The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:615] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: [ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN] / Regarding: Mr George Burdon (Patient) / August? 1782? / (Outgoing)
Reply, for 'Mr Burdon of N.Castle'. Cullen includes dietary instructions and recipes for emollient infusions and a laxative oil. Pages one to three are a machine scribal copy. Pages four and five are in Cullen's hand, including an addendum stating that if he travels to Newcastle 'I shall certainly call upon you'.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 5 images for this document.
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[Page 2]
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[Page 5]
Metadata
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| DOC ID | 615 |
| RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/15/100 |
| Main Language | English |
| Document Direction | Outgoing |
| Date | August? 1782? |
| Annotation | None |
| Type | Machine scribal copy |
| Enclosure(s) | Enclosure(s) present |
| Autopsy | No |
| Recipe | Yes |
| Regimen | No |
| Letter of Introduction | No |
| Case Note | No |
| Summary | Reply, for 'Mr Burdon of N.Castle'. Cullen includes dietary instructions and recipes for emollient infusions and a laxative oil. Pages one to three are a machine scribal copy. Pages four and five are in Cullen's hand, including an addendum stating that if he travels to Newcastle 'I shall certainly call upon you'. |
| Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
| Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
| Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
|---|---|---|
| [Case ID:968] |
Case of George Burdon who has a long-standing rheumatic complaint, develops bloody urine, suspected gravel and who eventually passes a large stone. |
11 |
People linked to this document
| Person ID | Role in document | Person |
|---|---|---|
| [PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:4763] | Patient | Mr George Burdon |
| [PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
| [PERS ID:4764] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr |
| [PERS ID:4765] | Other |
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 | Newcastle upon Tyne | North-East | England | Europe | inferred | |
| Mentioned / Other | Newcastle upon Tyne | North-East | England | Europe | certain |
Normalized Text
Mr Burdon of N. Castle
Sir
I am favoured with your {illeg}
{illeg} by this first post. I have
carefully considered the account you gave
hitherto and think I understand {illeg}
{illeg} perfectly well. {illeg} {illeg}ay have {illeg}
{illeg} cannot be very pa{illeg}
{illeg} without having {illeg} the circumstances
{illeg}tly but I expect it to have been very
much Gouty {illeg} very probable that by taking
{illeg} you may have been very
{illeg} must pass over that at pre¬
{illeg} {illeg} {illeg}ery well persuaded that your pre¬
{illeg} {illeg} and tho' the symptoms of it are
{illeg} {illeg}tely marked I am persuaded is there ↑is↑ stone
{illeg} sticking in your kidneys and I am to
[advise] you upon that supposition. The medicine
[Page 2]
which has been advised by your Surgeon seems
to have been positively enough adapted to your
{illeg} but it has often failed and seems to have
{illeg} and therefore {illeg} other {illeg}
{illeg} I have accordingly prescribed a medicine
{illeg} these and a [proper?]
Regimen, I hope you shall soon be relieved. {illeg} Your
medicines must be committed to your Apothecary
but with respect to Regimen I shall say here.
Your Diet must be of the lighter kinds of
Animal food and always in moderate quantity and
you should take a great deal of farinaceous food
& milk if you digest it easily, but roots, Greens
fruit & other Garden things you should take very
sparingly. If you find that Animal food is any¬
ways heating you must be very sparing of it
or abstain from it altogether till your bloody
[Page 3]
urine disappears and both while this continues &
afterwards you must carefully abstain from all
salted or meat seasoned either with Spiceries or
Pickles. In Drinking what you may require
besides the Infusion I ↑have↑ prescribed must be plain
water or if you are disposed to be Costive a little
small beer but you must entirely abstain from
{illeg} kind of fermented or Spirituous
{illeg}. While the discharge of blood continues
{illeg} abstain from all kind of ex¬
ercise except that for the sake of fresh air
you may sometimes go ahead in a Street
Chair but even those moving very gently. If this
advice should not answer all your wishes, upon
your letting me know that, I shall be ready to
advise further as well as I can. Possibly your
Surgeons information might be more complete than you
own
I am Sir with great regard
your most obedient servant
William Cullen
Edinburgh 8th. August
1782
[Page 4]
My coming to Newcastle is very uncertain but if I do
I shall certainly call upon you.
✍
For the Receipts
see p. 197
[Page 5]
For Mr Burdon
Take half an ounce of powder of Bearberry leaves, one and a half ounces of Spanish Soap and a sufficient quantity of Simple Syrup to make a mass to be divided into pills of five grains each. Label: Healing pills; five to be taking every night and morning and if they sit easy on the stomach the dose may be increased to ten twice a day washing down each dose with a cupful of the following.
