The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:560] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Mrs Agnes Wilson / Regarding: Dr Alexander Wilson (Patient) / 30 May 1783 / (Outgoing)
Reply to Mrs Wilson in response to her account of Dr Wilson's health. Cullen is reluctant to give advice on such a rapidly-changing ailment, but states his belief that the nature of the ailment is gouty. He cautiously approves the use of Guaiacum: 'Tho I am certain that the present fashionable Martinico practice with the Tincture of Guaiac is pernicious in the highest degree yet I hold the occasional use of guaiac to be one of the most usefull remedies in gouty cases'.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 2 images for this document.
[Page 1]
[Page 2]
Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 560 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/15/42 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | 30 May 1783 |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Machine copy |
| Enclosure(s) | No enclosure(s) |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | No |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply to Mrs Wilson in response to her account of Dr Wilson's health. Cullen is reluctant to give advice on such a rapidly-changing ailment, but states his belief that the nature of the ailment is gouty. He cautiously approves the use of Guaiacum: 'Tho I am certain that the present fashionable Martinico practice with the Tincture of Guaiac is pernicious in the highest degree yet I hold the occasional use of guaiac to be one of the most usefull remedies in gouty cases'. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:1479] |
Case of Dr Wilson who is very ill with suspected gout. |
6 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:2992] | Addressee | Mrs Agnes Wilson |
| [PERS ID:828] | Patient | Dr Alexander Wilson |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:2992] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | Mrs Agnes Wilson |
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 | Hull | North-East | England | Europe | inferred | |
| Mentioned / Other | Martinique (Martinico) | West Indies | certain |
Normalized Text
Mrs Wilson Concerning Dr Wilson
Your accounts of the Doctors health
gives me great concern and I should be extremely happy
to contribute to his relief; but in such an ailment which is
likely to ↑be↑ hanging by the day and perhaps by the hour it is
difficult nay it is dangerous for me to give any positive ad¬
vice. I can however give an opinion, that the whole of the
Doctors Symptoms howmuchsoever unusual & irregular
are gouty and at least it might be dangerous to treat
them in any other view. The inflammation you speak
of must have taken its course before this comes to hand and
therefore I need not say any thing about bleeding which per¬
haps might have been necessary but which in gouty cases is
very cautiously to be admitted. It is certainly not to be
rashly practised but it might perhaps have been allowable
and proper when there was that sense of fullness and oppression
on the breathing which preceded the present disorder.
But I am talking much at random while I must be so
[Page 2]
uncertain of the precise state of and degree of symptoms
I will therefore say only ↑one↑ thing more. Tho I am certain
that the present fashionable Martinico practice with the
Tincture of Guaiac 1 is pernicious in the highest degree yet
I hold the occasional use of guaiac to be one of the most use¬
full remedies in gouty cases. When the Doctor himself
shall be as I hope he will soon be in a condition to write
himself my correspondence may be more usefull and he
shall not find me wanting to shew how much I am
his and
Your faithfull and most obedient servant
1782
No post went from this to the South
last night.
Notes:
1: A reference to Balthazard-Marie Emerigon of Martinique, Letters on the Gout, first published in English in 1781.
Diplomatic Text
Mrs Wilson C Dr Wilson
Your accounts of the Doctors health
gives me great concern and I should be extremely happy
to contribute to his relief; but in such an ailment which is
likely to ↑be↑ hanging by the day and perhaps by the hour it is
difficult nay it is dangerous for me to give any positive ad¬
vice. I can however give an opinion, that the whole of the
Doctors Symptoms howmuchsoever unusual & irregular
are gouty and at least it might be dangerous to treat
them in any other view. The inflammation you speak
of must have taken its course before this comes to hand and
therefore I need not say any thing about bleeding which per¬
haps might have been necessary but which in gouty cases is
very cautiously to be admitted. It is certainly not to be
rashly practised but it might perhaps have been allowable
and proper when there was that sense of fullness and oppression
on the breathing which preceded the present disorder.
But I am talking much at random while I must be so
[Page 2]
uncertain of the precise state of and degree of symptoms
I will therefore say only ↑one↑ thing more. Tho I am certain
that the present fashionable Martinico practice with the
Tincture of Guaiac 1 is pernicious in the highest degree yet
I hold the occasional use of guaiac to be one of the most use¬
full remedies in gouty cases. When the Doctor himself
shall be as I hope he will soon be in a condition to write
himself my correspondence may be more usefull and he
shall not find me wanting to shew how much I am
his and
Your faithfull and most obedt. servt.
1782
No post went from this to the South
last night.
Notes:
1: A reference to Balthazard-Marie Emerigon of Martinique, Letters on the Gout, first published in English in 1781.
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