
The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:1692] Case Note / Regarding: Mr John Napier (of Balikinrain) (Patient) / 20 June 1779 / (Incoming)
Unsigned and undated case note describing the case of J. Napier who has an inflammatory skin condition. Dated on the reverse as 20 June 1779 which suggests date of delivery to Edinburgh.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 3 images for this document.

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Metadata
Field | Data |
---|---|
DOC ID | 1692 |
RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/779 |
Main Language | English |
Document Direction | Incoming |
Date | 20 June 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 | Unsigned and undated case note describing the case of J. Napier who has an inflammatory skin condition. Dated on the reverse as 20 June 1779 which suggests date of delivery to Edinburgh. |
Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
---|---|---|
[Case ID:1191] |
Case of John Napier of Balikinrain who has suffered from a pervasive inflammatory condition for some time and now has an open sore on his shin requiring the lancet. |
4 |
People linked to this document
Person ID | Role in document | Person |
---|---|---|
[PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:2660] | Patient | Mr John Napier (of Balikinrain) |
[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 | Ballinkinrain (Balikinrain) | Mid Scotland | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
About Six years ago Mr Napier was subject
to severe night sweats so as to oblige him to shift
twice and sometimes thrice of a night, being
afraid of bad effects from such profuse sweats,
by way of prevention he used to expose himself
gradually to cold air, which at last answered
the end and put a stop to that violent sweating,
However some time afterwards he was seised
with an universal inflammation which appeared
to be of the Erisipilalous kind, after the use of some
cooling medicines and gentle Physick [this?] went
off with a general loss of his skin. Since that
time he has been occasionally subject to head achs
with inflammation of the face, and backs of the hands,
attended with a sort of grey scaly scurf and itchings,
About a year ago he got a small hurt on his skin
which seeming of a triffling nature litle or no regard
was paid to it, till pain inflammation, and festering,
atracted his attention, and obliged him to apply for
releif tho applications common in a similar case
were made use of, such as bleeding, Physick and the
[Page 2]
Sugar of lead poultice, at some time dressing the sore
with dry lint, or a little common ointment, as occasion
required, by this means the original sore got sore got well
but at same time some small Ulcers broke out a little
lower down; the use of the Bark was then recommended
to him which he toke, but not finding that relief he
expected he then determined to try the sea water but
after a very short trial he returned home without
any visible benefit; his leg has continued open ever
since, the Ulcers of a sordid nature, with a whitish
Slough at the bottom, attended with accute pain,
he for some time used Calomel with a decoction
of the woods and of late has taken the bark in
considerable quantities, the sores have been dressed
sometimes with Cerate and sometimes with Basilicon
with addition of red precipitate however they seem
to be of so obstinte a nature as hitherto to have
yielded very little to these applications
[Page 3]
✍
J. Napier of Ballikinrain
June 20th 1779
V.X.p.26.
Diplomatic Text
About Six years ago Mr Napier was subject
to severe night sweats so as to oblige him to shift
twice and sometimes thrice of a night, being
afraid of bad effects from such profuse sweats,
by way of prevention he used to expose himself
gradually to cold air, which at last answered
the end and put a stop to that violent sweating,
However some time afterwards he was seised
with an universal inflammation which appeared
to be of the Erisipilalous kind, after the use of some
cooling medicines and gentle Physick [this?] went
off with a general loss of his skin. Since that
time he has been occasionally subject to head achs
with inflammation of the face, and backs of the hands,
attended with a sort of grey scaly scurf and itchings,
About a year ago he got a small hurt on his skin
which seeming of a triffling nature litle or no regard
was paid to it, till pain inflammation, and festering,
atracted his attention, and obliged him to apply for
releif tho applications common in a similar case
were made use of, such as bleeding, Physick and the
[Page 2]
Sugar of lead poultice, at some time dressing the sore
with dry lint, or a little common ointment, as occasion
required, by this means the original sore got sore got well
but at same time some small Ulcers broke out a little
lower down; the use of the Bark was then recommended
to him which he toke, but not finding that relief he
expected he then determined to try the sea water but
after a very short trial he returned home without
any visible benefit; his leg has continued open ever
since, the Ulcers of a sordid nature, with a whitish
Slough at the bottom, attended with accute pain,
he for some time used Calomel with a decoction
of the woods and of late has taken the bark in
considerable quantities, the sores have been dressed
sometimes with Cerate and sometimes with Basilicon
with addition of red precipitate however they seem
to be of so obstinte a nature as hitherto to have
yielded very little to these applications
[Page 3]
✍
J. Napier of Ballikinrain
June 20th 1779
V.X.p.26.
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