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Wolf2015.Pdf This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. “OUR MASTER & FATHER AT THE HEAD OF PHYSICK”: THE LEARNED MEDICINE OF WILLIAM CULLEN Jeffrey Charles Wolf This thesis was submitted to the School of History, Classics and Archaeology for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History The University of Edinburgh 2015 i ABSTRACT This is a study of Dr. William Cullen (1710-1790), the Scottish chemist, physician, and professor of medicine, who played a significant role in the Scottish Enlightenment. I argue that Cullen was both a more unorthodox figure in Scottish medicine than he is generally depicted, as well as a more ambitious one. Despite his controversial doctrines, he skillfully managed the hierarchy of his profession and reached the pinnacle of success as a learned physician in the Scottish Enlightenment. I explore Cullen’s life and thought from different angles. I explicate his pedagogical persona and philosophy of medicine, both of which shaped the experiences of his pupils. I show how his neurophysiology was rooted in his contentious interpretation of the nature of the nervous fluid. And I provide a detailed look at Cullen’s understanding of hygiene, or the art of health—a rarely-studied component of his practice of medicine. !ii DECLARATION OF MY OWN WORK I certify: (i) that this thesis has been composed by me, and (ii) either that the work is my own, or, where I have been a member of a research group, that I have made a substantial contribution to the work, such contribution being clearly indicated, and (iii) that the work has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification except as specified. Jeffrey Charles Wolf !iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ...................................................................................v Abbreviations .........................................................................................viii Chapter 1: Introduction ...........................................................................2 I. Dr. William Cullen (1710-1790) ..........................................................2 II. Historiographical Foundations .........................................................12 III. The Cullen Historiography: History of Medicine ...........................41 IV. The Cullen Historiography: History of Chemistry ..........................52 V. This Study .........................................................................................61 Chapter 2: Pedagogy ..............................................................................70 I. Cullen’s Pedagogical Persona ............................................................71 II. Promotion, Prestige, & Student Advocacy .......................................83 Chapter 3: Philosophy of Medicine .....................................................106 I. Cullen’s Medical Epistemology: Inductive Dogmatism ..................109 II. Cullen’s Medical Ideology: Systematic Eclecticism .....................131 III. The Appeal of Eclecticism ............................................................144 Chapter 4: Theory of the Nervous System .........................................154 I. Cullen & the Nervous System .........................................................155 II. ‘A General View of the Nervous System’ .......................................160 III. 18th-Century Theories of the Nervous Fluid ................................170 IV. Cullen’s Inherence Theory of the Nervous System .......................182 V. The Scottish Context: Cullen and His Colleagues ..........................200 Chapter 5: Hygiene, or the Art of Health ...........................................214 I. The Art of Health .............................................................................217 !iv II. Cullen’s Interest in Hygiene ...........................................................230 III. The Virtues of Moderation ............................................................235 IV. Medical Expertise & Laying Open the Art of Health ....................244 Chapter 6: Conclusion ..........................................................................258 I. A Reassessment ................................................................................258 II. Broader Implications ......................................................................260 APPENDICES .......................................................................................269 Appendix 1A: Ship Surgeon ...............................................................269 Appendix 1B: Thomson & the Family Firm .......................................275 Appendix 1C: Cullen and Brown ........................................................279 Appendix 3A: Source Material ...........................................................283 Appendix 3B: Cullen on Sydenham ....................................................289 Appendix 4A: Source Material ...........................................................291 Appendix 4B: The Unifying Doctrine .................................................297 Appendix 4C: The Aether Controversy ...............................................308 Appendix 5A: Source Material ...........................................................325 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................332 Cullen’s Published Works ...................................................................332 Manuscript Sources .............................................................................337 Primary Sources ..................................................................................341 Secondary Sources ..............................................................................348 !v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge and thank a host of people who not only made this thesis possible but, at times, truly enjoyable. Without the support of my parents, I would not have had the courage to attempt a project of this duration; nor would it have been possible. I owe immense gratitude to my supervisors at the University of Edinburgh, Dr. Thomas Ahnert (History) and Dr. John Henry (Science Studies), who were model mentors. I realise that not every doctoral student has the good fortune to have supportive and brilliant supervisors, but I had both. Thomas and John gave me the necessary time and space, in an increasingly long project, to follow my own path, and their feedback was tremendously helpful at all stages of the process, which is particularly impressive given that I was often not physically present to discuss it with them. I only hope I have done justice to their support of my work. I would also like to thank Dr. Pauline Phemister (Philosophy), who offered her philosophical expertise and advice in the early stages of this project. The School of History, Classics and Archaeology at Edinburgh administers the Jenny Balston Scholarship, of which I was a fortunate recipient. I am grateful as well to the donor of the award. It provided me with essential support for the first three years of my work. Without it, I would not have been able to study at Edinburgh in the first place. For a project as dependent on manuscript material as this one, I have accrued a great deal of debt toward library staff over the years. I owe many thanks to the wonderful staff at Glasgow University Library, Special Collections and, in particular, Sarah Hepworth (Assistant Librarian, Special Collections) and David Weston (former Keeper of Special Collections) for their trust in me. They supported my efforts to digitise the Cullen Papers in mid-2011. The other great collection of extant Cullen material is held at the library of the Royal College of Physicians at Edinburgh, helmed by the affable and knowledgeable Iain Milne (Sibbald Librarian), who was unfailingly informative. Estela Dukan was always available and helpful, even on dreary Scottish winter days. I would also like to acknowledge Alison Scott, the Archivist at the RCPE, who provided me with an early version of the new RCPE catalogue. In the United States, I felt particularly welcomed during a half-day sojourn to the Yale Medical Library. Flo Gillich regaled me with stories, and Dr. Melissa Grafe, the Librarian for Medical History, welcomed my inquiries. Nicole Joniec, at the Library Company of Philadelphia, efficiently tracked down and digitised important correspondence. Elisabeth Brander, the Rare Books Librarian at the Bernard Becker Library, went well beyond the call of duty to help me acquire digital copies of some rare lecture notes. John Schleicher, Head of Special Collections at the McGoogan Library of Medicine, was similarly generous with his time and provided me with a scan of the very rare—possibly unique—copy of
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