Page 4]
✍
Case of A.B from
Mr Townsend March
1776. V.5.p.5.
Diplomatic Text
A:B: aged 36. Complains of Lameness in the right Limb, with
weakness, pain & spasms in the right hip extending from thence to
the outside of the knee - Weakness & Pain in the Back.
The Spasms come on, if in walking she happens to hit her foot agt:
anything; or while sitting, if she endeavours to draw herself back
in her chair or attempts to move quicker than usual.
If she strikes one Knee the pain shoots, like an electric shock,
quite round her Loins to the same part of the other knee .
She has often the most violent convulsive
In Jan: 1768 after having lain in [5Ws:?] she rode to church where
she was seized with coldness & violent pain in the small or her back:
her left breast immediately inflamed, hardened & the next day broke.
She has passed gravel & once some small strings of blood with
Fits of dreadfull Pain.
While suckling her next child she was seized with a Cholic & Flux
sometimes of pure Milk at others of Milk mixt with the
faeces, which continued for many Months.
In the midst of this distress she was seized with convulsive
cough & convulsion in the Windpipe & Diaphragm, barking
like a Dog. - She was relieved by bleeding & blistering.
Her fits of the gravel grew worse & brought on suppression
of Urine & Inflammation in the Kidney
As it abated a weakness seized her in each hip extending
from the spine of the Iluem to the outside of the Thighs & to
[Page 2]
each knee, with coldness, numbness & violent pain. They
grew weaker & weaker. - On being brought to bed again
she seemed to get better but ↑was seized with a Stranguary &↑ at the end of the fortnight swelled
from the Hips to the Toes of a monstrous size.
A few days after her Delivery the Lochia were suppressed instead
of which there was a discharge like that from a wound smelling
very bad
One of her Legs being scarified the water went off, but the
wound continuing notwithstanding all endeavours to heal
it, she has an Issue cut in her Leg - From this Issue
she had her Courses for three Months, after ↑which↑ they returned
in a great Measure to their proper channel, but still
the first day of them the discharge of blood is from
this Issue .
Her Bowels are very irritable, her stom: weak & subject
to Indigestion & she is subject to suffocation almost
amounting to strangulation.
For this last complaint I ordered frequent small doses
of Rheubarb, which have answered my expectations
For the Lameness I prescribed Volatile Liniment with
good success. She has likewise found benefit by Sea
Bathing. - The weakness, pain & spasm have
[Page 3]
returned the two last years abt: Febuary. - Last
year a most violent trembling in the Limb succeeded
the spasm & lasted a few minutes.
The Above is the case of one of my Patients. I must
beg the favour of you to talk over this case with Dr.
Cullen & send me his Ideas, also beg him to give me
his advice in what manner to proceed with her.
[Page 4]
✍
Case of A.B from
Mr Townsend March
1776. V.5.p.5.
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