certain, that human induftry would fooner be exhaufted than the infinite variety of nature. While individuals were left to publish or suppress the obfervations themselves had made, many useful records were undoubtedly loft to the public: but it may be affirmed with equal truth, that fince the institution of focieties for obviating that inconvenience, a multitude of facts have been registered, which, without any detriment to science, might have remained in perpetual oblivion. It is therefore greatly to be wifhed, that thofe gentlemen who are the collectors of Medical Obfervations, would confider with attention the value of the contributions they receive; and that neither an undue complaifance to their correfpondents, nor an eagernefs for large publications, would induce them to admit an accumulation of fuch materials as tend rather to retard than accelerate the advancement of useful knowledge. According to the method which we ufually follow in reviewing publications of that kind, we fhall proceed to give a general account of the contents of this volume, and extract only fuch articles as merit more particular attention. The firft article is the cafe of a diseased leg in a young girl. The ailment had been originally contracted by receiving a flight hurt, which gradually produced fuch confequences in the space of three months, as to occafion the amputation of the member. Upon the diffection of the limb, it was found, that almost the whole tibia and fibula were entirely diffolved, and the leg exhibited the appearance of one confused mass of coagulated blood and mucus, without distinction of bones, membranes, or muscles. The second contains experiments relative to the analyfis and virtues of Seltzer water, by Dr. Brocklefby. The doctor's opinion of the virtues of that water is, that they depend chiefly on the remarkable quantity of fixed air it contains, which, by acting on the finer veffels and animal fibres, tends to revive their languid ofcillations. He affirms that he has found the Seltzer water beneficial in feveral acute and chronic disorders, and recommends to phyficians a more extenfive use of it than obtains in the present practice. The next is remarks on the hydrocephalus internus, by Dr. John Fothergill. He acknowledges that the late Dr. Whytt has done more to elucidate this fubject, than any other writer he has feen, and entirely agrees with him in regard to the feat of the difeafe, the greateft part of its fymptoms, and its general fatality. He differs, however, from that ingenious author, in the fuppofition that the commencement of the disease is obfcure, and that it is generally fome months month, and care being taken that none should evaporate, by paffing a very long tube of the funnel into a bottle through a cork, to which it was exactly fitted. The tube went down very near to the bottom of the bottle; and therefore the rain, which fell into it, would foon rife above the end of the tube, so that the water was no where open to the air except for the small space of the area of the tube: and by trial it was found, ⚫ that there was no fenfible evaporation through the tube thus fitted up.' A table then follows, fhewing the refult of thefe obfervations, after which the doctor thus proceeds: By this table it appears, that there fell below the top of a house above a fifth part more rain, than what fell in the fame space above the top of the fame house, and that there fell upon Westminster- Abbey not much above one half of what was found to fall in the fame space below the tops of the houses. This experiment has been repeated in other places with the fame event. What may be the cause of this extraordinary difference has not yet been discovered; but it may be useful to give notice of it, in order to prevent that error, which would frequently be committed in comparing the rain of two places without attending to this circumftance. It is probable, that fome hitherto unknown property of electricity is concerned in this phænomenon. This power has undoubtedly a great share in the descent of rain, which hardly ever happens, if the air and electrical apparatus be fufficiently dry, without manifeft figns of electricity in the air. Hence it is, that in Lima, where there is no rain, they never have any lightning or thunder; and that, as M. Tournefort was affured, it never rains in the Levant but in winter, and that this is the only feafon in which any thunder is heard. If this appearance therefore could be accounted for, it would probably help us to fome more fatisfactory causes of the suspension of the clouds, and of the descent of rain.' Number XLVIII. gives an account of an observation of an eclipfe of the moon; the next, an account of two Aurora Boreales; the fubfequent article Obfervations of the late Tranfit of Venus, and the Eclipfe of the Sun the following day; and the article immediately fucceeding, of the Tranfit of Venus. Number LII. contains an account of an oil extracted from the pods of a plant, called by botanical writers Arachis, or Arachidna, much cultivated in the northern colonies of America, and the Sugar Islands, where they are called ground-nuts, or ground peafe. One of the advantages of this oil is, that it is not apt to become rancid by keeping. It may be used for all the fame purposes with the oil of olives or almonds, and and yet the price of it will not amount to a fourth part of what the best Florence oil of olives cofts in England. The next article prefents us with a catalogue of the fifty plants from Chelfea-garden, prefented to the Royal Society by the company of Apothecaries, for the year 1768. The fucceeding number exhibits a defcription of the lym phatics of the urethra and neck of the bladder. The fix following articles contain aftronomical obfervations, moftly on the Tranfit of Venus. Number LXI. is an attempt to elucidate two Samnite coins by the rev. Mr. Swinton. The fucceeding number contains experiments to prove, that the luminoufnefs of the fea arifes from the putrefaction of its animal substances. By John Canton, M. A. and F. R. S. As thefe experiments are ingenious, and tend to elucidate that phenomenon, we fhall here give them a place. Into a gallon of fea-water, in a pan about fourteen inches in diameter, I put a small fresh whiting, June 14, 1768, in the evening; and took notice that neither the whiting, nor the water when agitated, gave any light. A Fahrenheit's ther mometer in the cellar, where the pan was placed, ftood at 54 degrees. The 15th, at night, that part of the fish which was even with the furface of the water was luminous, but the water itself was dark. I drew the end of a stick through the water, from one fide of the pan to the other, and the water appeared luminous behind the stick all the way, but gave light only where it was disturbed. When