Cullen

The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

 

[ID:2431] Case Note / Regarding: Mr (A.B.) (Patient) / 1784? / (Incoming)

Unsigned case note describing the case of 'A. B.', a man much travelled, who is described as having hypochondria.

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Metadata

FieldData
DOC ID 2431
RCPE Catalogue Number CUL/1/2/1486
Main Language English
Document Direction Incoming
Date1784?
Annotation None
TypeAuthorial original
Enclosure(s) No enclosure(s)
Autopsy No
Recipe No
Regimen No
Letter of Introduction No
Case Note No
Summary Unsigned case note describing the case of 'A. B.', a man much travelled, who is described as having hypochondria.
Manuscript Incomplete? No
Evidence of Commercial Posting No

Case

Cases that this document belongs to:

Case ID Description Num Docs
[Case ID:1770]
Case of 'A. B.', a man much travelled, who is described as having dyspepsic and hypochondriac symptoms.
1


People linked to this document

Person IDRole in documentPerson
[PERS ID:1]AddresseeDr William Cullen (Professor Cullen)
[PERS ID:3295]PatientMr (A.B.)
[PERS ID:1]Patient's Physician / Surgeon / ApothecaryDr 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 certain
Mentioned / Other Royal Tunbridge Wells (Tunbridge Wells) London and South-East England Europe certain

Normalized Text

[Page 1]
Case


A.- B- aged 29, of a sanguineo-choleric temperament-
Labours under various symptoms of Dyspeptic and Hypochondriacal
kind, in order to judge of which, it will be proper to trace his disease
from its origin, and to take a short view of the state of health he
enjoyed previous to it.


In his very early infancy, a fever of dentition was
terminated by an Abscess near the anus, which without chirurgical
assistance, after a long time heal'd up; but left a harden'd cicatrix
of the size of a small button --- He had the confluent Small Pox
very severely at 4 years of age - From that till the age of 15, he had
frequent headachs- His stomach could not bear some kinds of food
without vomiting- He had occasionally a sort of small white scurf
upon his hands, which made them appear as if washed in lime water -
he had often itchy eruptions upon different parts of his body;- and
what was peculiar, he could never join his Playfellows in those
exercises which required stooping or turning round, without feeling
a great stupor in his head- He was at the same time of a very
mobile, irritable habit, easily agitated and confused.


From 15 till 20, his stomach and head were considerably
better; only it was usual for him to have a slow, nervous fever, every year
about the month of february- The last of these left him very weak, and
particularly with a symptom which still continues, a dryness and
cracking of
the knee joints. ---




[Page 2]


About the age of 21, he had a Gonorrhœa which continued
near 6 months, and was attended with a bubo - He entrusted his cure
to some surgeons and Apothecaries who gave him large quantities of Mercury
especially Calomel, and at the same time rub'd a great deal of a great deal of Mercurial
Ointment
upon the parts-- At last in order to stop it, they order'd Balsam
with the Tincture of Catharides, and astringent injections.--- The
running
being stopt, a sense of pressure and pain remaind about
the Prostate Gland and neck of the bladder, sometimes more, sometimes less
acute - For this he was advised to use Bougies, which having been either too
stimulating or too far introduc'd, soon brought on a Cystarrhœa with bloody
urine
, and these obliged him to desist from their use. ---- About and after
this time he began to be troubled with small hard tumours upon his eyelids
of very difficult discussion - with occasional flushings, especially after
or at meals, and with an exudation of an acrid matter the groin
which if not remov'd by absorbent powders, eroded all the neighbouring parts.


At the age of 24, he went abroad to a cold northern
climate, where in the winter he wore furs, lived in very close stove heated
rooms, used a crude sour diet, and had little exercise, - none in the open
air -- Whether owing to these causes or not, the above mention'd Tumours
exudations, flushings &c. were aggravated, with this symptom superadded
that the hardened cicatrix began to itch, to swell, and to ooze out a thin
ichorous matter
.--- Judging Mercury to be necessary, he took two
drahms of it, in the form of Plenk's Solution with Sudorific Decoction
but having been exposed to cold, under its use, he had a slight fever
which chiefly affected his head -- As the tumours still remain'd as well as
the affection of the Neck of the bladder, he continued the Decoction during the




[Page 3]


the summer --- After this he made a rapid change of climate from south
to north, where he was again exposed, especially his head to intense cold, this
occasion'd another fever, in which the blood rising with great force to the
head
, was moderated by bleeding and purging;--- But there remain'd
sensations which he felt for the first time, of lightness of the head, giddiness,
spasmodic twitches of the muscles of the face, a fearfulness lest some of these
complaints should seize him, especially in company, and great anxiety
about the præcordia, corresponding either as cause or effect with that
timidity; also frequent belchings and vomitings of an acrid billous
matter.--- In this situation he made a long Journey, in the extreme
cold, during which his head and heart laboured under an oppression and
uneasiness not to be described;- He had not other relief but vomiting
and the struggles of nature were sometimes terminated by a sweat, when
the Thermometer was not less than 30 degrees below Zero - Once or twice
indeed there was a hemorrhoidal effort.


