The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:171] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Mr (Henry?) Brown (Browne) (Patient) / 21 July 1781 / (Outgoing)
Reply, 'For Mr Brown'. Cullen gives directions for Mr Brown, recommending frequent cold bathing as well as diet and exercise.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 5 images for this document.
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Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 171 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/14/57 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 21 July 1781 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Machine copy |
| Enclosure(s) | Enclosure(s) present |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | Yes |
| Regimen | Yes |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply, 'For Mr Brown'. Cullen gives directions for Mr Brown, recommending frequent cold bathing as well as diet and exercise. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:1438] |
Case of Mr Brown [Browne] who has a disorder of the stomach and bowel and who is advised to try frequent cold bathing. |
3 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:2948] | Patient | Mr (Henry?) Brown (Browne) |
| [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 |
| Destination of Letter | Carlisle | North-West | England | Europe | inferred |
Normalized Text
For Mr Brown
The causes of his ailments have been sufficiently
evident, they have been such as would weaken any consti¬
↑tu↑tion and his ailments accordingly consist in some general
weakness and more particularly in that of his stomach and
bowels. Such a weakness cannot be recovered but in
some length of time and for that time by a great deal of
attention to his manner of living. The following seem
to me the most proper measures.
1. He should be in a situation where he can very constantly
practise cold bathing. He may if he pleases go where he
can conveniently bath in the sea but this is not absolute¬
ly necessary and may be in several respects inconvenient
and I think his best measure will be the use of what
in this country we call a shower bath.
2. He must continue to take very frequent exercise
on horseback or in a carriage avoiding at present the
heat of the day at other times cold or moisture and at
all times any great fatigue.
[Page 2]
3. He must especially depend upon cold bathing and
exercise for the recovery of his strength but it may also
be assisted by the use of ↑some↑ medicines, and for this pur¬
pose I have prescribed on a paper apart a medicine
which he may use very frequently for some time.
4. I have also on the same paper prescribed a medicine
to be used occasionally and only when he shall be
troubled with pains of his stomach or bowels.
Nothing is more necessary to Mr Brown than a
constant attention, to his diet. At dinner he may
take a bit of any plain meat but should always
prefer the lighter kinds and avoid entirely any fat
meats. All fried and baked meats are improper and
in general he should always both with respect to the
quality and quantity of food keep his stomach very
light. To avoid too full a meal of meat he should
every day take some plain soup with a great deal
of dry toast before his meal or take some light pud¬
ding after his meat. Some light tender and well
[Page 3]
boiled vegetables may be taken at times but seldom
and sparingly and all raw and cold vegetables should
be entirely avoided and therefore almost all kinds of fruit.
For some time Mr Brown should avoid all kinds of
fermented liquors whether wines or malt liquors. His
ordinary drink should be plain water but at dinner
or supper he may take a few glasses of brandy or rum
and water, the Spirit however being always in small
proportion, and the quantity upon the whole being
always very moderate.
Tea and Coffee are both very improper and should
be abstained from entirely. His best breakfast will
be of Cocoa tea with dry toast. For supper meat
is not proper but he may take an Egg or some kind
of grain as Barley, Rice, or Sago.
6. In the present state of his bowels he is likely to
be unequal in his evacuations and costiveness will
be particularly hurtfull. He should therefore be
[Page 4]
constantly carefull to obviate or remove it but the
means for that purpose will be concerted at meeting
more properly than in this paper.
William Cullen
Edinburgh 21rst July
1781
[Page 5]
For Mr Brown
Take two ounces of Tincture of Powdered Steel in accordance with the Pharmacopœia Edinburgiensis and half an ounce of aromatic Tincture. Mix. Label: Strengthening Tincture; twenty or thirty drops to be taken in an ordinary wine glass full of water two or three times a day.
Take two ounces of Elixir proprietatis vitriolicum. Label: Anodyne Elixir; fifty or sixty drops to be taken on a bit of sugar when the stomach is pained, washing it down with a little brandy and water or with ↑a↑ glass full of the above.
W.C.
21 July
1781
Diplomatic Text
For Mr Brown
The causes of his ailments have been sufficiently
evident, they have been such as would weaken any consti¬
↑tu↑tion and his ailments accordingly consist in some general
weakness and more particularly in that of his stomach and
bowels. Such a weakness cannot be recovered but in
some length of time and for that time by a great deal of
attention to his manner of living. The following seem
to me the most proper measures.
1. He should be in a situation where he can very constantly
practise cold bathing. He may if he pleases go where he
can conveniently bath in the sea but this is not absolute¬
ly necessary and may be in several respects inconvenient
and I think his best measure will be the use of what
in this country we call a shower bath.
2. He must continue to take very frequent exercise
on horseback or in a carriage avoiding at present the
heat of the day at other times cold or moisture and at
all times any great fatigue.
[Page 2]
3. He must especially depend upon cold bathing and
exercise for the recovery of his strength but it may also
be assisted by the use of ↑some↑ medicines, and for this pur¬
pose I have prescribed on a paper apart a medicine
which he may use very frequently for some time.
4. I have also on the same paper prescribed a medicine
to be used occasionally and only when he shall be
troubled with pains of his stomach or bowels.
Nothing is more necessary to Mr Brown than a
constant attention, to his diet. At dinner he may
take a bit of any plain meat but should always
prefer the lighter kinds and avoid entirely any fat
meats. All fried and baked meats are improper and
in general he should always both with respect to the
quality and quantity of food keep his stomach very
light. To avoid too full a meal of meat he should
every day take some plain soup with a great deal
of dry toast before his meal or take some light pud¬
ding after his meat. Some light tender and well
[Page 3]
boiled vegetables may be taken at times but seldom
and sparingly and all raw and cold vegetables should
be entirely avoided and therefore almost all kinds of fruit.
For some time Mr Brown should avoid all kinds of
fermented liquors whether wines or malt liquors. His
ordinary drink should be plain water but at dinner
or supper he may take a few glasses of brandy or rum
and water, the Spirit however being always in small
proportion, and the quantity upon the whole being
always very moderate.
Tea and Coffee are both very improper and should
be abstained from entirely. His best breakfast will
be of Cocoa tea with dry toast. For supper meat
is not proper but he may take an Egg or some kind
of grain as Barley, Rice, or Sago.
6. In the present state of his bowels he is likely to
be unequal in his evacuations and costiveness will
be particularly hurtfull. He should therefore be
[Page 4]
constantly carefull to obviate or remove it but the
means for that purpose will be concerted at meeting
more properly than in this paper.
William Cullen
Edinr. 21rst July
1781
[Page 5]
For Mr Brown
℞ Tinct. Mart. Ph. Ed. ℥ij
---- aromatic. ℥fs
ℳ. Signa Strengthening Tincture twenty or thirty
drops to be taken in an ordinary wine glass full
of water two or three times a day.
℞ Elixir propriet. vitriol. ℥ij
Signa Anodyne Elixir fifty or sixty drops
to be taken on a bit of sugar when the stomach
is pained, washing it down with a little brandy
and water or with ↑a↑ glass full of the above
W.C.
21 July
1781
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