Smyth thinks it is not diuretic, and we believe that it is not ufually fo; yet blifters to the legs, in dropfies, often increase the flow of urine, though their operation, in this way, is equivocal. When given internally, it fometimes feems to have this effect; though it may be produced alfo by the ftimulus on the debilitated organs.

The next medicine tried was the fpirit of vitriol, introduced into the Pruffian army in the cure of itch. Dr. Smyth found it very fuccefsful not only in itch, but in other cutaneous complaints: it produced no fenfible difcharges, after feeming at first to bring on a flight diarrhoea. The veratrum album may, in our author's opinion, be of service in nervous complaints. He found it ufeful in a periodical delirium, hif-. teria, and epilepfy. In cutaneous diseases, it has been chiefly ufed externally. Dr. Smyth gave the tincture internally, but without any flattering profpects: in one, of three cafes here mentioned, it seemed to have cured; but every cure of this kind is doubtful, because generally temporary. The large dofes have the ufual effects of hemlock; but this inconvenience is diminished, by giving the medicine in valerian tea. Shall we add a fimpler cure than all those which we have mentioned? It is a milk diet, with occafional doses of neutral falts; and though this method is fimple, it has fucceeded after moft of the others have failed.

XVII. A Cafe of Hydrophobia; by Mr. William Babington. This Cafe is related with great accuracy; but, as usual, its termination was unfortunate. The destructive poison has not yet been encountered with its proper antidote.

XVIII. Cafe of an Ulceration of the Oefophagus, and Offification of the Heart. By S. Foart Simmons, M. D. FR. S. XIX. An Account of the Diffection of the Subject of the preceding Cafe; with Remarks. By Henry Watfon, F. R. S.

The ulcer in the oefophagus feemed to be cancerous, and occafioned a great difficulty in swallowing; the vomiting afterwards was owing probably to the irritation from the bone, formed in the fubftance of both ventricles, in that part of the heart which lies on the diaphragm, and is contiguous to the stomach, when diftended. The chief effects of the offification on the pulse were irregularity, and increased frequency. The remarks on this extraneous bone are judicious and correct.

XX. A Cafe of difficult Deglutition, occafioned by an Ulcer in the Oefophagus, with an Account of the Appearances on Diffection. By Maxwell Garthshore, M. D. F. R. S. and S. A.

The ulcer was below the divifion of the trachea, and of courfe occafioned difficult deglutition; but the most remarkable additional fymptom was a spitting. This may indeed

G 2

have

have arisen from the neighbouring ulcer keeping up a constant irritation; but, for occafional obftructions in the swallowing, two ounces of quickfilver were given at two different periods. We know that, in fuch, circumstances, the mercury is frequently evacuated unchanged; but it has often produced falivation. Thefe occafional obftructions the author feems to attribute to fpafm, but they were more probably produced by fmall abfceffes, as they terminated in a discharge of purulent

matter.

XXI. A Cafe of Suppreffion of Urine, fuccefsfully treated, in which the Bladder was punctured through the Rectum. By Mr. Bentley. The motive which induced the author to perform this operation, was the appearance of a confiderable gangrene over all the parts. The opening clofed in proper time; and the only bad effects were those which must neceffarily have arisen from the feparation of the mortification.

XXII. Pulmonary and other Complaints, apparently supported by Fever, of the intermittent or remittent kind, and cured by the Bark. By Samuel Chapman, M. D.-The chief reason for suspecting an intermittent or remittent fever, was the fuccefs of the bark. It is a queftion of great importance in practice, how far this remedy is really ufeful in phthifis, and has had its fupporters and opponents; nor is it at this moment nearer to a decifion than it ever was. The bark fometimes fucceeds, and, with proper management, feldom does harm. The fuccefs, fo far as we can perceive, is not connected with the nature of the prevailing epidemic, with the conftitution of the patient, or the cause of the complaint; confequently the use of the remedy is yet merely conjectural. The disease itself greatly refembles a remittent; and our author, with many other practitioners, has found the ufual remedy for remittents ferviceable. It may be worth while to transcribe the fentiments of De Haen, as they now lie before us. Mizum profecto fuit, intra quam breves dies poft corticis ufum, collapfæ vires refurgerint, febris decrefceret, revivifcerit appetitus, defœdato vultui color rediret, nitorque, & nocturnæ anxietates rarefcerent, blandi obreperent fomni, fputifque pectus fe commode evacuaret.' We shall not farther enlarge on this fubject, than to recommend to practitioners fome attention to it, in order, if poffible, to raise a fuperftructure on a more rational foundation.

XXIII. On the Efficacy of Opium in the Cure of the Venereal Disease. By Frederic Michaelis, M. D.-Notwithftanding the flattering appearances, from the first use of this remedy, we find that fubfequent experience has not fupported its credit in the full extent which was expected. We have

our

ourfelves given pretty large dofes of this remedy, and have feen all the effects which our author mentions, except falivation and a flow of urine. Our readers will however recollect the cure of dropfy, in the last volume of the Medical Obfervations. We shall extra& the author's account of the confequences of large dofes of opium, premifing only, that from half a drachm to two fcruples of the thebaic extract were given in a day; and that little or no fleep, except fometimes at first, were occafioned by it.

The effects this medicine produces upon the human body, have not yet been obferved with fufficient accuracy. It is a general opinion, that it diminishes every fecretion, perfpiration excepted. This certainly is a miftake; and though in many cafes it promotes a diaphorefis, yet in many others I have seen no fuch effect, but, in its ftead, a plentiful fecretion of urine, fo that in feveral patients, the quantity of urine exceeded that of all the fluids they had drank. This effect of large doses of opium on the fecretion of urine, though not quite fo general a one as its promoting fweat, all my medical friends in New York who made trial of this new remedy, have obferved fo often, that, extraordinary as it may feem, the fact is beyond

all doubt.