Take half an ounce each of whole Linseed, and grated Liquorice's Root, two drachms of bruised Wild carrot Seeds and two pounds of boiling water. Let it infuse for two hours and strain. Label: Emollient Infusion; a quart to be taken in divided draughts every twenty-four hours. N.B: if the stomach will not answer properly let him take, when occasion requires, the quantity of the following as his stomach will bear, once or twice.
Take three ounces of the best castor Oil and one ounce of compounded Tincture of senna as prescribed in the Pharmacopœia Edinburgensis. Mix. Label: Laxative Oil; a tablespoon more or less to be taken in the morning when occasion requires, shaking the vial always very well before pouring out.
W.C.
8th. August 1781. ---
Diplomatic Text
Mr Burdon of N. Castle
Sir
I am favoured with your {illeg}
{illeg} by this first post. I have
carefully considered the account you gave
hitherto and think I understand {illeg}
{illeg} perfectly well. {illeg} {illeg}ay have {illeg}
{illeg} cannot be very pa{illeg}
{illeg} without having {illeg} the circumstances
{illeg}tly but I expect it to have been very
much Gouty {illeg} very probable that by taking
{illeg} you may have been very
{illeg} must pass over that at pre¬
{illeg} {illeg} {illeg}ery well persuaded that your pre¬
{illeg} {illeg} and tho' the symptoms of it are
{illeg} {illeg}tely marked I am persuaded is there ↑is↑ stone
{illeg} sticking in your kidneys and I am to
[advise] you upon that supposition. The medicine
[Page 2]
which has been advised by your Surgeon seems
to have been positively enough adapted to your
{illeg} but it has often failed and seems to have
{illeg} and therefore {illeg} other {illeg}
{illeg} I have accordingly prescribed a medicine
{illeg} these and a [proper?]
Regimen, I hope you shall soon be relieved. {illeg} Your
medicines must be committed to your Apothecary
but with respect to Regimen I shall say here.
Your Diet must be of the lighter kinds of
Animal food and always in moderate quantity and
you should take a great deal of farinaceous food
& milk if you digest it easily, but roots, Greens
fruit & other Garden things you should take very
sparingly. If you find that Animal food is any¬
ways heating you must be very sparing of it
or abstain from it altogether till your bloody
[Page 3]
urine disappears and both while this continues &
afterwards you must carefully abstain from all
salted or meat seasoned either with Spiceries or
Pickles. In Drinking what you may require
besides the Infusion I ↑have↑ prescribed must be plain
water or if you are disposed to be Costive a little
small beer but you must entirely abstain from
{illeg} kind of fermented or Spirituous
{illeg}. While the discharge of blood continues
{illeg} abstain from all kind of ex¬
ercise except that for the sake of fresh air
you may sometimes go ahead in a Street
Chair but even those moving very gently. If this
advice should not answer all your wishes, upon
your letting me know that, I shall be ready to
advise further as well as I can. Possibly your
Surgeons information might be more complete than you
own
I am Sir with great regard
your most obedient servant
William Cullen
Edinr. 8th. Augt.
1782
[Page 4]
My coming to Newcastle is very uncertain but if I do
I shall certainly call upon you.
✍
For the Receipts
see p. 197
[Page 5]
For Mr Burdon
℞ pulv. folior. Uvæ Ursi ℥ſs
Sapon. Hispan. ℥jſs
Syr. Simpl. q. s. ut f. massa dividenda in
pilulas singulas granor. quinque
Signa Healing Pills five to be taking every night and
morning and if they sit easy on the stomach the dose may be
increased to ten twice a day washing down each dose with a
cupfull of the following.
℞ Sem. lin. integr.
Rad. Glycyrrh. ras. @ ℥ſs
Sem. dauc. Silv. cont. ʒij
Aq. bullient. ℔ij
Digere horas duas et cola
Sig. Emollient Infusion, a quart to be taken in divided draughts
every twenty four hours.
N. Si alvus non rite responderit capiat pro re nata -
dos in sequentis quantam opus fuerit ad alvum semel vel bis solvendam
℞ Ol. ricin. opt. ℥iij
Tinct. senn. comp. Ph. Edin. ℥j
ℳ. Sig. Laxative Oil a table spoonfull more or less to be taken in the
morning when occasion requires, shaking the vial always very well
before pouring out
W.C.
8th. August 1781. ---
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