A letter to Lord Cathcart, President of the Board of Police in Scotland : concerning the recovery of persons drowned, and seemingly dead / by William Cullen, First Physician to His Majesty, and professor of the practice of physic in the University of Edinburgh ; to which is added, An extract from the Journals of the Board of Police, containing a paper presented by Lord Cathcart, to that honourable board, on the same subject.

  • Cullen, William, 1710-1790.
Date:
MDCCLXXXIV [1784]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A letter to Lord Cathcart, President of the Board of Police in Scotland : concerning the recovery of persons drowned, and seemingly dead / by William Cullen, First Physician to His Majesty, and professor of the practice of physic in the University of Edinburgh ; to which is added, An extract from the Journals of the Board of Police, containing a paper presented by Lord Cathcart, to that honourable board, on the same subject. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

    15/48 (page 11)
    If ring or fea water, as it is not proper to apply •the bath at firfl: very warm, nor even of the ordi- nary heat of the human body, but fomewhat un- der it; and, by the addition of warm water, to bring it gradually to a heat very little above it. If the drowned body be of no great bulk, it may be conveniently warmed by a perfon's lying down in bed with it, and taking it near to their naked body, changing the pofition of it frequent- ly, and, at the fame time, chafing and rubbing with warm cloths the parts which are not im- mediately applied to their v/arm body. If none of thefe meafures can be conveniently pradifed, the body is to be laid upon a bed before a moderate fire, and frequently turned, to expofe the different parts of it; and thus, by the heat of the fire gradually applied, and by rubbing the body well with coarfe towels, or other cloths well warmed, pains are to be taken for reftoring its heat. This will be promoted by warm cloths ap- plied and frequently renewed under the hams and arm pits, and by hot bricks or bottles of warm water laid to the feet. In the praQice of rubbing, it has been propofed to moiften the cloths applied with camphoratedi fpirits, or other fuch ftimulating fubftances; but I B 2 think