Cullen

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

 

[ID:3771] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Mr Thomas Innes (Captain, of Rosyburn/Rosieburn) (Patient) / 1 February 1775 / (Outgoing)

Reply 'For Captain Innes' in the form of a very heavily abbreviated casebook entry. Mentions his local physician, Dr Saunders, but unclear if Saunders is the addressee.

Facsimile

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Metadata

FieldData
DOC ID 3771
RCPE Catalogue Number CUL/1/1/5/34
Main Language English
Document Direction Outgoing
Date1 February 1775
Annotation None
TypeScribal copy ( includes Casebook Entry)
Enclosure(s) No enclosure(s)
Autopsy No
Recipe No
Regimen No
Letter of Introduction No
Case Note No
Summary Reply 'For Captain Innes' in the form of a very heavily abbreviated casebook entry. Mentions his local physician, Dr Saunders, but unclear if Saunders is the addressee.
Manuscript Incomplete? No
Evidence of Commercial Posting No

Case

Cases that this document belongs to:

Case ID Description Num Docs
[Case ID:100]
Case of Captain Innes whose current, varied complaints began with an inflammation of his eyes.
5


People linked to this document

Person IDRole in documentPerson
[PERS ID:1]AuthorDr William Cullen (Professor Cullen)
[PERS ID:3506]PatientMr Thomas Innes (Captain, of Rosyburn/Rosieburn)
[PERS ID:596]Patient's Physician / Surgeon / ApothecaryDr James Kenneth Saunders
[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
Place of Writing Cullen's House / Mint Close Edinburgh Edinburgh and East Scotland Europe certain
Destination of Letter Banff (Bamf) East Highlands Scotland Europe inferred

Normalized Text

[Page 1]

For Captain Innes.


The Captain's constitution naturally full & filled
with too much blood which gave occasion first to the inflammation
of his eyes & since to the hæmorrhagy from his
stomach. Not enough that he had suffered considerable
evacuations for Constitutions disposed to be plethoric
unless they follow a strict regimen, liable to fill
the faster by the preceding evacuations or if any difficulty
aboutthis. I would say that when a plethoric disposition has
concurring with other causes produced an inflammation or hæmorraly of a particular part[tho?] the
plethora of the whole body is not renewed a small
increase of blood or the repetition of stimulants.
will readily renew the determination to the particular part
All this to Dr Saunders that he may see the grounds
upon which my advice &c.


Capt. I. may be entirely recovered but not to be done
but by a strict regimen for a year or two to come.


1st. he must take to a very light & cool diet avoiding
all animal food, & keeping entirely to milk & vegetables.
Of the last, the farinaceous safer than roots or greens.
All fruits fresh or dried, very proper.


Must in drink confine himself to water &



[Page 2]

watery liquors abstaining entirely from wine, spirits &
malt liquors.


For some time, avoid all exercise but the most
gentle.


Equally necessary to avoid all [emotion ?] of mind & every
occasion of it.


Keep his body constantly very cool avoiding warm
chambers, a crowd of company or a load of bedcloaths


With these must take particular care to avoid costiveness
& the best way to remove it, is by a glyster. If
a medicine by the mouth necessary let it be of the most
coolest kind as Manna Tamarinds Prunes
Cream of Tartar or Glauber's Salts of the last par
reprises. 1


By such a regimen alone C. I. can recover &
with it no Evacuations nor medicines &c.


When threatened with returns of hæmorrhagy some
blood letting may be necessary but I leave this to Dr
Saunds's. discretion with this opinion that blood letting however
necessary to a present plethora certainly disposes to a return
of it & therefore in such case the seldome & more sparing the
better.


The Nitre certainly a proper medicine but cannot be



[Page 3]

pushed far with out giving an uneasy stimulus to
the stomach & therefore proper sometimes to alternate
with the Spiritus vitrioli tenuis. No objection to this being
joined to a light watery infusion of the Cortex but
the acid should be employed in a [glass?] glyster then it
would be proper to employ the other.


As the stomach is also liable from with or without
to spasmodic affect. Tincture Thebaica sometimes
necessary but Dr S's discretion &c. for otherwise I
would wish to avoid it.


Nothing more, but see I have ommitted to say that
sitting up late at [night?] will always do much harm
to Captain Innes.

W.C.

Edinburgh 1 February
1775.

Notes:

1: 'by reprises'. It is unclear if this indicates that all these medications are to be repeated, or that just the Glauber's Salts - as discussed in some previous communication? - is to be tried again.

Diplomatic Text

[Page 1]

For Captain Innes.


The Captn's constitution naturally full & filled
w- too mc blood wc gave occasn first to ye inflammn.
of his eyes & since to ye hæmorrhagy from his
stomach. Not enough that he had suffered considerable
evacuations for Constitutions disposed to be plethoric
unless they follow a strict regimen, liable to fill
ye faster by ye precedg. evacuatns. or if any difficulty
abtys. I would say yt wn a plethoric dispositn has
concurring w other causes produced an inflam¬
matn
or hæmorraly of a particr pt.[tho?] the
plethora of ye wle body is not renewed a small
increase of blood or ye repetition of stimulants.
will readily renew ye determinn to ye partr. pt.
All ys to Dr Saunders yt he may see the grounds
upon wc my advice &c.


Capt. I. m. b. entirely recovered but not to be done
but by a strict regimen for a year or two to come.


1st. he must take to a very light & cool diet avoidg.
all animal food, & keepg. entirey. to milk & veget.
Of ye last, ye farinaceous safer yn roots or greens.
All fruits fresh or dried, very proper.


Must in drink confine himself to water &



[Page 2]

watery liqs. abstg. entirey. from wine, spirits &
malt liquors.


For some time, avoid all exercise but ye most
gentle.


Equally necessy. to avoid all [emot?] of mind & evy.
occasn of it.


Keep his body consty. very cool avoidg. warm
chambers, a crowd of company or a load of bedcloaths


W yse must take particr care to avoid costiven
& ye best way to remove it, is by a glyster. If
a med. by ye mouth necessy. let it be of ye most
coolst. kind as Manna Tamarinds Prunes
Cream of Tartar or Glaub. S. of the last par
reprises. 1


By sc a regimen alone C. I. can recover &
w it no Evacuatns nor meds. &c.


Wn threatened w- returns of hæmorrhagy some
blood lettg. may be necessy. but I leave ys to Dr
Saunds's. discretn. w ys opinn yt blood lettg. howevr.
necessy to a prest. plethora certy disposes to a return
of it & yref. in sc case ye seldome & more sparing ye
better.


Ye Nitre certy. a proper med. but cannot be



[Page 3]

pushed far w out givg. an uneasy stimulus to
ye stom. & yref. proper sometimes to alternate
w- ye Sp. Vitr. tenuis. No objectn. to ys being
joined to a light watery infusn. of ye Cortex but
ye acid shd be employed in a [gls?] gter. yn it
wd be prop. to employ ye other.


As ye stom. is also liable from wt or w'out
to spasmod affect. Tinct. Theb. sometimes
necessy. but Dr S's discret. &c. for otherwise I
would wish to avoid it.


Nothg. more, but see I have ommitted to say yt
sitting up late at [nt.?] will always do mc harm
to Captain Innes.

W.C.

Edinr. 1 Febry.
1775.

Notes:

1: 'by reprises'. It is unclear if this indicates that all these medications are to be repeated, or that just the Glauber's Salts - as discussed in some previous communication? - is to be tried again.

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