The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:1481] From: Dr Walter Riddell / To: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / Regarding: Mrs (Patient) / 30 January 1778 / (Incoming)
Letter from W. Riddell concerning an unnamed female patient. Date in annotation on reverse seems to be incorrect.
- 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 | 1481 |
RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/575 |
Main Language | English |
Document Direction | Incoming |
Date | 30 January 1778 |
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 W. Riddell concerning an unnamed female patient. Date in annotation on reverse seems to be incorrect. |
Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
Evidence of Commercial Posting | Yes |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
---|---|---|
[Case ID:1019] |
Case of an unnamed female patient. |
3 |
People linked to this document
Person ID | Role in document | Person |
---|---|---|
[PERS ID:561] | Author | Dr Walter Riddell |
[PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:2174] | Patient | Mrs |
[PERS ID:561] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr Walter Riddell |
[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 | Berwick-upon-Tweed (Berwick) | North-East | England | Europe | certain | |
Destination of Letter | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
Place of Handstamp | Berwick-upon-Tweed (Berwick) | North-East | England | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
The case of which I was desir'd to give
you an account; and to ask your advice upon, is as
follows. -- A married woman aged 50, who has had
two children, enjoyed very good health, tho' apparently
not of a strong constitution, till about three years
ago, that she contracted a cold which , from its violence
and duration, being attended with a severe cough and
considerable dyspnœa, had for some time a threaten¬
ing appearance ; at length, however, these symptoms
abated, tho' she has never since been altogether free of
cough and dyspnœa, which are very apt to be increas'd
upon any accidental to exposure to cold, and she has
never entirely recover'd her former health, having been
much debilitated by the continuance of the catarrhal
complaints . -- About four years ago, her menses
[Page 2]
which till then had been very regular, began to return
at uncertain periods, there being frequently an inter¬
val of three or four months, and to this generally succed¬
ded succeeded a very large evacuation, and so on. --
This continued to be the case till about six months ago,
since when she has had no discharge of blood; but, for
three or four months past, has had almost a constant
flow of a whitish liquor from the vagina, in consider¬
able quantity and attended with violent pains in
her back, loins, lower part of the belly and hips, with
a slight dysuria at times .-- In this situation I found
her about a month ago, and there seeming to her no doubt
that her disorder was a fluor albus, I began to treeted
it as such with an Electuary of Bark and Allum and
the Spiritus Vitrioli Tenuis giving, at the same time, what I thought
the proper directions with respect to diet and exercise.
This plan was pursued for some time apparently with
[Page 3]
advantage, but the disorder not yielding to it entirely,
I intermitted the use of these medicines, and prescrib'd
the Steel. powders, which I gradually increas'd to the quan¬
tity of one scruple. three times a day. - These too seem'd to answer
very well at first, but soon losing their effect, I was
willing to return to the Bark, but now the patients' sto¬
mach refusing it in substance, I was oblig'd to employ
it onl{illeg} in Infusion, and at the same time order'd
a small quantity of the Chio Turpentine made in
pills, but these likewise the stomach soon rejected, an{illeg}
the disorder continues to increase, wasting the patient
very much .-- For some time past the pains have been
so violent at night that no sleep cou'd be obtain'd but
by means of opiates, tho' an adhesive plaster had been
applied to the Loins and Cloths dipt in oxycrate used
occasionally. - I have not tried Cantharidis nor have
I push'd the Allum so far perhaps as I might. ---
[Page 4]
Dr. Cullen
Edinburgh--
Dr Riddell
C.
30 January 1777
8 p. 58
Diplomatic Text
The case of which I was desir'd to give
you an account; and to ask your advice upon, is as
follows. -- A married woman aged 50, who has had
two children, enjoyed very good health, tho' apparently
not of a strong constitution, till about three years
ago, that she contracted a cold which , from its violence
and duration, being attended with a severe cough and
considerable dyspnœa, had for some time a threaten¬
ing appearance ; at length, however, these symptoms
abated, tho' she has never since been altogether free of
cough and dyspnœa, which are very apt to be increas'd
upon any accidental to exposure to cold, and she has
never entirely recover'd her former health, having been
much debilitated by the continuance of the catarrhal
complaints . -- About four years ago, her menses
[Page 2]
which till then had been very regular, began to return
at uncertain periods, there being frequently an inter¬
val of three or four months, and to this generally succed¬
ded succeeded a very large evacuation, and so on. --
This continued to be the case till about six months ago,
since when she has had no discharge of blood; but, for
three or four months past, has had almost a constant
flow of a whitish liquor from the vagina, in consider¬
able quantity and attended with violent pains in
her back, loins, lower part of the belly and hips, with
a slight dysuria at times .-- In this situation I found
her about a month ago, and there seeming to her no doubt
that her disorder was a fluor albus, I began to treeted
it as such with an Electuary of Bark and Allum and
the Spt. Vitriol Ten. giving, at the same time, what I thought
the proper directions with respect to diet and exercise.
This plan was pursued for some time apparently with
[Page 3]
advantage, but the disorder not yielding to it entirely,
I intermitted the use of these medicines, and prescrib'd
the Steel. powders, which I gradually increas'd to the quan¬
tity of ℈j. three times a day. - These too seem'd to answer
very well at first, but soon losing their effect, I was
willing to return to the Bark, but now the patients' sto¬
mach refusing it in substance, I was oblig'd to employ
it onl{illeg} in Infusion, and at the same time order'd
a small quantity of the Chio Turpentine made in
pills, but these likewise the stomach soon rejected, an{illeg}
the disorder continues to increase, wasting the patient
very much .-- For some time past the pains have been
so violent at night that no sleep cou'd be obtain'd but
by means of opiates, tho' an adhesive plaster had been
applied to the Loins and Cloths dipt in oxycrate used
occasionally. - I have not tried Cantharidis nor have
I push'd the Allum so far perhaps as I might. ---
[Page 4]
Dr. Cullen
Edinburgh--
Dr Riddell
C.
30 Janry 1777
8 p. 58
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