Some perfons, in order to produce an artificial breathing, ftop the noftrils, and forcibly blow into the mouth; this mode is useless, if not hurtful, as the human breath does not convey vital but mephitic air, and by blowing through the mouth, the stomach, but not the lungs, is inflated.

A writer who has paid confiderable attention to the subject, describes the process of

* Curry's Obfervations on apparent Death from Drowning, Suffocation, &c. p. 44. an. 1792. Dr. Struve, however, is of opinion, that inflation of the lungs is in general prejudicial; and as it is, he obferves," attended with great difficulty, it can scarcely ever be recommended to perfons who are not of the faculty. If performed alone, without warming, moderate friction, &c. it will prove rather injurious to the fubje&t; and without hesitation I fubfcribe to what Profeffor Vogel, of Bostock, wrote to me on this fubject.” "I for my part," fays he, "expect very little fuccefs from the introduction of air into the lungs; and I am of opinion, that by the general method of proceeding, little or no air will reach this organ, and even if it does I never could perceive the leaft expiration of it, nor any motion of the cheft.-" Struve, on the Art of recovering Sufpended Animation, p. 88. Conf. Godwin-Kite, and Coleman (who differ in toto), and from whom Dr. Curry has in great measure collected his Obfervations.

apply

applying vital air in fo clear a manner, as induces me to adopt his words, with which I fhall conclude thefe Hints, and refer the reader to the work itself for a more particular detail.

"IT will be found moft convenient to divide the attendants into two fets, one fet being employed in restoring the heat of the body, while the other institutes an artificial breathing in the following manner :

"An affistant taking his ftation at the head of the drowned body, is to introduce the small end of a wooden tube into either noftril, and fuftain it there with the right hand, whilft with the left he accurately clofes the other noftril and mouth. A fecond affiftant placed on the left fide of the body must now endeavour to inflate the lungs,

by inserting the pipe of a pair of common bellows, into the wide end of the wooden tube, and blowing with fufficient force to raise the cheft. To prevent any air from paffing down the gullet, and fo getting into the ftomach, a third affiftant, ftationed on the right fide of the body, fhould prefs the upper part of the wind-pipe gently backwards with his left hand, keeping his right hand lightly spread out upon the breaft. As foon as the lungs are filled with air, the firft affiftant is to unftop the mouth; and the third to expel the air again, by preffing moderately on the breaft. The fame operation is to be repeated in a regular and fteady manner, until natural refpiration begins, or until this and the other measures have been perfifted in for at leaft fix hours, without any appearance of returning life.

"Very often the first attempts to inflate the lungs in this way do not fucceed. When that is the cafe, let an affiftant, by means of his finger introduced into the throat, deprefs and draw forwards the tongue, and then, with a piece of fponge, or a corner of a towel, remove any frothy matter that may be lodged about the upper part of the wind pipe."

AMONG the powerful agents of re-animation, Electricity has acquired a confpicuous place; from information drawn from different fources, and from the communications of Dr. ANTHONY FOTHERGILL, in his Effay on the Sufpenfion of Vital Action, the electrical ftroke duly proportioned to the latent remains of life, affords the probability of producing the most speedy and beneficial effects. This interesting and philofophical Effay, to which the reader is referred, contains the most ample information on drowning and fuffocation hitherto laid before the publick,