The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:1467] From: Anonymous / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Anonymous (Patient) / 1779? / (Incoming)
Letter by an unnamed correspondent, a man in his 20s, concerning his own case, giving details from winter 1774 to June of 1776. Dating based entirely upon limited internal evidence.
- 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 | 1467 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/561 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Incoming |
| Date | 1779? |
| 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 by an unnamed correspondent, a man in his 20s, concerning his own case, giving details from winter 1774 to June of 1776. Dating based entirely upon limited internal evidence. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:947] |
Case of an unnamed correspondent, a 20-year-old man, with a venereal complaint. |
1 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:3339] | Author | |
| [PERS ID:3339] | Patient | |
| [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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Destination of Letter | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | inferred | |
| Mentioned / Other | Dumfries | Borders | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
Constitution naturally very good & untainted with any hereditary disorders.
In winter 1773 (↑74↑) then only 17 years next day after a venereal fault
I began to be troubled with a nipping pain at first about
the private parts afterwards all over the body sometimes
attended with small white blisters, [both?] shifting their
places in [An?] instant - Towards summer having
only used some doses of physic the above abated much
& confined their operation mostly to my face & legs
principally to the former which would be pretty
cool in the forenoon but towards the evening a
violent glowing heat & deep red colour would come
upon it & the same on my legs tho less intense.
In winter 1774-75 the above Symptoms continued more
or less & sometimes there would be a slight gentle heat about
my stomach attended with a pretty fluent spilling.
As ensuing summer came on the inflammation in face
neither so violent as to heat or colour, I now (↑but↑) my con¬
stitution seemed ↑now↑ rather affected being often feeble & ex¬
hausted in August I was seized with a dreadful inflama¬
tory colick which confined me 6 weeks - [&?] I was not able
to Stir myself - After getting flesh & blood again my
old usual complaints returned & continued to provide
{illeg} my constitution 'till last summer I applid
{illeg} of {illeg} made known my {illeg}hold
[Page 2]
ails to him & took by his advice such medicines as kept
my [easyn?] through last winter than in any period since
& began to complain - however {illeg} in February
last they began to gain ground again & now my [belly?]
was for two or three days uncommonly full & distended
which I imputed to a long costive habit which had
been the case for long previous to that, I took a
few dozes of physic & it swamped to its usual size -
I was from that time forward troubled with
slyht returns of same complaint when I breathed
[last?] I felt as if a little weight about the bottom of
my breast, the costiveness still increasing to a
very great degree - All the month of May I
would now & then Spit up a little oozings of blood - the
beginning of June I was seized with the flowing of blood in
my throat which is now my most alarming complaint -
For two years I have spat a tough> substance Some¬
times {illeg} turning to yellow at others quite clear --- This
as well as ever other Symptom I have laboured
under have all been [invariably?] much irritated
by the amorous feelings & an emission of the semen
even in sleep has ever had [turned cold?] & strong
effects in inflaming my disorder.
{illeg} & free air especially [riding?] have {illeg}
[Page 3]
- operated in my favour.
Eating strong heavy meats or even fully of any
kind & drinking have always proved hurtful.
My disorder has all along been most whimsical
& inequal - I even have thoughts the weather or Some
agent to me inconceivable affected it - for Sometime
for a few days I would be pretty lightsome & well
without any cause obvious - at others all my irksome
feelings would grow very troublesome equally un¬
accountably - But the above indulgences especially
the emission never once failed to have very ill¬
effects, while two or three days riding in the
country would restore me to tolerable health
again --- Temporary reliefs of this kind hindered
me from [seeing?] the complaint in so serious a
light as I ought & from applying for advice ----
Trade Accountant to the Bank of Scotland at [Dumfries?]
Age 22 ---
Some short time before the complaint in my blood began I
was at fencing-school where was sometimes much
heated -- Be the source what it may - my blood
has {illeg} been much spoiled of its original
[pu]rity - the parts principally affected are often so
{illeg} & inflamed as to render me quite
[Page 4]
restless & incapable of applying to business with [any?]
degree of rigour -- My face sometimes a little scally
or rather the skin of it seeming ruffled - This {illeg}
{illeg} of the blood must be removed or I never can
enjoy health --- My digestion has been much
impared - The tough fluent Spitting very troublesome.
The excretory functions quite extinct, nothing is
done, ever since the plaethora seized me, but
by the immediate means of laxative medicines
indeed this costiveness had gone such long [ths?]
before that I imputd the flowing of blood lost.
Ever since the latter began there has been a
[Perpetual?] weight, less or more in my breast with
a heaving struggling pain striking up around the
neck to the ears along the glands - When I draw
breath long & high or sneeze I feel as if a want
of room in my breast & the parts seem to want thee
usual extensibility.
