her babe, when the remembers + that death may take it from her. The delight of Tragedy proceeds from our confcioufnets of fiction; if we thought murders and treafons real they would please no more.' In reply to this, it may be fafely affirmed, that we neither fancy the players nor ourfelves unhappy our imagination hath nothing to do with the immediate impreffions whether of joy or forrow; we are in this cafe merely paffive, our organs are in unifon with thofe of the players on the stage, and the convulfions of grief or laughter are purely involuntary. As to the delight we experience from Tragedy, it no more proceeds directly from a confcioufnefs of fiction, than the picafure we reap from Comedy; but is the phyfical confequence of having the tranfient fenfe of pain or danger excited in us by fympathy, instead of actually and durably feeling it ourselves. Hence that diminution of pain, which gives rife to the pleafing fenfation, to which the ingenious Author of the enquiry into the Origin of our ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, gives the name of delight. And hence it is that fuch perfons, who are moft affected with the diftrefs of a Tragedy, are generally moft delighted with its reprefentation.

But we fhall here take leave of this performance for the prefent; deferring our farther remarks, on the Editor's misapprehenfion of the dramatic unities, to another opportunity.

Two Papers on Fevers and Infection, by James Lind Physician te the King's Hospital at Haflar, &c. 1763. 8vo. Is. 6d.

UR Readers may poffibly be furprised that a work publifhed fo long ago fhould now firit appear in the Review. The only excufe we have to offer for our feeming neglect, is, that we do not remember ever to have feen it advertifed. Finding however, on perufal that the book is by no means undeferving the attention of the public, we deem it proper, in juftice to the Author, to our Readers, and ourfelves, to give the following account of it.

Though we do not entirely difregard all theory on medical fubjects, yet in general we are of opinion, that it merits attention only in proportion as it is founded on practical obferOur Author begins his firft paper with a fuccinct hiftory of feveral fpecies of infectious fevers which occurred in

vation.

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Haflar

Haflar hospital from June 1758, to the beginning of the year 1760.

From this hiftory we fhall felect fuch facts or obfervations as we conceive may be new to those who have not feen this performance. The Revenge and Montague about this time (1758) arrived from the Mediterranean, the crew of the former being in a very fickly condition. By smoking this ship well with the vapour of tar, the infection had abated.' In the Saltash, the Doctor informs us, the men were attacked by a fever refembling the jail diftemper defcribed by Dr. Pringle. The fhips which arrived at Spithead after the reduction of Louisburg brought with them a malignant fever, which attacked thofe alfo who were already afflicted with the fcurvy. This circumftance the Doctor takes to be a proof of its proceeding entirely from infection, for, fays he, I have found, that the scurvy is a disease in its nature oppofite to that of a fever; infomuch that even an infection is long refifted by a fcorbutic habit.' Admitting the fact upon the Doctor's authority, we apprehend it is only to be accounted for by that fingular infenfibility of the folids, which is confidered as a pathognomic fymptom of the fcurvy, and which it is not difficult to conceive, may render the body lefs fufceptible of a disease the caufa prædifponens of which is probably an uncommon irritability of the arterial system.

Having mentioned the yellow fever brought home by the fleet from North-America, and also another fpecies of infection communicated by fhips manned partly from jails, our Author proceeds to enumerate their common symptoms, viz. cough, copious expectoration, with lancinating pains through the thorax. Some who recovered, remained dull of hearing, and a few died confumptive. This diftemper, fays the Doctor, if it had occurred elfewhere than in the fhips, might perhaps have been judged folely inflammatory, and to have proceeded from caufes very different from the real one.' Concerning the propriety of this obfervation we are not enabled to judge, as our Author fays nothing of the ftate of the pulfe, nor of the weather, to which the men had been expofed.

The Edgar, he informs us, was cleared of her infection by a large quantity of gun-powder fired on board her during an engagement. A fpecies of intermittent fever was communicated to the Melampe by two men from a guard-fhip. The favourable crifis of this diftemper was by ftool; but the recovery of the majority of the patients was attributed to blifters. A patient from the Loeftoffe was blooded on the fixth day of the yellow fever, brought from America, which afforded the Doctor the first opportunity of infpecting the blood in that disorder. He found the mafs vifcid and fizy, and after it had food fome

time, the grumous concretion became covered with a yellow gluten half an inch thick, impenetrable to the finger, the ferum being as thick as fyrup, of a deep yellow tinge, and bitter tafte.

Upon the whole it appears, that these several species of fevers (or perhaps rather varieties of the fame fpecies) were generally contagious, and that the patients were most frequently relieved by the early application of blifters; likewife that the only effectual means of deftroying the noxious miafmata is by fumigation with tobacco, fulphur, arfenic, or gun-powder,

I never, fays the Doctor, heard of any fhip, which after having been carefully and properly fmoked, did not immediately become healthy.' Of this fact we do not entertain the leaft doubt;, but we muft beg leave to differ in opinion from the Doctor, when in the next paragraph he fays, The modern practice of burning large fires in the open air in the ftreets of places infected with the plague, or other contagion, is founded on principles groundlefs and erroneous; and hath therefore been experienced not only unfuccefsful but hurtful. Might not this have proceeded from a confumption and deftruction of that principle in the air which is equally the food of aniinal life and of fire.'

