The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:1945] From: Dr James Hamilton / To: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / Regarding: Miss Margaret Home (Hume, of Jordanfield; Miss Home of Branxton) (Patient) / 1 November 1780 / (Incoming)
Letter from James Hamilton concerning the case of Miss Home. Hamilton refers to James Ware's Remarks on the Ophthalmy, Psorophthalmy, and Purulent Eye With Methods of Cure (London: 1780) and asks for Cullen's opinion of it, and questions Wade's use of the Thebaic Tincture. He also suggests a pocket-sized edition of the Pharmacopia to aid memory.
- 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 | 1945 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/1024 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Incoming |
| Date | 1 November 1780 |
| 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 James Hamilton concerning the case of Miss Home. Hamilton refers to James Ware's Remarks on the Ophthalmy, Psorophthalmy, and Purulent Eye With Methods of Cure (London: 1780) and asks for Cullen's opinion of it, and questions Wade's use of the Thebaic Tincture. He also suggests a pocket-sized edition of the Pharmacopia to aid memory. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | Yes |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:687] |
Case of Miss Home whose vertigo is considered the symptom of a plethora. |
6 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:812] | Author | Dr James Hamilton |
| [PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:811] | Patient | Miss Margaret Home (Hume, of Jordanfield; Miss Home of Branxton) |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:812] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr James Hamilton |
| [PERS ID:3221] | Other Physician / Surgeon | Mr James Ware |
Places linked to this document
| Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Writing | Dunbar | Borders | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Destination of Letter | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Place of Handstamp | Dunbar | Borders | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
I saw our Patient Miss Home this day.
She is amazingly recovered considering what a violent
shock she had, but yet the remains still continue.
The affected Leg swells a good deal and she has a
numbness in the Arm, especially the Thumb and
two first fingers, so that she cannot hold any
small body so well, such as her knitting needles.
Would you advise any Medicine added to the Bark,
might she take Bark & valerian made into an
Electuary, or would it be of any easier to blister
the Arm, it has not yet been done, as I
considered the seat of the disease in the head.
Might we try the electrical effluvia confined to
the Arm. I have never mentioned it to the family,
nor indeed can I at present get it done, as my
Electrical apparatus is out of order; & I must
wait untill a new one comes to my hand
[Page 2]
I am exceedingly by fond of Electricity, Judiciously
managed & perseveringly continued it works cures
almost miraculous. Will you be so good as to favor
me with your opinion of the Utility of the therm:
mineral: 1 I think ↑it↑ an active powerfull & safe
medicine - when joined with a mild Laxative, as
Manna & tartar solubil in all, inflamatory
complaints, but my experience of it, is yet but
small, favor me also with your opinion of
Ware's Treatise upon the ophthalmic. 2 I have
myself used Blisters to the temples, ↑as he directs↑ directly
over where the Leeches have been applyed,
with success in violent Headachs & pains &
in the Eyes, but never used the Tincture Thebaic
as he recommends, nor can I see how it should
[do?] the wonders he ascribes to it, but I am
now about dropping my Theory for good, &
in future, shall be chiefly anxious, my pres¬
criptions may have a usefull effect, without
[Page 3]
puzling myself how. Can I get medical Books
from the Library, 3 my little income suffers from
the numbers I ↑am↑ always obliged to buy. --
Would it not be [well?], if their was to ↑be↑ a small
copy of our new Pharmacopoeia printed, 4
so that we
might with care carry it in our pockets, as
it fatigues the memory, & of course hasten on
old age, to be obliged to load the mind with
præscriptions, & to which {illeg} might ↑be avoided by↑ having
recourse to the Book in our pockets.