Another effect, which I, and feveral of my medical friends, obferved now-and-then (though rarely) was, an increased secre tion of faliva, fometimes amounting to an actual falivation; a fymptom which I could not afcribe to any former remedy, as it occurred even in those who had never taken any mercury. But what will perhaps appear ftill more incredible is, that opium fometimes produces a most violent diarrhoea, particularly when great quantities of it are accumulated in the bowels. As to its effect upon the pulfe, I found generally that it quickened it at firft, but afterwards commonly made it very flow and full; yet, in a few cafes, I have feen it continue quick and fmall, till the opium was discontinued. Sometimes indeed it produced headach, anxiety, pain in the breast, &c. which ufed immediately to vanish after bleeding; and for this reafon, if the patient is of a full habit, we ought not to omit bleeding, before we give the opium. I alfo made it a constant rule, to cleanse the bowels previously, if there was any indication for doing fo; it being well known that opium is improper when there are impu rities in the firft paffages,'

The bad effects of opium fometimes occurred; but were found either tranfitory, or to yield to the use of bark.

XXIV. Obfervations on the Caufes, Symptoms, and Cure of the pulmonary Confumption, and fome other Difeafes of the Lungs; by the late W, Stark, M. D. with an Introduction and Remarks. By James Carmichael Smyth, M. D.

F. R. S.-In our fifty-fifth Volume, p. 16, we had occafion to review Dr. Reid's Treatife on the Phthifis Pulmonalis, and gave him credit for a valuable property, which we find really belonged to the late ingenious and accurate Dr. Stark. As we gave fo full an account of that work, we fhall be more concife in this place, and felect only the diftinguishing marks of the contents of the vomica: they feem to differ both from pus and mucus, and confequently the ufual directions may mislead thofe who depend too exactly on chemical diftinctions.

As the fpitting is, perhaps, the most certain criterion of vomica, it will be proper to enquire into its peculiar character, that it may be diftinguifhed from pus and mucus; two fubftances which it greatly refembles, All of them when free from air bubbles ink in water. Pus is eafily diffufible in it, by gentle agitation, but in a few hours falls to the bottom. Mucus cannot be eafily diffufed in water without ftrong agitation, but when diffufed, forms with it a permanent ropy liquor. The fpitting of confumptive perfons is diffusible in water more eafily than mucus, and like that, at first forms with it a ropy liquor; but which, in a few days, depofits a fediment in the fame manner as pus; the liquor, however, ftill continuing ropy, and refembling mucus and water.'

The remarks of Dr. Smyth, with which this article concludes, difplay much learning and ingenuity.

XXV. An Account of an Hydrocephalus internus of a prodigious Size, in an Adult. By Frederick Michaelis, M. D.This furprifing creature lived, and probably lives, in New Jerfey in America.-His head is of a monftrous fize, measuring thirty-two inches in circumference, either from the chin to the nape of the neck, or round the forehead and temporal bones. His general health is good, and there is not the flighteft fymptom of compreflion on the origin of the nerves. Confequently there is no water in the ventricles, and the whole is at least external, with refpect to the brain. The term hydrocephalus internus is therefore improper; but frequently used to distinguish this difeafe from one where the water is between the integuments and the bone.

XXVI. An Account of a Method of curing the Hydrophthalmia, by Means of a Seton. By Edward Ford, Surgeon. This remedy is only to be attempted when vision is loft, in order to remove the inconveniencies which arife from the increased bulk of the eye. The threads are to be drawn from the external angle, about a quarter of an inch from the edge of the cornea, through the pofterior chamber, and brought out at the fame diftance from the inner edge of the cornea,

XXVII. An Account of a Tumor, fuppofed to have been a difeafed Kidney. By Mr. Henry Fearon, Surgeon.-The kidney, in this infance, became an irregular offified mafs, and produced fymptoms very fimilar to thofe of a stone in the bladder. The other kidney was filled with purulent matter. The author propofes a question, whether a difeafed kidney may not be removed, before the other is fympatically affected? He will however recollect, that the distinction is difficult; and the degree of the difeafe not easily difcovered. If it be flight, there will be no little difficulty in fecuring the emulgent veffels.

XXVIII. An Account of a Cancerous Affection of the Stomach. By John Sims, M. D.-The stomach was full of scirrhi, and some of these had ulcerated, fo that the fubstance of the vifcus was in one part deftroyed; but this feemed to have happened only a little before his death. The symptoms are thofe which might be expected, excepting only an acute pain in his heel a fympathy, which it is impoffible to explain from any connection of nerves in their course.

XXIX. A Cafe of Cancer in the Stomach. By James Carmichael Smyth, M. D.-The peculiar circumftance in this cafe, was a pulfation at the fcrobiculus cordis, which was found to be owing to an adhesion between the ftomach and the liver, and to the pulfation of the aorta under both. The coats of the ftomach were destroyed; but, by means of the fame adhesion, the fides of the liver fupplied their place. An extreme acidity, not eafily accounted for, attended the disease.

XXX. An Account of a painful Affection of the Antrum Maxillare, from which three Infects were difcharged. By John Heysham, M. D.-This is a very curious cafe; but, though uncommon, not fingular. The ova may have been fecreted with the mucus, or originally lodged in that cavity; either fuppofition is involved with difficulties; but with fewer than the doctrine of felf-production.

XXXI. An Account of an hairy Excrefcence in the Fauces of a new-born Infant. By Edward Ford, Surgeon.-The subftance was feemingly glandular, and it adhered by a small peduncle; fo that it was easily removed.