The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:4154] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Dr John Alves / Regarding: [A matter not directly regarding a patient] / 30 September 1777 / (Outgoing)
Reply 'To Doctor Alves Inverness'. Refers to Dr Christopher Nugent’s An Essay on the Hydrophobia published in 1753, the Philosophical Transactions and the London Medical Essays on the hydrophobia.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
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Facsimile
There is 1 image for this document.
[Page 1]
Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 4154 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/10/11 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 30 September 1777 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Scribal 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 Doctor Alves Inverness'. Refers to Dr Christopher Nugent’s An Essay on the Hydrophobia published in 1753, the Philosophical Transactions and the London Medical Essays on the hydrophobia. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:931] |
Case of two unnamed men reported by Dr Alves at Inverness who were bitten by a rabid dog and are suspected of contracting hydrophobia. |
1 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:148] | Addressee | Dr John Alves |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:148] | Other Physician / Surgeon | Dr John Alves |
| [PERS ID:2095] | Other Physician / Surgeon | Dr Christopher Nugent |
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 | Inverness | North Highlands | Scotland | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
To Doctor Alves Inverness
In the case of two men bit by a mad Dog to whom you may have been
already called I am desired to give my opinion & advice. With respect to the management of the
wounds I come too late to be of any Service & Im afraid you was also too late but I suppose you did all
you thought could be done towards destroying the parts affected. With respect to a prophylatic, in Spite of
many pretended to & seemingly supported by testimonies I still remain a Sceptic but I never hinder
people from eating the Dogs liver or from using any other preservative in they have any
confidence & therefore I have approved of sending you the one that is at present most in vogue &
if it can be got here you will get with the directions which commonly accompany it. --
Tho many falacious & impotent remedies have been proposed upon the coming of the hydropho¬
bia & many persons have been of opinion that the case is then incurable I have not yet
come into this but believe that the hydrophobia is in many cases curable & has been
cured, & I think it is shocking in any case to desert the attempt. As I believe the disease
to be entirely a spasmodic affection I have confidence in musk & opium & how these are to be
employed you must know very well from the Phylosophical Transactions, the London
Medical Essays & Nugents work. 1 These remedies I am persuaded are the most powerfull
antispasmodics we know & from particular instances I believe they have been successful in
this disease but as the quality of our musk in this country is very uncertain there is
another remedy in which also I have confidence & that is mercury. After the effects of it in Tetanus &
Locked Jaw have now been pretty well ascertained I am disposed to believe in the Effects imputed
to it in hydrophobia. The mercury has been employed in different Shapes as you will see from
[vas Swidon?] but I believe an unction pushed very fast is as good a way as any. I am &c.
Notes:
1: 'London Medical Essays' could refer to more than one learned collection of medical essays from this period; probably The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, appearing in various editions; and Dr Christopher Nugent, An Essay on the Hydrophobia (London and Bath: 1753).
Diplomatic Text
To Doctor Alves Inverness
In the case of two men bit by a mad Dog to whom you may have been
already called I am desired to give my opinion & advice. With respect to the management of the
wounds I come too late to be of any Service & Im afraid you was also too late but I suppose you did all
you thought could be done towards destroying the parts affected. With respect to a prophylatic, in Spite of
many pretended to & seemingly supported by testimonies I still remain a Sceptic but I never hinder
people from eating the Dogs liver or from using any other preservative in they have any
confidence & therefore I have approved of sending you the one that is at present most in vogue &
if it can be got here you will get with the directions which commonly accompany it. --
Tho many falacious & impotent remedies have been proposed upon the coming of the hydropho¬
bia & many persons have been of opinion that the case is then incurable I have not yet
come into this but believe that the hydrophobia is in many cases curable & has been
cured, & I think it is shocking in any case to desert the attempt. As I believe the disease
to be entirely a spasmodic affection I have confidence in musk & opium & how these are to be
employed you must know very well from the Phylosophical Transactions, the London
Medical Essays & Nugents work. 1 These remedies I am persuaded are the most powerfull
antispasmodics we know & from particular instances I believe they have been successful in
this disease but as the quality of our musk in this country is very uncertain there is
another remedy in which also I have confidence & that is mercury. After the effects of it in Tetanus &
Locked Jaw have now been pretty well ascertained I am disposed to believe in the Effects imputed
to it in hydrophobia. The mercury has been employed in different Shapes as you will see from
[vas Swidon?] but I believe an unction pushed very fast is as good a way as any. I am &c.
Notes:
1: 'London Medical Essays' could refer to more than one learned collection of medical essays from this period; probably The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, appearing in various editions; and Dr Christopher Nugent, An Essay on the Hydrophobia (London and Bath: 1753).
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