The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:5284] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Dr John Gilchrist (of Speddoch) / Regarding: Reverend William Burnside (of Dumfries) (Patient) / 8 June 1786 / (Outgoing)
Reply, for 'Mr Burnside'. Cullen again apologises to Gilchrist for his delay in replying: 'Again a piece of troublesome business the illness of my own wife has obliged me to be in the Country' (she died a few months later). He gives further advice for treatment, such as gradually reducing the temperature of the water to bathe Burnside's head and face until it is 'the temperature of the sea'.
- 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 | 5284 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/19/95 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 8 June 1786 |
| 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, for 'Mr Burnside'. Cullen again apologises to Gilchrist for his delay in replying: 'Again a piece of troublesome business the illness of my own wife has obliged me to be in the Country' (she died a few months later). He gives further advice for treatment, such as gradually reducing the temperature of the water to bathe Burnside's head and face until it is 'the temperature of the sea'. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:965] |
Case of the Reverend Burnside who is left weak from a history of headaches and attacks of sweating. |
6 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:115] | Addressee | Dr John Gilchrist (of Speddoch) |
| [PERS ID:4348] | Patient | Reverend William Burnside (of Dumfries) |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:115] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr John Gilchrist (of Speddoch) |
| [PERS ID:743] | Other | Mrs Anna 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 | Dumfries | Borders | Scotland | Europe | inferred |
Normalized Text
Mr. Burnside
Again a piece of troublesome business the
illness of my own Wife has obliged me to be in the
Country and therefore delay my answer to yours
of the 5th.
I now observe that I had not apprehended
the degree of Mr. Burnsides weakness, and
therefore urged my advice further than it could
properly go and I still find, that we must still
proceed slowly. I thought of Leeches to his temples
but the negatives to any questions which you
give me do not allow me to think of any fulness
in the vessels of the head as the cause of par¬
ticular paroxysms. I don't think that he is
yet fit for the application of cold, but I would
willingly be at it, and desire that you will
try to introduce it by degrees. If you will make
water by a mixture of hot and cold, of the tem¬
perature [between?] 80 & 90 Farenheit I think
[Page 2]
you may safely wash his face and head with it upon
the first approach, of headach or sweating, and by
diminishing the temperature five degrees every
second day you may bring it down to fifty, or
thereby, the temperature of the Sea. This is the
only remedy I can propose for his sweatings, and
if you can keep them moderate till he acquires
more strength to bear Air and Exercise I hope
we may then think of other measures if ne¬
cessary. I am satisfied with his belly being kep[t]
open by glysters or Cream of Tartar whey and
will not urge the Guaiacum, which may be
heating, till his pulse is better settled. The
present state of the weather is probably unfavou¬
rable to his symptoms, but is certainly favou¬
rable to my project of bringing him in to cooler
air than he enjoys in lying so much abed
as at present. If you can find his pulse
come under 80 in the mornings I would [certainly?]
[Page 3]
try to increase his strength by a little Bark
taken two three times in the forenoon either in
infusion or rather in substance as your dis¬
cretion shall direct.
I am clear that the diet I proposed in my
last is the most proper that can be proposed
but I hope we shall soon bring him to a better
Expecting to hear from you soon.
I am always
Dear John
Your most Obedient Servant
Edinburgh 8th. June
1786
Diplomatic Text
Mr. Burnside
Again a piece of troublesome business the
illness of my own Wife has obliged me to be in the
Country and therefore delay my answer to yours
of the 5th.
I now observe that I had not apprehended
the degree of Mr. Burnsides weakness, and
therefore urged my advice further than it could
properly go and I still find, that we must still
proceed slowly. I thought of Leeches to his temples
but the negatives to any questions which you
give me do not allow me to think of any fulness
in the vessels of the head as the cause of par¬
ticular paroxysms. I don't think that he is
yet fit for the application of cold, but I would
willingly be at it, and desire that you will
try to introduce it by degrees. If you will make
water by a mixture of hot and cold, of the tem¬
perature [between?] 80 & 90 Farenheit I think
[Page 2]
you may safely wash his face and head with it upon
the first approach, of headach or sweating, and by
diminishing the temperature five degrees every
second day you may bring it down to fifty, or
thereby, the temperature of the Sea. This is the
only remedy I can propose for his sweatings, and
if you can keep them moderate till he acquires
more strength to bear Air and Exercise I hope
we may then think of other measures if ne¬
cessary. I am satisfied with his belly being kep[t]
open by glysters or Cream of Tartar whey and
will not urge the Guaiacum, which may be
heating, till his pulse is better settled. The
present state of the weather is probably unfavou¬
rable to his symptoms, but is certainly favou¬
rable to my project of bringing him in to cooler
air than he enjoys in lying so much abed
as at present. If you can find his pulse
come under 80 in the mornings I would [certainly?]
[Page 3]
try to increase his strength by a little Bark
taken two three times in the forenoon either in
infusion or rather in substance as your dis¬
cretion shall direct.
I am clear that the diet I proposed in my
last is the most proper that can be proposed
but I hope we shall soon bring him to a better
Expecting to hear from you soon.
I am always
Dear John
Your most Obedient Servant
Edr. 8th. June
1786
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