The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:2983] From: Dr Charles Keith / To: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / Regarding: Mr John Cook (Cooke; of Gallowhill; of Ogle. ) (Patient), Miss Marr (Patient) / 6 February 1787 / (Incoming)
Letter from Charles Keith, concerning the cases of John Cook, who 'is rather better, but I fear will never allow himself to be well', and of Miss Marr, who has been 'threatened with Phthisis & is yet far from well'. He includes copies of the medicines he has been prescribing for Miss Marr.
- 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 | 2983 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/2/2015 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Incoming |
| Date | 6 February 1787 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Authorial original |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | Yes |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Letter from Charles Keith, concerning the cases of John Cook, who 'is rather better, but I fear will never allow himself to be well', and of Miss Marr, who has been 'threatened with Phthisis & is yet far from well'. He includes copies of the medicines he has been prescribing for Miss Marr. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | Yes |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:909] |
Case of John Cook of Gallowhill, who suffers from phlegm and other ailments exacerbated by excessive drinking. |
20 |
| [Case ID:2499] |
Case of Miss Marr, who has a cough and a knee ailment. |
5 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:3387] | Author | Dr Charles Keith |
| [PERS ID:1] | Addressee | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:3495] | Patient | Mr John Cook (Cooke; of Gallowhill; of Ogle. ) |
| [PERS ID:3698] | Patient | Miss Marr |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:3387] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr Charles Keith |
| [PERS ID:4705] | Other Physician / Surgeon | Dr John Brown (Browne) |
| [PERS ID:5218] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | Mr |
Places linked to this document
| Role in document | Specific Place | Settlements / Areas | Region | Country | Global Region | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Writing | Morpeth | North-East | England | Europe | certain | |
| Destination of Letter | Edinburgh | Edinburgh and East | Scotland | Europe | certain | |
| Place of Handstamp | Morpeth | North-East | England | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
I received your obliging
Letter yesterday & this Day I have been with
John Cook who I think is rather better, but
I fear will never allow himself to ↑be↑ well
He has long put in practice the
Brunonian Doctrine 1 & if he goes on he will
soon produce its sedative Effects ––
I read your Letter to him; he said
I might send you two Guineas which I very
cheerfully do –– You will remember that
the Evening you arrived here I sent for
a Miss Marr to get your advice; She was
threatened with Phthisis & is yet far from
well; you bade me write if she did not get
well & you would do what farther you
could for her ; which I know you will
most readily do as you thought her Father
in law 2 behaved genteelly & to be honest
with you as I happen to writing I offered
[Page 2]
to mention her situation to you –– She has at
times pain of her ↑left↑ side & her cough is pretty
frequent attended at times with an Expectoration
of a whitish viscid matter –– Occasionally when
she goes to Bed she ↑has↑ some little shivering
but does not sweat – The cough is generally
very troublesome in ↑the↑ night; she does not
waste, her appetite is tolerable & Belly
pretty regular – ↑Pulse not above eighty sometimes under↑ The Catamenia keep their
periodical returns, but are in small
quantity & of a paler colour than formerly;
before they appear the cough is worse but
during their flow &c a Week after it is much
less frequent –– When you saw her you proposed
a Blister to her side to be kept open; an
Antimonial Mixture, & a quieting one when
the cough was troublesome –– The Blister gave
temporary relief to the cough & pain – she felt no
effect from the Antimonial, & the Anodyne
Mixture generally quieted the Cough but she did
not sleep for several hours after taking it
About two Months ago she had
pain of Breast this was relieved by a Blister;
she occasionally takes your quieting Mixture
& when the cough is very frequent & her nights
[Page 3]
restless she takes a Pill with a grain of Opium
I have sometimes been obliged to have
recourse to small Doses of Ipeca. which relieves
the cough & which seems in her to produce
the effects of nausea & some little retching
much more effectually than small Doses
of Antimonials – I shall subjoin the Prescriptions
of the of the Medicines you ordered for her –– When
you have a leisure moment, (I know they
are not many) please say what farther should
be done
Yours most Respect[fully]
1787
Take three ounces each of simple Cinnamon Water and Rosewater, and one ounce each of Syrup of Cloves and Antimonial Wine. Label: A tablespoon or two to be taken an hour before bedtime.
Take three ounces each of Peppermint Water and Rosewater, two ounces of Poppyhead Syrup and one hundred and twenty drops of Laudanum. Label: Quieting Mixture; two tablespoons to be taken when ↑the↑ cough is troublesome.
[Page 4]
Doctor William Cullen
Physician
Edinburgh
Dr. Keith Concerning
Mr. Cook, Miss
Marr. February 1787
V. XIX. P.48
Diplomatic Text
I received your obliging
Letter yesterday & this Day I have been with
John Cook who I think is rather better, but
I fear will never allow himself to ↑be↑ well
He has long put in practice the
Brunonian Doctrine 1 & if he goes on he will
soon produce its sedative Effects ––
I read your Letter to him; he said
I might send you two Guineas which I very
cheerfully do –– You will remember that
the Evening you arrived here I sent for
a Miss Marr to get your advice; She was
threatened with Phthisis & is yet far from
well; you bade me write if she did not get
well & you would do what farther you
could for her ; which I know you will
most readily do as you thought her Father
in law 2 behaved genteelly & to be honest
with you as I happen to writing I offered
[Page 2]
to mention her situation to you –– She has at
times pain of her ↑left↑ side & her cough is pretty
frequent attended at times with an Expectoration
of a whitish viscid matter –– Occasionally when
she goes to Bed she ↑has↑ some little shivering
but does not sweat – The cough is generally
very troublesome in ↑the↑ night; she does not
waste, her appetite is tolerable & Belly
pretty regular – ↑Pulse not above eighty sometimes under↑ The Catamenia keep their
periodical returns, but are in small
quantity & of a paler colour than formerly;
before they appear the cough is worse but
during their flow &c a Week after it is much
less frequent –– When you saw her you proposed
a Blister to her side to be kept open; an
Antimonial Mixture, & a quieting one when
the cough was troublesome –– The Blister gave
temporary relief to the cough & pain – she felt no
effect from the Antimonial, & the Anodyne
Mixture generally quieted the Cough but she did
not sleep for several hours after taking it
About two Months ago she had
pain of Breast this was relieved by a Blister;
she occasionally takes your quieting Mixture
& when the cough is very frequent & her nights
[Page 3]
restless she takes a Pill with a grain of Opium
I have sometimes been obliged to have
recourse to small Doses of Ipeca. which relieves
the cough & which seems in her to produce
the effects of nausea & some little retching
much more effectually than small Doses
of Antimonials – I shall subjoin the Prescriptions
of the of the Medicines you ordered for her –– When
you have a leisure moment, (I know they
are not many) please say what farther should
be done
Yours most Respect[fully]
1787
℞ Aq. Cin semp
–– Rosar @℥iij
Syr. Caryoph.
Vin. Antim. @℥j
Sig. A tablespoonful or two to be taken an hour
before bedtime
℞ Aq. Menth
–– Rosar @℥iij
Syr. Diacod ℥ij
L.L. gtt. CXX
Sig Quietg Mixture two tablespoonful to be
taken when ↑the↑ cough is troublesome
[Page 4]
Doctor William Cullen
Physician
Edinburgh
Dr. Keith C.
Mr. Cook, Miss
Marr. Feby. 1787
V. XIX. P.48
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