* Subject to a warm day [latest?], & in my face & legs
which have always been the principal external risi¬
dences of the complaints there was a stiff warm
feeling perpetually comparable to the feeling cob¬
webs would occasion if spread on the skin when
one was warm - Little perspiration --
Diplomatic Text
Constitution naturally very good & untainted with any hereditary disorders.
In winter 1773 (↑74↑) then only 17 years next day after a venereal fault
I began to be troubled with a nipping pain at first about
the private parts afterwards all over the body sometimes
attended with small white blisters, [both?] shifting their
places in [An?] instant - Towards summer having
only used some doses of physic the above abated much
& confined their operation mostly to my face & legs
principally to the former which would be pretty
cool in the forenoon but towards the evening a
violent glowing heat & deep red colour would come
upon it & the same on my legs tho less intense.
In winter 1774-75 the above Symptoms continued more
or less & sometimes there would be a slight gentle heat abt
my stomach attended with a pretty fluent spilling.
As ensuing summer came on the inflamn. in face
neither so violent as to heat or colour, I now (↑but↑) my con¬
stitution seemed ↑now↑ rather affected being often feeble & ex¬
hausted in Augt: I was seized with a dreadful inflama¬
tory colick which confined me 6 weeks - [&?] I was not able
to Stir myself - After getting flesh & blood again my
old usual complaints returned & continued to provide
{illeg} my constitution 'till last summer I applid
{illeg} of {illeg} made known my {illeg}hold
[Page 2]
ails to him & took by his advice such medicines as kept
my [easyn?] through last winter than in any period since
& began to complain - however {illeg} in February
last they began to gain ground again & now my [belly?]
was for two or three days uncommonly full & distended
which I imputed to a long costive habit which had
been the case for long previous to that, I took a
few dozes of physic & it swamped to its usual size -
I was from that time forward troubled with
slyht returns of same complaint when I breathed
[last?] I felt as if a little weight about the bottom of
my breast, the costiveness still increasing to a
very great degree - All the month of May I
would now & then Spit up a little oozings of blood - the
beginning of June I was seized with the flowing of blood in
my throat which is now my most alarming compt. -
For two years I have spat a tough> substance Some¬
times {illeg} turning to yellow at others quite clear --- This
as well as ever other Symptom I have laboured
under have all been [invariably?] much irritated
by the amorous feelings & an emission of the semen
even in sleep has ever had [turned cold?] & strong
effects in inflaming my disorder.
{illeg} & free air especially [riding?] have {illeg}
[Page 3]
- operated in my favour.
Eating strong heavy meats or even fully of any
kind & drinking have always proved hurtful.
My disorder has all along been most whimsical
& inequal - I even have thoughts the weather or Some
agent to me inconceivable affected it - for Sometime
for a few days I would be pretty lightsome & well
without any cause obvious - at others all my irksome
feelings would grow very troublesome equally un¬
accountably - But the above indulgences especially
the emission never once failed to have very ill¬
effects, while two or three days riding in the
country would restore me to tolerable health
again --- Temporary reliefs of this kind hindered
me from [seeing?] the compt in so serious a
light as I ought & from applying for advice ----
Trade Accountant to the Bank of Scotland at [Dfries?]
Age 22 ---
Some short time before the complaint in my blood began I
was at fencing-school where was sometimes much
heated -- Be the source what it may - my blood
has {illeg} been much spoiled of its original
[pu]rity - the parts principally affected are often so
{illeg} & inflamed as to render me quite
[Page 4]
restless & incapable of applying to business with [any?]
degree of rigour -- My face sometimes a little scally
or rather the skin of it seeming ruffled - This {illeg}
{illeg} of the blood must be removed or I never can
enjoy health --- My digestion has been much
impared - The tough fluent Spitting very troublesome.
The excretory functions quite extinct, nothing is
done, ever since the plaethora seized me, but
by the immediate means of laxative medicines
indeed this costiveness had gone such long [ths?]
before that I imputd the flowing of blood lost.
Ever since the latter began there has been a
[Perpetual?] weight, less or more in my breast with
a heaving struggling pain striking up around the
neck to the ears along the glands - When I draw
breath long & high or sneeze I feel as if a want
of room in my breast & the parts seem to want thee
usual extensibility.
* Subject to a warm day [latest?], & in my face & legs
which have always been the principal external risi¬
dences of the complaints there was a stiff warm
feeling perpetually comparable to the feeling cob¬
webs would occasion if spread on the skin when
one was warm - Little perspiration --
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