The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:489] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Miss Rutherford (Patient) / 18 April 1774 / (Outgoing)
Reply 'For Miss Rutherford', who symptoms are unstated, but 'liable to be tedious and obstinate'. Cullen gives detailed directions on diet and exercise with three recipes aimed at strengthening her weakened constitution.
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- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
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Facsimile
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[Page 1]
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Metadata
Field | Data |
---|---|
DOC ID | 489 |
RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/3/66 |
Main Language | English |
Document Direction | Outgoing |
Date | 18 April 1774 |
Annotation | None |
Type | Scribal copy ( includes Casebook Entry) |
Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
Autopsy | No |
Recipe | Yes |
Regimen | No |
Letter of Introduction | No |
Case Note | No |
Summary | Reply 'For Miss Rutherford', who symptoms are unstated, but 'liable to be tedious and obstinate'. Cullen gives detailed directions on diet and exercise with three recipes aimed at strengthening her weakened constitution. |
Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
---|---|---|
[Case ID:379] |
Case of Miss Rutherford whose ailments are 'liable to be tedious & obstinate'. |
1 |
People linked to this document
Person ID | Role in document | Person |
---|---|---|
[PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:252] | Patient | Miss Rutherford |
[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 |
Normalized Text
For Miss Rutherford.
Miss Rutherford's ailments whether Constitutional or acquird are liable
to be tedious & obstinate but can be generally relieved if
persons will employ the pains & attention that are always necessary. It is
hoped the following measures will answer the present case. In diet
she must avoid roots greens & other garden things, must
avoid all fruit & every thing acid as lemon juice, vinegar
or pickles. Her dinner may be of any plain meat but preferably
the lighter kinds & avoiding every thing baked or fried. She
may take a little fish but seldom & always sparingly
She may take of any kind of grain or what is made of it
but a well leavened bread is the safest. If she digests milk
easily she may take it either at breakfast or before Supper.
She must abstain from all kinds of fermented li¬
quors whether wines or ales. She may take a little
punch but without souring & with very little sugar. Much sugar
& all kinds of sweatmeats are bad for her. The only
safe drinks for her is plain water not quite cold. She
must also abstain from both tea & coffee & if she is
very fond of something in that shape she may take
Cocoa tea.
With this attention to diet it will be proper for Miss
Rutherford to go soon to the country to be there much in the
open air & take proper exercise. She may walk a good
deal but never so much as to heat or fatigue her. It will
be better for her to be often on horseback & till [all?]her
complaints are relieved she should ride for two or three hours
every forenoon that is tolerably fair.
[Page 2]
She should at all times take care to guard against
cold & particularly by thick shoes & warm stockings to keep
her feet & Legs always warm & dry. Any costiveness will
increase her ailments & when it happens she should take care im¬
mediately to remove it by taking at bedtime one or 2 of the
laxative pills ordered below.
By these measures I expect her
ailments will be cured & that very little medicine will be necessary
But I have ordered below two medicines which I hope will be useful.
One of them to be taken dayly & constantly for some weeks the other
only when occasn may require.
The first is marked strengthening drops & 30
of them are to be taken in a glass of water twice a day an
hour before dinner & as long before supper. It will
be proper to take the cold off the water by putting to
½ a gill of spring water about ½ a tablespoonful of boiling
water. The other medicine is marked Stomachic drops, & fifty
or 60 of them are to be taken on a bit of sugar when pains of
the Stomach happen to be most severe. On such occasions
they may be taken 2 or 3 times a day but the seldom the better.
Take a drachm each of Socotrine Aloes and Gentian extract, a scruple of Polychrest Salts and enough Common Syrup to make a mass to be divided into individual pills of five grains each. Label: Laxative Pills.
Take an ounce of Tincture of Mars and half an ounce of Aromatic Tincture. Mix. Label: Strengthening drops.
Take an ounce of Proprietary Elixir and two drachms of liquid Laudanum, and mix. Label: Stomachic drops.
1774.
Diplomatic Text
For Miss Rutherford.
M. Rs ailmts wheth. Constitutl or acquird are liable
to be tedious & obstinate but can be generally relieved if
persons will employ ye pns & attent.n yt are alw necessy. It is
hoped ye followg measures will ansr ye prest case. In diet
she must avoid roots greens & other garden things, must
avoid all fruit & every thing acid as lemon juice, vinegar
or pickles. Her dinner may be of any plain meat bt preferably
ye lighter kinds & avoiding every thing baked or fried. She
may take a little fish bt seldom & always sparingly
She may take of any kind of grain or wt is made of it
bt a well leavened bread is ye safest. If she digests milk
easily she may take it either at breakfast or before Supper.
She must abstain from all kinds of fermented li¬
quors whether wines or ales. She may take a little
punch bt wout souring & w very little sugar. Mc sugar
& all kinds of sweatmeats are bad for her. The only
safe drinks for her is plain water not quite cold. She
must also abstain from both tea & coffee & if she is
very fond of something in that shape she may take
Cocoa tea.
W ys attention to diet it will be proper for Miss
Rutherford to go soon to ye country to be there mc in ye
open air & take proper exercise. She may walk a good
deal bt never so much as to heat or fatigue her. It will
be better for her to be often on horseback & till [all?]her
compts. are relieved she should ride for two or three hours
every forenoon that is tolerably fair.
[Page 2]
She should at all times take care to guard agst
cold & particularly by thick shoes & warm stockings to keep
her feet & Legs always warm & dry. Any costivens will
increase her ailmts & wn it happens she should take care im¬
mediately to remove it by taking at bedtime one or 2 of ye
laxative pills ordd below.
By yse measures I expect her
ailmts will be cured & yt very little med: will be necess.y
Bt I have ordd below two meds wc I hope will be usefl.
One of ym to be taken dayly & consty for some weeks the other
only wn occasn may require.
The first is marked strengthening drops & 30
of ym are to be taken in a glass of water 2ce a day an
hour before dinner & as long before supper. It will
be proper to take ye cold off ye water by putting to
½ a gill of spring water abt ½ a tablespoonful of boiling
water. The other med. is marked Stomachic drops, & fifty
or 60 of ym are to be taken on a bit of sugar wn pns of
ye Stom happen to be most severe. On such occass
they may be taken 2 or 3 times a d. bt ye seldom ye better.
℞ Aloes socotorin. Extr. Gent. @ ʒj
Sal. Polychrest. ℈j Syr. Comm. q. s. ut f. mass. dividend
in pilul. sing. gr. v. Signa Laxative Pills.
℞ Tinct. Mart. ℥j
______ Aromat. ℥ſs ℳ Signa Strengthen drops.
℞ Elixir proprietal. ℥i laud. liquid. ʒij ℳ
Signa Stomachic drops.
1774.
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