Cullen

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

 

[ID:3766] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Mr Duncan Campbell (Patient) / 16 January 1775 / (Outgoing)

Letter initially titled 'To Dr Duncanson about Mr Campbell'; 'about' is scored out and replaced by 'and'.. Mr Duncan Campbell can be identified as a child patient.

Facsimile

There are 3 images for this document.

[Page 1]


 

[Page 2]


 

[Page 3]


 
 

Metadata

FieldData
DOC ID 3766
RCPE Catalogue Number CUL/1/1/5/29
Main Language English
Document Direction Outgoing
Date16 January 1775
Annotation None
TypeScribal copy ( includes Casebook Entry)
Enclosure(s) No enclosure(s)
Autopsy No
Recipe Yes
Regimen No
Letter of Introduction No
Case Note No
Summary Letter initially titled 'To Dr Duncanson about Mr Campbell'; 'about' is scored out and replaced by 'and'.. Mr Duncan Campbell can be identified as a child patient.
Manuscript Incomplete? No
Evidence of Commercial Posting No

Case

Cases that this document belongs to:

Case ID Description Num Docs
[Case ID:122]
Case of the young ('little') Duncan Campbell who has swollen glands and a tumour in his neck.
4


People linked to this document

Person IDRole in documentPerson
[PERS ID:1]AuthorDr William Cullen (Professor Cullen)
[PERS ID:465]PatientMr Duncan Campbell
[PERS ID:1]Patient's Physician / Surgeon / ApothecaryDr William Cullen (Professor Cullen)
[PERS ID:310]Patient's Physician / Surgeon / ApothecaryDr John Duncanson (Duncason)
[PERS ID:460]Patient's Relative / Spouse / FriendCaptain James Campbell

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 Inveraray West Highlands Scotland Europe inferred

Normalized Text

[Page 1]
To Dr Duncan ↑[&?]↑ about (↑and.↑) Mr Campbell.


Gentlemen
I had the honour of your accurate & judicious
letter of the 13th & now answer it in course. I have no doubt
about the nature of the young gentlemans disease. The
swellings mentioned are not in the maxillary salival gland
but in the lymphatick glands which are frequent and nu¬
merous under the chin & about the neck & the thing to
be feared is that a tumour may fall upon these glands.
& both prove obstinately fixed there & perhaps spread



[Page 2]

to other places. However I have had many instances
of such appearances in children happily discussed 1 and I
hope . it may be done in this case. As the tumours are
at present perfectly indolent and free from inflamma¬
tion
I would dissuade from the application of Poultices or
plaisters of any kind nor till some considerable inflamm¬
ation
appears, would I admit of them and I would (hope) this
shall never happen. If you had not already begun to cover
them with flannel I would not howev have even advised this
& still I would make it very slight. The only application
I can advise is washing The tumors every night & morng.
↑with the Solution↑ ordered below. & to be employed neither cold nor warm. --
With respect to small doses. internal medicines you have done
very right in giving some small doses of Mercury & purging
it off
but I am clear that this cannot be continued & there
is no matter because I never found Mercurials very usefull
in such cases. I have had much more success with the ape¬
rient
solution ordered below & if the child can be got to take
it properly I hope you will find it of Service - A table
spoonfull is to be mixed with half a muchkin of spring
water & this is to be drank par reprises 2 , in the manner
of a mineral water every morning I proposed a spoonfull for
a dose but this is to be regulated by its effects. It should


[Page 3]

keep the belly regular without purging [but?] if it does either
more or less, the dose is to be diminished or may be
increased. Please to observed that the quantity of spring water
is a considerable part of the remedy - the child may and
should be carried abroad every day that is tolerably mild.
The diet of children cannot be much altered from the
milk & farinacea, they are commonly accustomed to.
but if it can be admitted in this case I would give a
little weak broth every day & sometimes small beer
instead of small be milk. and these are the only alte¬
rations I can propose - I take no notice of the scarlet¬
fever
or other such eruption which the child has had
because I consider it as over. Its effect on the
glandular Swellings [are?] very ambiguous being
sometimes good & sometimes bad. In the mean time it
suggests to me nothing but what must have occourred to
you, that it may be proper to purge the child once or twice
upon the recess of the eruption - Expecting to hear from
when any thing new occours. I am. &c.