When I wrote proposing the
Bark for Miss Homes, if I mentioned the
Decoction of the Bark, I did wrong, as I have
been long convinced the infusion is better,
& which she has always taken. Wishing
you every Good thing I am Dear Sir
your most obedient Servant
Dunbar 1 November
1780
[Page 4]
Dr. William Cullen
Physician
Edinburgh
Dr Hamilton
Concerning Miss Home
November 1780
XI. p.96
Notes:
1: 'Thermæ Mineralis', a general term for 'warm mineral waters', such as those at Bath and Aix. Cullen uses the term, citing these as examples, in his posthumously published Clinical Lectures (London: 1797), p. 240.
2: James Ware, Remarks on the Ophthalmy, Psorophthalmy, and Purulent Eye With Methods of Cure (London, 1780), esp. pp 89;94.
3: Presumably the library of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
4: He refers to the Pharmacopoeia Collegii Regii Medicorum Edinburgensis (Edinburgh: 1774).
Diplomatic Text
I saw our Patient Miss Home this day.
She is amazingly recovered considering what a violent
shock she had, but yet the remains still continue.
The affected Leg swells a good deal and she has a
numbness in the Arm, especially the Thumb and
two first fingers, so that she cannot hold any
small body so well, such as her knitting needles.
Would you advise any Medicine added to the Bark,
might she take Bark & valerian made into an
Electuary, or would it be of any easier to blister
the Arm, it has not yet been done, as I
considered the seat of the disease in the head.
Might we try the electrical effluvia confined to
the Arm. I have never mentioned it to the family,
nor indeed can I at present get it done, as my
Electrical apparatus is out of order; & I must
wait untill a new one comes to my hand
[Page 2]
I am exceedingly by fond of Electricity, Judiciously
managed & perseveringly continued it works cures
almost miraculous. Will you be so good as to favor
me with your opinion of the Utility of the therm:
mineral: 1 I think ↑it↑ an active powerfull & safe
medicine - when joined with a mild Laxative, as
Manna & tart solub: in all, inflamatory
complaints, but my experience of it, is yet but
small, favor me also with your opinion of
Ware's Treatise upon the ophthalmic. 2 I have
myself used Blisters to the temples, ↑as he directs↑ directly
over where the Leeches have been applyed,
with success in violent Headachs & pains &
in the Eyes, but never used the Tinct: Theb:
as he recommends, nor can I see how it should
[do?] the wonders he ascribes to it, but I am
now about dropping my Theory for good, &
in future, shall be chiefly anxious, my pres¬
criptions may have a usefull effect, without
[Page 3]
puzling myself how. Can I get medical Books
from the Library, 3 my little income suffers from
the numbers I ↑am↑ always obliged to buy. --
Would it not be [well?], if their was to ↑be↑ a small
copy of our new Pharmac: printed, 4
so that we
might with care carry it in our pockets, as
it fatigues the memory, & of course hasten on
old age, to be obliged to load the mind with
præscriptions, & to which {illeg} might ↑be avoided by↑ having
recourse to the Book in our pockets.
When I wrote proposing the
Bark for Miss Homes, if I mentioned the
Decoction of the Bark, I did wrong, as I have
been long convinced the infusion is better,
& which she has always taken. Wishing
you every Good thing I am Dear Sir
your most obedient Servant
Dunbar 1 Novr.
1780
[Page 4]
Dr. William Cullen
Physician
Edinr.
Dr Hamilton
C. Miss Home
Novr. 1780
XI. p.96
Notes:
1: 'Thermæ Mineralis', a general term for 'warm mineral waters', such as those at Bath and Aix. Cullen uses the term, citing these as examples, in his posthumously published Clinical Lectures (London: 1797), p. 240.
2: James Ware, Remarks on the Ophthalmy, Psorophthalmy, and Purulent Eye With Methods of Cure (London, 1780), esp. pp 89;94.
3: Presumably the library of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
4: He refers to the Pharmacopoeia Collegii Regii Medicorum Edinburgensis (Edinburgh: 1774).
XML
XML file not yet available.
Feedback
Send us specfic feeback about this document [DOC ID:1945]
Please note that the Cullen Project team have now disbanded but your comments will be logged in our system and we will look at them one day...