What the Doctor fuppofes, would certainly be the cafe, if by any means the furrounding fresh air were prevented from immediately fupplying the place of that which the fire had rendered unfit for refpiration; otherwife the fuppofition is entirely without foundation. We know from experience that fmoke poffeffes a powerful antifceptic quality, probably owing to the ammoniac it contains; and hence we are of opinion that large fires in cafes of contagious diftempers, are of fingular benefit: As to the power of fulphur and arfenic, as mentioned above, we cannot fuppofe any thing specific in them, unless we imagine the noxious miafmata to confift of certain animalcula floating in the air, and adhering to the infide of the fhip; which poffibly may be the cafe.

From the good effects of fumigation in fhips, the Doctor very properly takes occafion to advise the like practice in the chambers where perfons have died of any contagious distemper; the corps being immediately removed, and the doors close shut for at least eight or ten hours. I have known, fays our Author, that in feveral fhips, the contagion of the fmall pox has been entirely ftopt by means of wood fires, fprinkled with brimftone, kept burning, and clofely confined in the infected place.' In page 51, he advifes the burning of Cafcarilla bark, or the defufion of the fteam of camphorated vinegar, in the chambers of the fick; and he concludes his firft paper with directions for most

X 4

moft effectually purifying houfhold goods or apparel which are fuppofed to harbour infection. This is performed by long fu migation in a clofe place; and the linen, before it is put into hot water, fhould fteep for fome time in cold foap lees.

We shall now proceed to give a fuccinct account of the Doctor's fecond paper; in which we are favoured with his method of treating thofe who have received infection. In general the firft fymptoms are a fhivering and fickness at the ftomach. In this ftate a gentle vomit must be immediately exhibited, which will often entirely prevent the fever. Let me add, fays our Author, that a loose ftool or two should at this time be procured, either by means of the emetic or of clyfters. The patient fhould afterwards, when put to bed, take a fweating and quieting draught, containing 5 grains of falt of hartfhorn, and from 15 to 20 drops of Thebaic tincture. At other times we have given 5 grains of camphire every four hours, with large draughts of vinegar whey. But if fymptoms of a fever remain after the adminiftration of the vomit, clyfters, &c. or fhould the exhibition of an emetic have been altogether neglected, or unluckily delayed too long; or the patient injudiciously treated with sweating medicines, and bleding, where the proof of infection is evident; recourfe muft fpeedily be had to blifters; thefe are to be applied to the back, if the head or limbs are affected; and to the breaft, fhould the pain have feized that part. When the infection by thefe means hath been removed, in 24 or 36 hours after the operation of the blifter, the inteftinal canal fhould a fecond time be gently cleanfed, by giving rhubarb with a small quantity of vitriolated tartar.'Thefe obfervations, continues the Doctor, claim the more attention, as not being a few remarks made in private, or on any one particular fever, which might prove an exception to a gene al eftablifhed principle in practice. They are the refult of an attention to fome thoufand patients, whofe cafes are ftill preserved in the hofpital.'

The morbid appearances after death in fuch bodies as were opened, were thefe. In a patient who died of the yellow fever was found in the left cavity of the thorax, near a quart of yellowifh water, in which were many large fiakes of yellowish gluten; other cakes of the fame nature, but in a purulent state, adhered to the pleura and lungs. In one who died on the tenth day of the fever, without having been yellow, a quantity of pus and purulent crufts were found within the pericardium, and the heart in different places excoriated. In a third, who died on the 13th day of the fever, above two quarts of pus and purulent jelly were found in the cavity of the abdomen.

Thus we have endeavoured to felect from these two fenfible papers, fuch obfervations as may be of moft general utility.

Upon

Upon the whole, we think they will deferve the attention of allPractitioners (to ufe a word we very much diflike) and that the Doctor's method of treating his patients, is extremely rational and judicious; but before we take our leave, he must permit us to say that we fhould have read his papers with more pleafure, if the language had been more correct, and fcientific; caul, guts, belly, are not more intelligible to medical readers, than omentum, inteftines, and abdomen. We are by no means fond of a pedantic ufe of technical terms, yet there ought certainly to be a difference between the language of the fhambles," and that of the anatomift.

B.. t

A Letter to the Reverend Vicar of Savoy: To be left at J. J. Rouf feau's. Wherein Mr. Rouffeau's Emilius, or Treatise on Education, is humorously examined and exploded. Tranflated from the German of Mr. J. Mofer, Councellor of the High Court of Justice at Ofnabruck, &c. &c. By J. A. F. Warnecke, L L. C. a Native of Ofnabruck. 8vo. Is. DodЛley.

A

MONG a number of impertinent and fruitless attempts to depreciate the character, and ridicule the fentiments, of Mr. Rouffeau, we might have paffed over the letter before us, with a very curfory animadverfion, were it not ushered into the world with the name of a writer equally refpectable in his political and literary capacity. Not that a more material reason is wanting for expatiating pretty largely on fome particular paffages of this performance; its ingenious author appearing to take advantage of the prefent difputes between the divines and philofophers, to reprefent religion as a political device; in which human prudence is more concerned than either confcience or truth. But, as we cannot help thinking that both the prefent and future happiness of mankind depend greatly on the propagation of truth and the prefervation of a due regard to the dictates of confcience, fo we can, by no means, approve of fuch arguments as tend to establish religion and morals folely on a mere prudential and political foundation. This, however, feems to be the prevailing notion of the times, nor is it to be wondered at that the expounders of human laws fhould become advocates for political religions, when we have fo recently feen even preachers of the gospel adopt the like fentiments. It may poffibly admit of fome excufe in a civilian, that his religion is abforbed in the ideas of civil policy; but what can excufe a divine for his eagernefs to render the dictates of truth and conscience subordinate to political expedients; to fubject the will of his God to that of

his