no strong fever, but on the other hand, slight perspiration and three severe attacks of croup. To-day it was lively, but very pale; fever very moderate; breathing not so short as yesterday, the sawing sound no longer persistent. The ingress of the air into the air-cells was distinctly audible; respiration puerile, with some rattling. Medicine only every two hours. The cough had still the croupy sound during the day, but was looser; the fever very moderate; during respiration more rattling was audible; the voice louder but still hoarse.

9th Dec.-After copious perspiration throughout the whole night I found the child this morning free from fever, the thorax rose properly, vesicular murmur still somewhat rough, the cough strong and loose without any suspicious sound.

On the 10th Dec.-After a quiet night there only remained a little loose catarrhal cough. Medicine only every three hours. On the 11th.-Nothing abnormal was to be observed about the little patient.

Spasmodic Croup.

On the 9th January, 1846, I was summoned to attend Mr. E.'s daughter, who was labouring under a simple catarrhal cough which was short and dry, and caused by a scraping feeling in the throat, in other respects she was lively, without fever and with a good appetite. She is ten years of age, flabby, puffy, scrofulous, is too well fed, but is very sensitive. I prescribed Bryonia 3 gtt j, every three hours. At midnight I was again summoned in a great hurry, as the patient was stated to be nearly suffocated. I found her standing clinging to her mother, she had leapt out of bed with anxiety; the countenance expressed the greatest anxiety; the breathing was short and hurried, and especially when she breathed deeply, loudly whistling, sometimes sawing, she tried to cry out but could not; suffocation seemed imminent. At first she was able to speak and to swallow. Shortly before my arrival a colleague, who had diagnosed croup on account of the hollow whistling cough, gave her Aconite and Iodine at short intervals; this not only did no good, but it did not even prevent the increase of the disease to such a height, that on my arrival the child was unable either to

speak or swallow, she only pointed to the chest and throat as if she had pain there; the skin was very cool; pulse small, compressed, quick; there was no cough properly speaking, but she endeavoured to obtain air by forcing herself to cough. I made her lie down in a warmed bed, but she could not remain lying on account of anxiety, she always raised herself up and bent forwards. Under such circumstances, as she was unable to swallow a drop of water-she only made a chewing movement when a spoonful of water was put in her mouth and soon spat it out again the administration of medicine was out of the question, the much vaunted olfaction even of tinctures had no effect, nor were sinapisms on the neck and chest, and hot sponges to the throat of any avail; but after some linseed-meal poultices were applied to the neck she was enabled to swallow a few drops of warm water with much difficulty, but nothing more; I therefore left them off, but as I was now able to give a medicine, and as this was the first case of the kind I had witnessed, thinking that spasm was the main malady and that it was a case of Millar's asthma, I gave Bellad., Stramon., Veratrum, Guaco, without the slightest benefit. Perceiving my error, at two o'clock I gave Acon. 1, gtt j, in half a teaspoonful of tepid water, and repeated this every quarter of an hour. After the third dose the skin began to grow warmer, the pulse became somewhat fuller and soft, the oppression of breathing less; wherefore I did not think it necessary to repeat the medicine so frequently, but resolved to give it only every hour. About half-past three o'clock the oppression and whistling inspiration were gone, the child could swallow and speak with ease; she stated that during the attack she had felt violent pressure over the whole chest and a constrictive sensation in the larynx, and she felt as if she could get no air. Copious perspiration now ensued, and cough with the croupy sound occasionally took place. Aconite was continued every hour.

10th Jan.-I found my patient at 9 A.M. in a strong fever; rough cough with scraping in the larynx occasionally set in, the respiration was pretty free. At noon she got a true attack of croup, but the oppression did not again get so bad as it had been during the night. As the croupy attack was not of the

most violent character, I gave immediately Hepar 2 gtt j, whereby the attack was speedily relieved, and thereafter I ordered Acon. and Hepar to be given alternately every hour. In the evening, febrile exacerbation, the cough came on not frequently, but it had still the croupy sound.

11th.- Much fever at night, little sleep, occasional rough dry cough. In the morning general slight perspiration, fever proportionately less than yesterday. In the forenoon and evening another true attack of croup, with much rattling of mucus, but no expectoration. In the evening increase of fever.

12th-Much perspiration at night, with great restlessness, but towards morning sleep for several hours. In the morning again a remission of the fever, but in place of the croupy cough there was incessant, short, dry cough, with scraping in the throat, for which I prescribed Acon. 2, and Bryon. 2, in alternation every hour; by the evening the frequency of the cough was much lessened and the febrile exacerbation did not again

occur.