To relieve these different complaints, a Physician
gave him some very strong drastic Purges, after which all the dyspep¬
tic symptoms
increas'd, he had frequent tremors, alternate heats and
colds; dry skin; and almost constant glowings in the Palms of his hands,
flutterings and Palpitations of the heart; fear of falling; irresolution;
sudden interruptions of memory; aversion to food; perpetual foul tongue,
sense of fulness about the stomach and head attended by an uneasiness malaise which
render'd him unfit either to speak or act with ease or propriety,
startings in his sleep; nightmare, and frequently a sensation as if
this last was coming upon him while awake and even in company ↓&c.↓




[Page 4]


The tumors continued, and his urine began to deposit a large brawny
sediment, and the Cicatrix above mention'd was found to be connected
with a hard sinus running inwards.--- Upon this occasion he con¬
sulted another Physician by letter, who advised Mercury in the form of
Plenck's Pill, with warm bathing, Decoctions &c. He used them a month
without other effect than his urine became clear, and the tumours
about his eyes disappear'd.- At the same time the Cicatrix which he
had ↑had↑ cut by a surgeon heal'd up, but so as still to leave a small opening
which still continues, to ooze out occasionally a very small portion of matter.


After all these means, the external causes remaining
the same, he continued to suffer with various degrees of severity, the whole
train of Dyspeptic and Nervous Symptoms, during the space of three years
the weakest purges excited inordinate motions of the nervous system, at the same
time that they were necessary to prevent the consequences of habitual indigestion
and costiveness which were not less intolerable.


The Journey he made to his native country having given
no permanent relief, he was advised to use the vapour bath, with volatile [unctions?]
frictions, in order to expel the mercury (if any remain'd in the body), to remove
obstructions in the superficial vessels, and to assist Bougies in removing the
affection of the neck of the bladder.- He used them near three weeks; but tho
his muscles seem'd to acquire strength and plumpness, yet a giddiness in his head
and an irritation of the bladder obliged him to leave off both.- Soon after this, he tried
the chalybeate waters of Tunbridge, with only temporary good effect. At present the
fistulous Cicatrix, & the affection of the bladder remain the same; his skin is rough, and the
vessels
are often puffd up as if by an internal heat - The Dyspeptic and Nervous Symptoms
are neither so violent or so frequent as formerly, but are still easily excited, by cold,
change of diet.- His voluntary muscles are still capable of great exertions, and his mind is
sometimes as clear and vigorous as before, there is however, after all, a want of something to give
steadings to the functions of both mind and body.---

Diplomatic Text

[Page 1]
Case


A.- B- aged 29, of a sanguineo-choleric temperament-
Labours under various symptoms of Dyspeptic and Hypochondriacal
kind, in order to judge of which, it will be proper to trace his disease
from its origin, and to take a short view of the state of health he
enjoyed previous to it.


In his very early infancy, a fever of dentition was
terminated by an Abscess near the anus, which without chirurgical
assistance, after a long time heal'd up; but left a harden'd cicatrix
of the size of a small button --- He had the confluent Small Pox
very severely at 4 years of age - From that till the age of 15, he had
frequent headachs- His stomach could not bear some kinds of food
without vomiting- He had occasionally a sort of small white scurf
upon his hands, which made them appear as if washed in lime water -
he had often itchy eruptions upon different parts of his body;- and
what was peculiar, he could never join his Playfellows in those
exercises which required stooping or turning round, without feeling
a great stupor in his head- He was at the same time of a very
mobile, irritable habit, easily agitated and confused.


From 15 till 20, his stomach and head were considerably
better; only it was usual for him to have a slow, nervous fever, every year
about the month of february- The last of these left him very weak, and
particularly with a symptom which still continues, a dryness and
cracking of
the knee joints. ---




[Page 2]


About the age of 21, he had a Gonorrhœa which continued
near 6 months, and was attended with a bubo - He entrusted his cure
to some surgeons and Apothecaries who gave him large quantities of Mercury
especially Calomel, and at the same time rub'd a great deal of a great deal of Mercurial
Ointment
upon the parts-- At last in order to stop it, they order'd Balsam
with the Tincture of Catharides, and astringent injections.--- The
running
being stopt, a sense of pressure and pain remaind about
the Prostate Gland and neck of the bladder, sometimes more, sometimes less
acute - For this he was advised to use Bougies, which having been either too
stimulating or too far introduc'd, soon brought on a Cystarrhœa with bloody
urine
, and these obliged him to desist from their use. ---- About and after
this time he began to be troubled with small hard tumours upon his eyelids
of very difficult discussion - with occasional flushings, especially after
or at meals, and with an exudation of an acrid matter the groin
which if not remov'd by absorbent powders, eroded all the neighbouring parts.


