
The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:4760] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Colonel George Clerk (Clarke, Clark) / Regarding: Colonel George Clerk (Clarke, Clark) (Patient) / 19 December 1783 / (Outgoing)
Reply, 'Col[onel] Clarke'. Cullen diagnoses the Colonel's complaint as a spasm at the mouth of his stomach and diaphragm, which would be exacerbated by particular bodily movements and the wind that plagues him. Cullen does not recommend the Colonel leave Bath. He does consent to him seeking a warmer climate, though believes one is hardly to be got in Britain.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 4 images for this document.

[Page 1]

[Page 2]

[Page 3]

[Page 4]
Metadata
Field | Data |
---|---|
DOC ID | 4760 |
RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/16/164 |
Main Language | English |
Document Direction | Outgoing |
Date | 19 December 1783 |
Annotation | None |
Type | Machine scribal copy |
Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
Autopsy | No |
Recipe | No |
Regimen | No |
Letter of Introduction | No |
Case Note | No |
Summary | Reply, 'Col[onel] Clarke'. Cullen diagnoses the Colonel's complaint as a spasm at the mouth of his stomach and diaphragm, which would be exacerbated by particular bodily movements and the wind that plagues him. Cullen does not recommend the Colonel leave Bath. He does consent to him seeking a warmer climate, though believes one is hardly to be got in Britain. |
Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
---|---|---|
[Case ID:1473] |
Case of Colonel George Clerk [Clark, Clarke, Clerke] who becomes excessively weak and feeble from chronic costiveness, breathlessness, and other chronic complaints. In New York he has a perpetual fever and stomach complaint and mentions consulting Cullen before but no firm evidence traced unless he is the same patient as Case 283 in 1768. |
24 |
People linked to this document
Person ID | Role in document | Person |
---|---|---|
[PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:2507] | Addressee | Colonel George Clerk (Clarke, Clark) |
[PERS ID:2507] | Patient | Colonel George Clerk (Clarke, Clark) |
[PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr 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 | Bath | South-West | England | Europe | inferred | |
Therapeutic Recommendation | Hampshire | London and South-East | England | Europe | certain | |
Therapeutic Recommendation | Isle of Wight | London and South-East | England | Europe | certain | |
Therapeutic Recommendation | Weymouth | South-West | England | Europe | certain | |
Mentioned / Other | Bath | South-West | England | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
Col: Clarke
I am heartily concerned to find that matters
have not gone on with you at Bath so well as I would
wish but I cannot impute this to the Air of the place
I now perceive more clearly than before that you are
liable to a particular spasm at the mouth of your
stomach and in the diaphragm surrounding it.
This will always be excited by any effort in moving
your body any way suddenly but especially up¬
wards and therefore in moving up stairs which
you must absolutely and entirely avoid by allowing
yourself always to be carried. Another kind of motion
ready to excite the same spasm is that of Speaking
as you seem to have sufficiently experienced. It
appears to me that the most part of your distress
since you went to Bath has been owing to the
spasm mentioned and excited by the causes
[Page 2]
mentioned while you was more liable to it from
having been so lately affected with cold and cough.
Another circumstance ready to excite the suffocating
spasm is the wind upon your stomach which again
will always be increased by costiveness which on this
occasion you had allowed to go too far. As I told
you before if you can render Rhubarb effectual
I have no objection to it but I have still more
favour for the Castor Oil and in one way or other you
must be attentive to prevent costiveness going too
far. If you shall continue to be affected with spasms
and short breathing even when you have not been
moving or speaking too much I will recommend a
medicine to you, that is, a small tea spoonful of
good Æther taken in a little water and this I expect
will bring up wind freely and thereby give you
relief.
[Page 3]
I cannot clearly perceive that either your bathing
or drinking the Bath waters have done you any harm
and therefore cannot advise your suddenly leaving
the place. I would have you continue there a little
yet and to continue to try both bathing and drinking
a little further. Take the bath only every third day
take it between 86. and 90 degrees only and remain
in it not above an hour and particularly both in
going and coming from it that you avoid all
exertion of your own bodily strength. With respect
to drinking proceed also very slowly taking only
small draughts and few of them till you can
be certain how they agree with you.
After ↑carrying↑ this trial ↑of↑ and bathing ↑and drinking↑ at Bath a little
further if you shall find reason to think they
do not agree with you I shall consent to your
seeking a better Climate though one much better
[Page 4]
is hardly to be got in Britain. Weymouth has a
somewhat milder winter but at the same time with
more wet weather than even at Bath. I hold Hamp¬
shire to have the best winter Climate of any part
of England and for myself I would prefer South¬
ampton or the Isle of Wight to Weymouth but
the difference is not so considerable as to prevent
your following any particular {illeg} you may
have to Weymouth. Cold bathing for you is entirely
out of my sight. Wherever you are or wherever
you may go you have my hearty wishes for your
better health. And am
Dear Colonel
Your most Obedient Servant
Edinburgh 19th. December
1783
Diplomatic Text
Col: Clarke
I am heartily concerned to find that matters
have not gone on with you at Bath so well as I would
wish but I cannot impute this to the Air of the place
I now perceive more clearly than before that you are
liable to a particular spasm at the mouth of your
stomach and in the diaphragm surrounding it.
This will always be excited by any effort in moving
your body any way suddenly but especially up¬
wards and therefore in moving up stairs which
you must absolutely and entirely avoid by allowing
yourself always to be carried. Another kind of motion
ready to excite the same spasm is that of Speaking
as you seem to have sufficiently experienced. It
appears to me that the most part of your distress
since you went to Bath has been owing to the
spasm mentioned and excited by the causes
[Page 2]
mentioned while you was more liable to it from
having been so lately affected with cold and cough.
Another circumstance ready to excite the suffocating
spasm is the wind upon your stomach which again
will always be increased by costiveness which on this
occasion you had allowed to go too far. As I told
you before if you can render Rhubarb effectual
I have no objection to it but I have still more
favour for the Castor Oil and in one way or other you
must be attentive to prevent costiveness going too
far. If you shall continue to be affected with spasms
and short breathing even when you have not been
moving or speaking too much I will recommend a
medicine to you, that is, a small tea spoonful of
good Æther taken in a little water and this I expect
will bring up wind freely and thereby give you
relief.
[Page 3]
I cannot clearly perceive that either your bathing
or drinking the Bath waters have done you any harm
and therefore cannot advise your suddenly leaving
the place. I would have you continue there a little
yet and to continue to try both bathing and drinking
a little further. Take the bath only every third day
take it between 86. and 90 degrees only and remain
in it not above an hour and particularly both in
going and coming from it that you avoid all
exertion of your own bodily strength. With respect
to drinking proceed also very slowly taking only
small draughts and few of them till you can
be certain how they agree with you.
After ↑carrying↑ this trial ↑of↑ and bathing ↑and drinking↑ at Bath a little
further if you shall find reason to think they
do not agree with you I shall consent to your
seeking a better Climate though one much better
[Page 4]
is hardly to be got in Britain. Weymouth has a
somewhat milder winter but at the same time with
more wet weather than even at Bath. I hold Hamp¬
shire to have the best winter Climate of any part
of England and for myself I would prefer South¬
ampton or the Isle of Wight to Weymouth but
the difference is not so considerable as to prevent
your following any particular {illeg} you may
have to Weymouth. Cold bathing for you is entirely
out of my sight. Wherever you are or wherever
you may go you have my hearty wishes for your
better health. And am
Dear Colonel
Your most Obedient Servant
Edinr. 19th. Decr.
1783
XML
XML file not yet available.
Feedback
Send us specfic feeback about this document [DOC ID:4760]
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...