The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:4169] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Dr Matthew Dobson / Regarding: Mr (Patient) / 10 October 1777 / (Outgoing)
Reply to 'Dr Dobson Liverpool' discussing an anonymous case of a male patient of Dobson's with an irritated bladder.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 3 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
[Page 3]
Metadata
Field | Data |
---|---|
DOC ID | 4169 |
RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/10/26 |
Main Language | English |
Document Direction | Outgoing |
Date | 10 October 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 'Dr Dobson Liverpool' discussing an anonymous case of a male patient of Dobson's with an irritated bladder. |
Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
---|---|---|
[Case ID:885] |
Case of an unnamed male patient of Dr Dobson's at Liverpool who has a gleet which Cullen considers stems from a very particular form of bladder irritation upon which he theorises. |
3 |
People linked to this document
Person ID | Role in document | Person |
---|---|---|
[PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:469] | Addressee | Dr Matthew Dobson |
[PERS ID:2125] | Patient | Mr |
[PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:469] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr Matthew Dobson |
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 | Liverpool | North-West | England | Europe | inferred |
Normalized Text
Dr Dobson Liverpool
Dear Dr.
I wrote you some posts agp, & promised to write you
again by the next post but I am liable to so many interruptions,
that what is not immediately urgent is readily postponed. I dont
know how you may like my solution of your case, but the
more I consider it the more confident I am in my opinion, but I
shall be glad to hear from you on the subject. However you may
think of my theory I doubt if your patient can be pleased with
my practice, when I refer him to the general cure of the gout,
which I think is practica. -- He will think that this pro¬
mises little but you may tell him that this is only because
he will not admit of the cure of the gout, which I think is more
practicable than most people imagine. - I must not how¬
ever insist on this, but must say what I can about guarding
[Page 2]
the neck of the bladder from attacks, suposing the gouty diathesis
to remain. For this purpose the first thing to be attended to,
is the avoiding every thing that might irritate the neck of the
bladder, & therefore keeping the urine as mild as possible, by
plentifull dilution, but chiefly by water for every addition
to it is either useless or hurtfull. All fermented liquors, are
of the last kind, & especially the weaker & more acessent 1 kinds.
In like manner all acids & [acrids?], whether in food or
drink are to be avoided. Diureticks of all kinds &
therefore ↑many of↑ the remedies employed for gleets are pernicious.
Diseased parts aquire a sensibility which people in health
have no notion of. Tho not necessary in this case, I must
observe to you, that nothing hurts this desease more
than costiveness, & the pains & gleet which your patient feels in the
morning, & the relief procured by his stool are fine illus¬
trations of my general doctrine, for his pains are
spasmodic efforts of the bladder, Among the irritations that
may be aplied to the neck of the bladder I reckon bougies,
for, tho the disease is sometimes attended with strictures &
relieved by bougies, I have found the frequent application
hurtfull. Topical cold bathing has been usefull, but
rarely [is?] universal bathing I hold to be very ambiguous
in gouty constitutions. -- Buxton is certainly one of the
safest. Besides the recommending to avoid irritation you
& your Patient, will expect a medicine to take off the spasmodic
disposition, & I have one to propose which you do not expect.
That is the Uva ursi. In many calculous, & what is more
[Page 3]
venereal & arthritic cases I have found it of great benefit.
It is to be given in powder three times a day, begining with
half a dram & increasing to one dram for a dose. It is safer
than bark, or any other bitter in arthritic cases, but still
I do not continue it longer than three weeks at one time and
indeed if it does not show effects in that time I do not expect
afterwards. The apthæ you mention I am quite unaquain¬
ted with and therefore can offer you no advice. -- I am with
great regard and affection Dr Dobson
your most Obedient Servant --
Wm Cullen
Edinburgh 10th. October
1777
Notes:
1: Probably the copyist's spelling of 'acescent' ("tending to turn to sour"), a term Cullen often employs when discussing diet
Diplomatic Text
Dr Dobson Liverpool
Dear Dr.
I wrote you some posts agp, & promised to write you
again by the next post but I am liable to so many interruptions,
that what is not immediately urgent is readily postponed. I dont
know how you may like my solution of your case, but the
more I consider it the more confident I am in my opinion, but I
shall be glad to hear from you on the subject. However you may
think of my theory I doubt if your patient can be pleased with
my practice, when I refer him to ye general cure of ye gout,
which I think is practica. -- He will think that this pro¬
mises little but you may tell him that this is only because
he will not admit of ye cure of ye gout, wc I think is more
practicable than most people imagine. - I must not how¬
ever insist on this, but must say what I can about guarding
[Page 2]
the neck of ye bladder from attacks, suposing the gouty diathesis
to remain. For this purpose the first thing to be attended to,
is the avoiding every thing that might irritate the neck of ye
bladder, & therefore keeping the urine as mild as possible, by
plentifull dilution, but chiefly by water for every addition
to it is either useless or hurtfull. All fermented liquors, are
of the last kind, & especially ye weaker & more acessent 1 kinds.
In like manner all acids & [acrids?], whether in food or
drink are to be avoided. Diureticks of all kinds &
therefore ↑many of↑ the remedies employed for gleets are pernicious.
Diseased parts aquire a sensibility which people in health
have no notion of. Tho not necessary in this case, I must
observe to you, that nothing hurts this desease more
than costiveness, & ye pains & gleet wc your patient feels in ye
morning, & ye relief procured by his stool are fine illus¬
trations of my general doctrine, for his pains are
spasmodic efforts of ye bladder, Among ye irritations yt
may be aplied to ye neck of ye bladder I reckon bougies,
for, tho ye disease is sometimes attended wt strictures &
relieved by bougies, I have found ye frequent application
hurtfull. Topical cold bathing has been usefull, but
rarely [is?] universal bathing I hold to be very ambiguous
in gouty constitutions. -- Buxton is certainly one of the
safest. Besides the recommending to avoid irritation you
& your Patient, will expect a medicine to take off the spasmodic
disposition, & I have one to propose which you do not expect.
That is the Uva ursi. In many calculous, & what is more
[Page 3]
venereal & arthritic cases I have found it of great benefit.
It is to be given in powder three times a day, begining with
half a dram & increasing to one dram for a dose. It is safer
than bark, or any other bitter in arthritic cases, but still
I do not continue it longer than three weeks at one time and
indeed if it does not show effects in that time I do not expect
afterwards. The apthæ you mention I am quite unaquain¬
ted with and therefore can offer you no advice. -- I am with
great regard and affection Dr Dobson
your most Obedt Servt. --
Wm Cullen
Edinr. 10th. Octor.
1777
Notes:
1: Probably the copyist's spelling of 'acescent' ("tending to turn to sour"), a term Cullen often employs when discussing diet
XML
XML file not yet available.
Feedback
Send us specfic feeback about this document [DOC ID:4169]
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...