At the age of 24, he went abroad to a cold northern
climate, where in the winter he wore furs, lived in very close stove heated
rooms, used a crude sour diet, and had little exercise, - none in the open
air -- Whether owing to these causes or not, the above mention'd Tumours
exudations, flushings &c. were aggravated, with this symptom superadded
that the hardened cicatrix began to itch, to swell, and to ooze out a thin
ichorous matter
.--- Judging Mercury to be necessary, he took two
drahms of it, in the form of Plenk's Solution with Sudorific Decoction
but having been exposed to cold, under its use, he had a slight fever
which chiefly affected his head -- As the tumours still remain'd as well as
the affection of the Neck of the bladder, he continued the Decoction during the




[Page 3]


the summer --- After this he made a rapid change of climate from south
to north, where he was again exposed, especially his head to intense cold, this
occasion'd another fever, in which the blood rising with great force to the
head
, was moderated by bleeding and purging;--- But there remain'd
sensations which he felt for the first time, of lightness of the head, giddiness,
spasmodic twitches of the muscles of the face, a fearfulness lest some of these
complaints should seize him, especially in company, and great anxiety
about the præcordia, corresponding either as cause or effect with that
timidity; also frequent belchings and vomitings of an acrid billous
matter.--- In this situation he made a long Journey, in the extreme
cold, during which his head and heart laboured under an oppression and
uneasiness not to be described;- He had not other relief but vomiting
and the struggles of nature were sometimes terminated by a sweat, when
the Thermometer was not less than 30 degrees below Zero - Once or twice
indeed there was a hemorrhoidal effort.


To relieve these different complaints, a Physician
gave him some very strong drastic Purges, after which all the dyspep¬
tic symptoms
increas'd, he had frequent tremors, alternate heats and
colds; dry skin; and almost constant glowings in the Palms of his hands,
flutterings and Palpitations of the heart; fear of falling; irresolution;
sudden interruptions of memory; aversion to food; perpetual foul tongue,
sense of fulness about the stomach and head attended by an uneasiness malaise which
render'd him unfit either to speak or act with ease or propriety,
startings in his sleep; nightmare, and frequently a sensation as if
this last was coming upon him while awake and even in company ↓&c.↓




[Page 4]


The tumors continued, and his urine began to deposit a large brawny
sediment, and the Cicatrix above mention'd was found to be connected
with a hard sinus running inwards.--- Upon this occasion he con¬
sulted another Physician by letter, who advised Mercury in the form of
Plenck's Pill, with warm bathing, Decoctions &c. He used them a month
without other effect than his urine became clear, and the tumours
about his eyes disappear'd.- At the same time the Cicatrix which he
had ↑had↑ cut by a surgeon heal'd up, but so as still to leave a small opening
which still continues, to ooze out occasionally a very small portion of matter.


After all these means, the external causes remaining
the same, he continued to suffer with various degrees of severity, the whole
train of Dyspeptic and Nervous Symptoms, during the space of three years
the weakest purges excited inordinate motions of the nervous system, at the same
time that they were necessary to prevent the consequences of habitual indigestion
and costiveness which were not less intolerable.


The Journey he made to his native country having given
no permanent relief, he was advised to use the vapour bath, with volatile [unctions?]
frictions, in order to expel the mercury (if any remain'd in the body), to remove
obstructions in the superficial vessels, and to assist Bougies in removing the
affection of the neck of the bladder.- He used them near three weeks; but tho
his muscles seem'd to acquire strength and plumpness, yet a giddiness in his head
and an irritation of the bladder obliged him to leave off both.- Soon after this, he tried
the chalybeate waters of Tunbridge, with only temporary good effect. At present the
fistulous Cicatrix, & the affection of the bladder remain the same; his skin is rough, and the
vessels
are often puffd up as if by an internal heat - The Dyspeptic and Nervous Symptoms
are neither so violent or so frequent as formerly, but are still easily excited, by cold,
change of diet.- His voluntary muscles are still capable of great exertions, and his mind is
sometimes as clear and vigorous as before, there is however, after all, a want of something to give
steadings to the functions of both mind and body.---

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