Edinburgh 16 January 1775.

Take eight ounces of rose water, half an ounce of vinegar distillate, two scruples of sugar of lead. Dissolve it and mix spoonfulls. Label it: Discutient Solution.

for washing the tumours twice a day neither cold nor hot

Take half an ounce of soluble Tartar, an ounce of Glauber's Salts, two drachms of each polychrest Salts and Spanish Sea-salt and eight ounces of spring water. Dissolve and mix. Label it: Aperient Solution

a table
spoonfull more or less to be taken every morning mixxed with half a much¬
kin of Spring water.

W.C.

Notes:

1: Meaning 'dispersed' or 'destroyed'.

2: The copyist appears to have written 'par', but Cullen probably intended 'per reprises', meaning 'by reprises' [i.e. by repeating the dose].

Diplomatic Text

[Page 1]
To Dr Duncan ↑[&?]↑ about (↑and.↑) Mr Campbell.


Gent
I had the honour of your accurate & judicious
letter of the 13th & now answer it in course. I have no doubt
about the nature of the young gentlemans disease. The
swellings mentioned are not in the maxillary salival gland
but in the lymphatick glands which are frequent and nu¬
merous under the chin & about the neck & the thing to
be feared is that a tumour may fall upon these glands.
& both prove obstinately fixed there & perhaps spread



[Page 2]

to other places. However I have had many instances
of such appearances in children happily discussed 1 and I
hope . it may be done in this case. As the tumours are
at present perfectly indolent and free from inflamma¬
tion
I would dissuade from the application of Poultices or
plaisters of any kind nor till some considerable inflamm¬
ation
appears, would I admit of them and I would (hope) this
shall never happen. If you had not already begun to cover
them with flannel I would not howev have even advised this
& still I would make it very slight. The only application
I can advise is washing The tumors every night & morng.
↑with the Soln.↑ ordered below. & to be employed neither cold nor warm. --
With respect to small doses. internal meds you have done
very right in giving some small doses of Mercury & purging
it off
but I am clear that this cannot be continued & there
is no matter because I never found Mercurials very usefull
in such cases. I have had much more success with the ape¬
rient
solution ordered below & if the child can be got to take
it properly I hope you will find it of Service - A table
spoonfull is to be mixed with half a muchkin of spring
water & this is to be drank par reprises 2 , in the manner
of a mineral water every morng. I proposed a spoonfull for
a dose but this is to be regulated by its effects. It should


[Page 3]

keep the belly regr. without purgg. [but?] if it does either
more or less, the dose is to be diminished or may be
increased. Please to observed that the qty of spring water
is a considerable part of the remedy - the child may and
should be carried abroad every day that is tolerably mild.
The diet of children cannot be much altered from the
milk & farinacea, they are commonly accustomed to.
but if it can be admitted in this case I would give a
little weak broth every day & sometimes small beer
instead of small be milk. and these are the only alte¬
rations I can propose - I take no notice of the scarlet¬
fever
or other such eruption which the child has had
because I consider it as over. Its effect on the
glandular Swellings [are?] very ambiguous being
sometimes good & sometimes bad. In the mean time it
suggests to me nothing but what must have occourred to
you, that it may be proper to purge the child once or twice
upon the recess of the eruption - Expecting to hear from
when any thing new occours. I am. &c.

Edr. 16 Jany. 1775.


Aq. Ros. ℥viij Acet. dest. ℥ſs. Sacch Sat. ℈ij - Solve et p.ch.
cola. S. Discutient Soln.

for washing the tumours 2ce a day neither cold nor hot


Tart. solubil. ℥ſs. Sal. Gl. ℥j Sal. polychrest. Sal. marin. Hisp.
aa-- ʒij. Aq. font. ℥8 - Solve et cola. S. Aperient Soln.

a table
spoonfull more or less to be taken every morng mixxed with half a much¬
kin of Spring water.

W.C.

Notes:

1: Meaning 'dispersed' or 'destroyed'.

2: The copyist appears to have written 'par', but Cullen probably intended 'per reprises', meaning 'by reprises' [i.e. by repeating the dose].

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