13th. The night was quiet; much sleep; copious perspiration; no fever; the cough towards morning became quite loose, like simple catarrh; Bryonia 2 gtt j, every three hours was prescribed.

14th. The loose cough comes on but seldom, there is no more cough present; Bryonia was continued; the patient got up. By the 16th of January, that is, the 8th day of the disease, all traces of indisposition had disappeared.

Since then this girl has had two such attacks, which on both occasions attained the same height, and were removed by Aconite alone; they differed from the first, however, in this, that they were not followed by a regular attack of croup, but only violent fever and at first hollow and dry, and subsequently loose cough. I must not omit to mention, that since the first attack, a peculiar hollow, dry cough, sounding more like bronchitis than croup, occurred in damp windy weather, and such a cough preceded the last two attacks. After giving Spongia for this cough, for which Acon. Hepar and Merc. were useless, the disease has never recurred, and the recurrence of the cough has become seldomer.

556

ANTICIPATIONS OF HOMEOPATHY,

By WILLIAM SHARP, F.R.S.

Of Rugby.

"I have the happiness of curing my patients, at least of having it said concerning me that few miscarry under me; but cannot brag of my correspondency with some others of my faculty who impeach me of great insufficiency, as I shall likewise do my taylor, when he makes my doublet like a hop-sack, and not before, let him adhere to what hypothesis he will."-THOMAS SYDENHAM to ROBErt Boyle.

WILLIAM HARVEY in the dedication of his work "On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals," says: "I do not think it right or proper to strive to take from the ancients any honour that is their due." In this sentiment he is seconded by Sir HUMPHREY DAVY, who observes that "justice is the first principle of philosophical history."

The fundamental axiom in medical science having been now fully developed and exhibited to us by SAMUEL HAHNEMANN, we may take pleasure in looking back, through the vista of past time, and with intelligent interest seek for and bring more conspicuously before the notice of our own and of the next generation, the names of those who have in any degree approached the great maxim which we believe to be true, "similia similibus curantur." HAHNEMANN himself has mentioned several physicians from HIPPOCRATES downwards, who have done this more or less.

But more especially ought this to be done gladly when the individuals who were thus pioneering in the right direction, were, for that very reason, exposed to suffering and disgrace, through the envy and abused authority of their contemporaries.

Perhaps no one is more worthy to be recalled to notice, and to have a claim made on his behalf for our grateful respect on this account, than Dr. GREENFIELD, a physician practising in London in the time of William the Third and Queen Anne; a time so often called the Augustan Era of England; a time when there was a more numerous assemblage of men of genius, learning and distinction than have been crowded together into so short a period of our history either before or since.

I propose therefore with this view to give a translation of a considerable portion of a scarce book having the following title; "Tutus cantharidum in Medicinâ usus Internus, per Joannem Groenevelt, M.D., e Colleg. Med. Lond. Londini, Ed. Secunda, 1703," The safe internal use in medicine of Cantharides, by John Greenfield, M.D. of the Royal College of Physicians of London. I offer this not only for the reason already assigned, but also because I think the very interesting cases he details may be studied advantageously for instruction and encouragement in our present practice.

I will only premise further the following notice of our author from the "Dispensatory" of Dr. QUINCY, 10th edition, 1736, p. 168.

"Dr. GROENEVELT, who published in vindication of his own practice, a small treatise 'De tuto Cantharidum,' &c. suffered much by a prosecution for giving them inwardly, being charged with and sued for Male-practice. The issue ruined the unhappy Doctor, and taught his envious prosecutors the safety and value of his practice. They are now frequently given."This is sufficient to excite our sympathy on his behalf, which will be increased by the following extracts from our author's Address to the "candid reader."

"This little Tract does not see the light that I may increase the number of superfluous books by a vain display of learning or experience, but that whilst justly vindicating my grossly wounded reputation I may exhibit before the observation of all, the pride and ignorance of certain calumniators.

"I have been a physician and a practitioner of medicine for seven-and-twenty years, and have diligently cured many kinds of diseases, and many afflicted in various ways have, by God's help, been restored to health. Especially, while I practise lithotomy, do diseases of the kidneys and bladder come daily before my notice. Wherefore, my attention being anxiously bent in this direction, I have learnt by multiplied experience, that in suppression and retention of urine, strangury and ulceration of the bladder, Cantharides, corrected by Camphor, is a most noble and safe remedy.

"By the aid of these remedies, others having been tried in