Cullen

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

 

[ID:3839] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Mr John Henderson / Regarding: Mr John Henderson (Patient) / 21 June 1776 / (Outgoing)

Reply 'To Mr Henderson', reassuring him that spitting blood can be caused by anxiety, and assuring him of the value of his proposed trip to Paris, or even on to Spa, in easing his delicate nerves.

Facsimile

There are 2 images for this document.

[Page 1]


 

[Page 2]


 
 

Metadata

FieldData
DOC ID 3839
RCPE Catalogue Number CUL/1/1/7/60
Main Language English
Document Direction Outgoing
Date21 June 1776
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 'To Mr Henderson', reassuring him that spitting blood can be caused by anxiety, and assuring him of the value of his proposed trip to Paris, or even on to Spa, in easing his delicate nerves.
Manuscript Incomplete? No
Evidence of Commercial Posting No

Case

Cases that this document belongs to:

Case ID Description Num Docs
[Case ID:536]
Case of John Henderson whose symptoms include flatulence, 'some degree of Megrims', spitting blood and delicate nerves for which he is advised to travel to Paris.
5


People linked to this document

Person IDRole in documentPerson
[PERS ID:1]AuthorDr William Cullen (Professor Cullen)
[PERS ID:230]AddresseeMr John Henderson
[PERS ID:230]PatientMr John Henderson
[PERS ID:610]Patient's Physician / Surgeon / ApothecaryDr Richard Huck Saunders (Huck)
[PERS ID:1]Patient's Physician / Surgeon / ApothecaryDr William Cullen (Professor Cullen)
[PERS ID:2116]Other

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
Therapeutic Recommendation Spa Belgium Belgium Europe certain
Mentioned / Other Paris France France Europe certain

Normalized Text

[Page 1]
To Mr Henderson.
Dear Sir


I have considered your letter with great attention, & my
opinion of your ailments is very much the same as before.


The appearance of blood once or twice in your Spitting
might lead to another view of matters, but as it has not since
returned, as your blood shewed nothing bad & as you are
Absolutely free from all Cough I am persuaded the blood Spitting
was purely accidental & does not threaten you with any
consequence. I am confirmed in all this by Dr Hucks
agreeing to your taking the cold bath which I am certain
would ↑he↑ not do if he had any suspicion of your breast. I shall
conclude this subject by telling you, that I have a Lady for a
patient just now, who has spit blood Several times, for
Some years past but it is only when her mind is affected
with anxiety & vexation. Whenever it is so she spitts a little blood
but never at any other time, & the blood Spitting is not attended with
any consequence or suspicion of danger.


Passing then the circumstance of the blood Spitting I come to your
present circumstances, & in the first place I do not in the least
doubt the reality of your feelings or the distress they give you.
& I pity such valetudnariens. -- I have no doubt of your feeling
those uneasy heats in your palms & about your head, but I
consider them in you, as I have known them in many
others, importing no topical ↑or durable↑ Affection but arising entirely from a
delicacy of Nerves. They cannot receive any but a very temperate
relief from medicines, & they can only be removed & prevented
by rectifying the whole habit. For this is purpose I know
nothing equal to traveling, & I am happy in your intention of
going Abroad. You must at this Season contrive to avoid
much heat or fatigue. You may go pretty fast, but



[Page 2]

very fast posting in any case can do little good, & in your
case you may do much harm. When you go to Paris
you must not think of Sitting long there. Such a great
city must present many things to your curiosity, & so
long as you are very much occupied by these you may
be pretty Safe, but during the Summer Season to be for
any time idle & vacant at Paris would be pernicious.
& then great relief wherever you are must be by keeping
your mind employed, & your body exercised with Some constancy
but without violence in either way. I cant be more
particular you have my general plan & the Execution
in detaill must depend upon your own discretion. Traveling
will answer every purpose, & I would hardly mix any
other remedy with it. If you are by business confined to
any place for some time, you may be the better for
cold bathing, providing you can quit your hair, & be sure
of applying the cold water properly to your head for
without that precaution it may do much harm. If you
are of a party desirous to go to Spa you may
go with them & try the waters, but observe that if you
Should have any degree of Cough or Suspicion of
any ailment in your breast neither Cold bathing
nor Spa water are Safe for you -----

I am &c. & c.c.
Edinburgh 21 June 1776
W:C: ---

Diplomatic Text

[Page 1]
To Mr Henderson.
Dr Sir


I have considered your letter wt gt. attention, & my
opinion of your ailments is very much ye same as before.


The appearance of blood once or twice in your Spitting
might lead to another view of matters, but as it has not since
returned, as your blood shewed nothing bad & as you are
Absolutely free from all Cough I am persuaded ye blood S-
was purely accidental & does not threaten you wt any
consequence. I am confirmed in all this by Dr Hucks
agreeing to yr taking ye cold bath wc I am certain
would ↑he↑ not do if he had any suspicion of yr breast. I shall
conclude ys subject by telling you, yt I have a Lady for a
patient just now, who has spit blood Several times, for
Some years past but it is only when her mind is affectd
wt anxiety & vexation. Whenever it is so she spitts a little blood
but never at any other time, & ye blood Spittg. is not attended wt
any consequence or suspicion of danger.


Passing then ye circumstance of ye blood Spittg. I come to yr
present circumstances, & in ye first place I do not in ye least
doubt ye reality of yr feelings or the distress ye give you.
& I pity such valetudnariens. -- I have no doubt of yr feeling
those uneasy heats in yr palms & about yr head, but I
consider them in you, as I have known them in many
others, importing no topical ↑or durable↑ Affecn. but arising entirely fm. a
delicacy of Nerves. They cant receive any but a very temperate
relief fm. medicines, & they can only be removed & prevented
by rectifying ye whole habit. For ys is purpose I know
nothing equal to traveling, & I am happy in yr intenn. of
going Abroad. You must at ys Season contrive to avoid
much heat or fatigue. You may go pretty fast, but



[Page 2]

very fast posting in any case can do little good, & in yr
case you may do much harm. When you go to Paris
you must not think of Sitting long there. Such a gt
city must present many things to yr curiosity, & so
long as you are very much occupied by these you may
be pretty Safe, but during ye Summer Season to be for
any time idle & vacant at Paris would be pernicious.
& yn gt relief wherever you are must be by keeping
yr mind employed, & yr body exercised wt Some constancy
but wtout violence in either way. I cant be more
particular you have my general plan & ye Execution
in detaill must depend upon yr own discretion. Traveling
will answer every purpose, & I would hardly mix any
other remedy wt it. If you are by business confined to
any place for some time, you may be ye better for
cold bathing, providing you can quit yr hair, & be sure
of applying ye cold water properly to yr head for
wtout yt precaution it may do much harm. If you
are of a party desirous to go to Spa you may
go wt them & try ye waters, but observe yt if you
Should have any degree of Cough or Suspicion of
any ailment in yr breast neither Cold bathing
nor Spa water are Safe for you -----

I am &c. & c.c.
Edinr 21 June 1776
W:C: ---

XML

XML file not yet available.

Feedback

Send us specfic feeback about this document [DOC ID:3839]

Type
Comments
 

Please note that the Cullen Project team have now disbanded but your comments will be logged in our system and we will look at them one day...