Dr William Cullen (1710–1790) was a leading physician of the Enlightenment era. As professor in Edinburgh he became the most influential teacher of theoretical and practical medicine in 18th century Britain. A renowned private practitioner, Cullen systematically archived his postal ‘consultations', now held by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Initially Cullen preserved his replies as transcriptions, but from April 1781 he began using a mechanical copier, newly devised by the Scottish engineer James Watt. This paper describes the development, promotion and functioning of Watt's copier and considers Cullen's own adoption of the machine. It is suggested that with Cullen's adoption of Watt's copier, medical record keeping entered a new historical phase comparable with the recent digital revolution.
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BediniSA. Thomas Jefferson and his Copying Machines. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press; 1984. See also King-Hele D, editor. The Letters of Erasmus Darwin. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1981. p.95–9.
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James Watt Archive, Birmingham Public Library, Boulton and Watt Letterbook MS 3147/19/1.
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[for Smith as Cullen's patient]. Barfoot M. Dr William Cullen and Mr Adam Smith: A Case of Hypochondriasis? In: Proceedings of the Royal College of Edinburgh. 21: 1991.
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Playfair to ‘'Buccleugh'', 21 August 1781, Scottish Record Office, GD 224/269/12. [Watt had to send a further reminder through Edinburgh attorney Robert Playfair, who was himself ordering ‘some patent machines for copying writings'].
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For illustration of one such sold at auction in 2003 see the catalogue of The James Watt Sale: Art and Science. London: Sotheby; 20 March 2013.
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Directions for using the machine for copying letters and other writings. Invented and made by James Watt and Company, of Birmingham. [no publisher or place];1780.
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[for example] Glasgow University Special Collections, GUL: Ms Cullen, 454.
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GUL Ms Cullen 574/8
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