all the water was ftirred, the whole became luminous, and appeared like milk; giv ing a confiderable degree of light to the fides of the pan that contained it; and continued to do for fome time after it was at reft. The water was moft luminous when the fifh had been in it about twenty-eight hours, but would not give any light by being stirred, after it had been in it three days. II. I put a gallon of fresh water into one pan, and a gallon of fea water into another, and alfo into each pan a fresh herring of about three ounces. The next night the whole furface of the fea-water was luminous without being stirred, but much more fo when put in motion; and the upper part of the herring, which lay confiderably below the furface of the water was very bright. The fresh water was quite dark, as was alfo the fish that was in it. There were feveral very bright luminous spots on different parts of the furface of the sea water; and the whole, when viewed by the light of a candle, feemed covered with a greafy fcum. The third night, the light of the fea-water while at reft was very little, if at all, $ 2 lefs ing, has been of fingular fervice, after various other medicines and operations, recommended for the cure of this complaint, had been ufed to very little purpose. R. Calom. levig. gr. x. Conf. Rof. q. f. pil. x. non deaur. Capiat. j. omni nocte fuperbibendo hauft. feq. R. Aq. Alexit. fimp. oz. i fs. Alexit. fpir. dr. iss. Vin, Antimon. gut. xxx. If the pain does not abate by the time this quantity is taken, É increase the dofe of calomel to two grains one night, one the next, and thus proceed alternately. When the pain abates, the anodyne and antimonial are gradually leffened perhaps omitted every other night, or wholly dropped. I have feldom met with a genuine fciatica but has yielded to this procefs in the space of a few weeks, and has as feldom returned. My inducement to make trial of this method at first was, that this kind of pains are deep feated in the most fleshy parts of the human body, and to which it is extremely difficult to convey the efficacy of any medicine entire, either given internally, or ap plied without. That mercurials of all the medicines we are acquainted with, moft certainly pervade the inmoft receffes of the mufcular and tendinous parts, and remove difeafes which we know have in them their refidence. That, till thefe could take effect, it was necessary to mitigate the pain; for all painful disorders increase in proportion to the irritation attending them. The anodyne, above directed, has other properties than that of an opiate merely. Like as in Dover's fa mous powder, the anodyne in this compofition, when duly proportioned, restrains the antimonial from exerting its ufual efficacy on the ftomach and firft paffages, and conducts it to the remoteft parts of the circulation, rendering it an useful and efficacious medicine in many painful disorders. If the difeafe does not yield to the dose above mentioned, I gradually increase it till fome little tenderness is perceived in the mouth; but I have feldom had occafion to proceed fo far, or to fubject the patient to any confinement, unless in very rigorous weather. As the violence of the pain may fafely be mitigated by this kind of anodyne, which is not merely a palliative, I have always thought it better to proceed with the calomel, in the manner above-mentioned, as an alterative, than to risk any thing for the chance only of a few days fpeedier recovery. Formerly I have had recourfe to the bark, guaiacum, the terebinthinate fpirits, and other ufual medicines: but feldom to the patient's benefit, or my own fatisfaction. Fontanells, blifters, cauftics, likewife; but with as little advantage. Of late I have trufted to the procefs above defcribed, and have very seldom been disappointed. Bleeding has not been mentioned, because in most of the cafes I have feen, it was unneceffary. Phyficians are seldom confulted on thefe cafes in the beginning of the difeafe. In plethoric habits, this evacuation may be neceffary as well as purging. Thofe who fee the patients early, will be the best judges of the necellity of thefe evacuations.' The The next number contains obfervations on the hydroce phalus internus, by Dr. Watson. These accurate observations correfpond with what have formerly been made on this subject by the late eminent Dr. Whytt. Though the hydrocephalus internus is most frequently incident to children, both Dr. Fothergill and Dr. Watfon admit that it is sometimes observed in adults. This is certainly a fact, and the knowledge of its reality will be perpetuated by a cafe the most memorable, on account of the perfon in whom it exifted, that occurs in medical obfervations; we mean that of the celebrated dean Swift. The feventh article is a cafe of the locked jaw and opistho tonos, with fome remarks on the use of the cicuta. It appears from this cafe of the locked jaw, that the patient had taken more than five drachms of opium in the space of three weeks, which amounted, at a medium, to fourteen grains a day; yet Dr. Farr, phyfician at Plymouth, who has favoured the fociety with this article, informs us that it never produced the leaft ftupor through the whole of the difeafe; neither was the perfon's head at all affected, or, though troubled with a cough, was his expectoration rendered difficult, but rather the reverse. This remarkable cafe affords the greatest encourage, ment to a liberal, and even an unlimited use of opium, in fpafmodic affections; and we agree with the author, and Dr. Chalmers, whom he has cited, that the quantity of opium neceffary to be given, cannot by any means be defined; but must be proportionable to the violence of the fpafms, and the effects produced by the medicine. The next number contains a cafe of an hemiplegia; the fucceeding is employed on the ufe of tapping early in dropfies; the tenth, on a painful conftipation from indurated faces; the eleventh is an account of the putrid measles, as they were obferved at London in the years 1763 and 1768; the twelfth contains observations on the bilious fever ufual in voyages to the Eaft Indies; and the thirteenth is an account of a new method of amputating the leg a little above the ancle joint, with a description of a machine particularly adapted to the ftump. This chirurgical improvement is the invention of Mr. White, furgeon to the Manchefter infirmary, and was inferted in a volume lately published by that author. The fociety, in the Preface to thefe obfervations, has made an apology for the republication of this article. They inform us, that it had been entirely printed off, before they knew of its having appeared in any other collections, and they request that those gentlemen who intend to publish their works apart, VOL. XXXI.. April, 1771, would Ꭲ |