The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:2040] From: Mrs Ann Merivale / To: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / Regarding: Merivale (Patient) / 3 August 1781 / (Incoming)
Letter from Ann Merivale, concerning the case of her children. Mrs Merivale had the misfortune to lose two children to an unknown disorder, a form of croup, and seeks Cullen's advice to procure the best information on the disorder for the sake of her sole surviving child.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 4 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
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Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 2040 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/1115 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Incoming |
| Date | 3 August 1781 |
| 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 Ann Merivale, concerning the case of her children. Mrs Merivale had the misfortune to lose two children to an unknown disorder, a form of croup, and seeks Cullen's advice to procure the best information on the disorder for the sake of her sole surviving child. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:1327] |
Case of Ann Merivale who seeks advice on how to take precautions against a disorder, a form of croup, which killed two of her children in order to stop it taking her surviving child. |
5 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:154] | Author | Mrs Ann Merivale |
| [PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:155] | Patient | Merivale |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:154] | Other | Mrs Ann Merivale |
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 | England | Europe | certain | |||
| Mentioned / Other | Scotland | Europe | certain | |||
| Mentioned / Other | South-West | England | Europe | certain | ||
| Mentioned / Other | Devonshire | South-West | England | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
The Disorder concerning which I request
the favor of your advice, has been hitherto almost unknown
in the southern parts of England; & having had the misfortune
to lose two Children in it, I am anxiously solicitous for the
sake of my only surviving One, to procure the best informa¬
tion of the nature of the disease, & method of its cure -- for
this information I apply to You, Sir! having been told that
instances if it are frequent on the Coasts of Scotland, & judging
from the eminence of your Name that they must often have
fallen under your Observation. ----
The Disorder began with a Hoarseness, & a peculiarly hollow
kind of Cough, which lasted about 24 Hours; at the end of which
the respiration seem'd difficult, & was attended with a loud, shrill
Noise -- the Cough ceas'd, & the Face was at times much flush'd
the Patient became drowsy, but between the intervals of sleep
was chearful, & made no complaint of any pain --- there was
little or no Fever, & no difficulty on swallowing - A few Hours
[Page 2]
before their death, we flatter'd ourselves, in both cases, that the
disorder decreas'd -- they seem'd to breathe easier, & the Noise at¬
tending respiration was less loud & shrill - but when we had the
greatest hope, a sudden insensibility came on, & in little more
than half an hour, they expir'd. ---- the difficulty of breathing
appear'd early in the morning, & they died nearly about the same
time the next day. --- there was an interval of two Years be¬
tween the deaths of my Children, but the symptoms in both
were nearly, if not exactly alike. ---
We had the advice of the most eminent Physician in Devon¬
shire, but he profess'd to know very little of the nature of the
disorder, which he apprehended to be the Croup, arising as he
imagin'd from an inflammation of the Windpipe - for the Child
I first lost (about two years of Age) A Vomit was prescrib'd, &
Blister on its throat. -- bleeding was judg'd improper. --- for the
last (between 5 & 6 Years of Age) A Vomit was prescrib'd, with
Blisters on the throat & legs, & Cataplasms to the feet - there
was a small quantity of blood taken from this Child, but not
till some hours after the difficulty of breathing came on. ----
To your skill & humanity, Sir, I trust I shall be indebted for
a proper method of treating this disease, should I again be so
unhappy as to see it in my family --- Are there any Causes
[Page 3]
which more particularly dispose the Body to receive its im¬
pressions? -- has Soil, or Situation any influence? {illeg} is it
more frequent at any particular season of the Year? or are its
attacks to be prevented by any care or precaution? ----
Let me beg you, Sir, to excuse these minute enquiries, & to
favor me with your Opinion on the means of prevention (if
there are any) & the method of Cure -- by so doing, you will
very highly oblige a Parent whose happiness is intimately
connected with the health & welfare of her Child. --- ----
I am Sr. with the greatest Respect
[Page 4]
Dr. Cullen.
Mrs Merivale
August 1781
Diplomatic Text
The Disorder concerning which I request
the favor of your advice, has been hitherto almost unknown
in the southern parts of England; & having had the misfortune
to lose two Children in it, I am anxiously solicitous for the
sake of my only surviving One, to procure the best informa¬
tion of the nature of the disease, & method of its cure -- for
this information I apply to You, Sir! having been told that
instances if it are frequent on the Coasts of Scotland, & judging
from the eminence of your Name that they must often have
fallen under your Observation. ----
The Disorder began with a Hoarseness, & a peculiarly hollow
kind of Cough, which lasted about 24 Hours; at the end of which
the respiration seem'd difficult, & was attended with a loud, shrill
Noise -- the Cough ceas'd, & the Face was at times much flush'd
the Patient became drowsy, but between the intervals of sleep
was chearful, & made no complaint of any pain --- there was
little or no Fever, & no difficulty on swallowing - A few Hours
[Page 2]
before their death, we flatter'd ourselves, in both cases, that the
disorder decreas'd -- they seem'd to breathe easier, & the Noise at¬
tending respiration was less loud & shrill - but when we had the
greatest hope, a sudden insensibility came on, & in little more
than half an hour, they expir'd. ---- the difficulty of breathing
appear'd early in the morning, & they died nearly about the same
time the next day. --- there was an interval of two Years be¬
tween the deaths of my Children, but the symptoms in both
were nearly, if not exactly alike. ---
We had the advice of the most eminent Physician in Devon¬
shire, but he profess'd to know very little of the nature of the
disorder, which he apprehended to be the Croup, arising as he
imagin'd from an inflammation of the Windpipe - for the Child
I first lost (about two years of Age) A Vomit was prescrib'd, &
Blister on its throat. -- bleeding was judg'd improper. --- for the
last (between 5 & 6 Years of Age) A Vomit was prescrib'd, with
Blisters on the throat & legs, & Cataplasms to the feet - there
was a small quantity of blood taken from this Child, but not
till some hours after the difficulty of breathing came on. ----
To your skill & humanity, Sir, I trust I shall be indebted for
a proper method of treating this disease, should I again be so
unhappy as to see it in my family --- Are there any Causes
[Page 3]
which more particularly dispose the Body to receive its im¬
pressions? -- has Soil, or Situation any influence? {illeg} is it
more frequent at any particular season of the Year? or are its
attacks to be prevented by any care or precaution? ----
Let me beg you, Sir, to excuse these minute enquiries, & to
favor me with your Opinion on the means of prevention (if
there are any) & the method of Cure -- by so doing, you will
very highly oblige a Parent whose happiness is intimately
connected with the health & welfare of her Child. --- ----
I am Sr. with the greatest Respect
[Page 4]
Dr. Cullen.
Mrs Merivale
Aug 1781
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