Duncan, Daniel. Letter from Daniel Duncan, Paris, to George Olyphant, Claishbenie, Scotland

Folger bibliographic ID: 354356
Folger call number: X.c.225
Folger holdings ID: 502581
Accession Number: 270702

General notes

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Item information about Folger X.c.225

From dealer's description: "Autograph letter signed “Da.Duncan.” Ink on paper, in English. 4to (16.5 x 22.5cm) [1] page, old folds and a few small stains (not affecting legibility), verso penned with manuscript address panel. A detailed seventeenth century medical letter penned in English from Paris 27 July 1674. The signature, “Da. Duncan” appears to be that of the prominent Scoto-French physician and chemist Daniel Duncan (1649-1735). Educated under Charles Barbeyrac (1629-1699) at Montpellier, Duncan prospered in France under the patronage of Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683). Following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes he moved to Geneva in 1690, later being invited to take up the professorship of anatomy and chemistry at Bern. From 1714 Duncan resided in London, continuing his work as a physician. Among his best-known printed works are La chymie naturelle ... (Paris, 1681) and Histoire de l’animal ... (Paris,1687). In 1674 Duncan is known to have been living in Paris, having moved there after his graduation the previous year. Addressed to George Oliphant of Clashbenie near Perth, “to be left at Robert Duncans shop the land mercat and to be sent thence to Thomas Holtre merchand in Perth,” the letter contains a lengthy report by Duncan on the health of a Scottish laird convalescing in Paris: “... the lord ambassador ... having visited him and anquyring very particularly his case and being informed that he used to be gentle feverish every night he desyred the doctor to advert to it. But the doctor thought nothing of it, alledging that the night was the tyme of the flegmatick humor ... Efter my coming and speaking ... I find the doctor ... by no means wold admit the use of milk, alledging the ulcer in the foot & tumor in his shoulder to tend towards a scrophulous humor for which milk was altogether unfit. Within 5 or 6 days after the humor in the shoulder being opened they were convinced of their mistake that the humor was not of that nature, but fecund and aqueous ... the doctor then not only consented to the use of asses milk, but also desyred to try a whole dyet of milke for him ...” Duncan continues with an account of the patient’s improvement, also mentioning a few other matters: “The last week Sr Thomas Hamilton of Preston died and was buried after his being cut of the stone he was in a hopefull case for recoverie about 20 dayes or 30. Two weeks before that Liut. Coll. Scot Ardres his second sone was killed here in the horse mercat by 8 french men .. The King seemed greatlie offended and has given order for apprehending the persons ...” We have not been able to trace any autograph manuscript material by Duncan - the DNB notes that none of his papers are known to have survived Ordered from Samuel Gedge, D 9208, 2018-05-22, catalog 26, item 62

Extended title: Letter from Daniel Duncan, Paris, to George Olyphant, Claishbenie, Scotland 1674 July 27

correspondent: Duncan, Daniel
correspondent: Olyphant, George