
The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
[ID:677] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Dr / Regarding: Miss MacKnight (MacNight, McKnight, McNight) (Patient) / 29 November 1782 / (Outgoing)
Reply regarding Mr Macknight's daughter, whose condition has shown no significant improvement, despite the use of electricity. Cullen suggests, as a stimulant, a mixture of spirit of wine and caustic volatile alkali, applied once a day to the shoulder.
- Facsimile
- Normalized Text
- Diplomatic Text
- Metadata
- Case
- People
- Places
Facsimile
There are 2 images for this document.

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Metadata
Field | Data |
---|---|
DOC ID | 677 |
RCPE Catalogue Number | CUL/1/1/15/164 |
Main Language | English |
Document Direction | Outgoing |
Date | 29 November 1782 |
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 regarding Mr Macknight's daughter, whose condition has shown no significant improvement, despite the use of electricity. Cullen suggests, as a stimulant, a mixture of spirit of wine and caustic volatile alkali, applied once a day to the shoulder. |
Manuscript Incomplete? | No |
Evidence of Commercial Posting | No |
Case
Cases that this document belongs to:
Case ID | Description | Num Docs |
---|---|---|
[Case ID:1532] |
Case of the infant daughter Mr Macknight. She has a 'paralytic' condition of her arm and shoulder for which she is given electrical treatment. |
3 |
People linked to this document
Person ID | Role in document | Person |
---|---|---|
[PERS ID:1] | Author | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:4128] | Addressee | Dr |
[PERS ID:4126] | Patient | Miss MacKnight (MacNight, McKnight, McNight) |
[PERS ID:4128] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr |
[PERS ID:1] | Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary | Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) |
[PERS ID:4127] | Patient's Relative / Spouse / Friend | Mr MacKnight (McKnight, MacNight, McNight) |
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 | Dublin | Mid Ireland | Ireland | Europe | inferred |
Normalized Text
MrMacknights Child
I am sorry to find you have made so little
progress with Mr Mcknights daughter but am not surprized
at it as such ailments are commonly obstinate and tedious
and even when Electricity is to be of service, it commonly re¬
quires it to be applied for a long time. I wish you had told
me how it operates that is to what degree the arm seems sensible
either to sparks or shocks. In the meantime I would have it
continued as a more effectual stimulus than any that has been
proposed. The Æther may be tried tho I think its operation
is too transitory to be of much service. Cold bathing would I
think be dangerous. The warm salt water I would lay aside
and also the camphorated oil. The only stimulant beside the
Electricity that I would now try is a mixture of spirit of wine
and caustic volatile alkali a dram of the latter to an ounce
of the former. Let this be applied once a day but to the shoulder
only. Please observe that the proper evidence of the due Caus¬
ticity of your alkali is its mixing perfectly with the spirit
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of Wine which makes a precipitation with a mild alkali.
When you have any thing further to observe with respect
to this child I shall be glad to hear from you. I am with
great regard
your most obedient servant
1782.
Diplomatic Text
MrMacknights Child
I am sorry to find you have made so little
progress with Mr Mcknights daughter but am not surprized
at it as such ailments are commonly obstinate and tedious
and even when Electricity is to be of service, it commonly re¬
quires it to be applied for a long time. I wish you had told
me how it operates that is to what degree the arm seems sensible
either to sparks or shocks. In the meantime I would have it
continued as a more effectual stimulus than any that has been
proposed. The Æther may be tried tho I think its operation
is too transitory to be of much service. Cold bathing would I
think be dangerous. The warm salt water I would lay aside
and also the camphorated oil. The only stimulant beside the
Electricity that I would now try is a mixture of spirit of wine
and caustic volatile alkali a dram of the latter to an ounce
of the former. Let this be applied once a day but to the shoulder
only. Please observe that the proper evidence of the due Caus¬
ticity of your alkali is its mixing perfectly with the spirit
[Page 2]
of Wine which makes a precipitation with a mild alkali.
When you have any thing further to observe with respect
to this child I shall be glad to hear from you. I am with
great regard
your most obedient servant
1782.
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