he fhould be attentive to this. If a work is not worth the trouble of reading, it is better not to announce it at all, than to rail at the writer. It is illiberal to abuse a work merely to make the public merry at the expence of the author.

"It were to be wifhed that Rome would adopt the practice of Paris, and that we fhould have feveral periodical sheets ape pear fucceffively. We have only a miferable diario (journal), which contains nothing but infipid ftuff, without the least inftruction. The duty of an enlightened reviewer is both neceffary and honourable, in a country where letters are cultivated.. Nobody knows better than I do what a country owes to a writer who ties himself down to give an analyfis of the books that are printed, every week, or every month, to make known the genius of the nation. It is the leaft expenfive, and the most compendious method of extending knowledge, and of teaching to judge foundly.

I fhould have no idea of the ftate of literature in France, if it were not for the French journals, which my friends are fo obliging as to fend me. When they are fevere without satire, exact without trifling, juft and never partial, they discharge their duty to the fatisfaction of the public."

It is illiberal, fays Ganganelli, to abufe a work merely to make the public merry at the expence of the author. This paffage, at first fight, may feem to imply, a difapprobation of all cenfure and condemnation in critical enquiries. But this is not his meaning. He only condemns abufe. He allows the reviewer to point out the place, where the writer has forgot himself; or, as he expreffes him felf in another letter, to cenfure without impatience, caprice, or partiality, according to the rules of juftice and tafte.'

The well known book, intitled the Imitation of Jefus Chrift, ufually numbered among the works of Thomas à Kempis, a canon regular of the order of St. Austin, in a monaftery near Zwoll, about the year 1450, has been afcribed, on the authority of fome ancient manufcripts, to John de Gerfen or Geffen, an abbot of Vercelli, of the order of St. Benedict, about the year 1240; and by others, to John Gerfon, chancellor of the univerfity of Paris, in 1410; but with little appearance of probability. It may be worth while to cite the opinion of Ganganelli on this point, on account of an argument, which he draws in favour of his countryman, from the chafubles, or copes worn by the priests at mafs, to which the author of the Imitation alludes.

What has made The Imitation of Jefus Chrift fo valuable and affecting, is, that the author (Gerfen, abbé of Verceil in Italy) has transfufed into it all that holy charity with which he himself was divinely animated.

• Ger

• Gerfon is commonly confounded with Gerfen; nevertheless it is easy to prove, that neither Gerfon nor Thomas à Kempis were the authors of that matchlefs book; and this I own gives me infinite pleasure, because I am delighted with the thought of fuch an excellent work being wrote by an Italian. There is an evident proof in the fifth chapter of the fourth book, that it was not a Frenchman who wrote The Imitation. It is there expreffed, that the prieft clothed in his facerdotal habit carries the cross of Jefus Chrift before him; now all the world knows, that the chafubles in France differ from thofe in Italy, in this, that they have the cross upon their backs.'

Before we close this article we fhall take the liberty to point out fome verbal inaccuracies in the tranflation of these letters.

If a monaftic life was duly honoured, Let. xxvi.-If I was your ghoftly father, Let. xxxiv.-If I was confulted, Let. xxxix. -If I was as young as you, Let. lix.-If he was alive this day.' Let. cxxiii. The fault is ftill greater in the following inftances: When you as an inferior, Let. xxxii.—You was fo obliging, Let. cxxii.--You was not provided, ib. In thefe, and many other places, was is improperly used for were. A man of learning, or fome poet, who employ themselves [employs himself] Let. ii.-To ferve every one according to their [his] tafte, Let. iv.-If we dared to [durft] attempt it, Let. xxiii. They write me [to me] from Flanders, Let. ii.-To cause them flourish [to flourish], Let. lxxxix.-He was reproved by our Saviour, and commanded him to put up his fword [bim fhould be omitted, or by prefixed], Let. cxi.-What we do not speak cannot be wrote (written], Let. lxxxviii.-Religion cannot, nor ought not [neither can, nor ought] to be rejected, Let. cxix.

we

To those who may object to thefe verbal criticisms, fhall reply in the words of Cicero: "Non tam præclarum eft fcire Latinè, quam turpè nefcire; neque tam id mihi oratoris boni, quam civis Romani proprium videtur.” Cic. de Clar. Oratoribus.

Medical Obfervations and Inquiries. By a Society of Phyficians in London. Vol. V. 8vo. 6s. boards. Cadell. [Concluded,

from p. 360.]

THE

HE eighteenth article of the volume contains an Account of a fingular Caries of the Skull; by Mr. Jonathan Wathen, furgeon in Wallbrook.

XIX. The Cafe of a Hydrophobia, by Dr. Fothergill. The person whose cafe is here related was bitten by a cat, on the

14th of February, 1774; and the next day he took the ce febrated Ormskirk medicine, conformably to the directions given by the vender in every refpe&t. About the middle of April he complained of a pain in his right knee, which he fuppofed was affected with the rheumatifin; having felt the like pain occafionally the laft two years. On the feventh of June this complaint increafing, he defired his apothecary, Mr. French, to attempt fomething for his relief. He accordingly sent him a box of pills, two of which were to be taken every night, containing about one grain of calomel, of camphire, ipecacuan, and pill. fapon. two grains each, and two tea-fpoonfuls of Huxham's tincture of the bark in buckBean tea twice a day. After having taken these medicines. about fix days, he difcovered an unusual titillation in the urethra, a contraction of the fcrotum and penis to a degree of pain, and an emiffion of femen after making water, to, which he had frequent calls. On the fixteenth of June he fent for Mr. French in the morning, complaining that though he had eat fome bread and butter as ufual for his breakfast, yet he found he could not fwallow his tea without difficulty. He attempted it in prefence of the apothecary, and threw a little into his mouth, but with the utmost agitation.

Mr. French recollecting the accident of the bite, and ap-' prehending the moft ferious confequences, but without dif covering his apprehenfions to the patient, proposed that a phyfician might be fent for; and Dr. Fothergill was accordingly called. On the doctor's arrival, the patient was fitting in his dining-room, without any other appearance of indifpofition than a little palenefs; his countenance chearful, nothing that discovered uneafinefs or anxiety. He recited his complaints very diftin&tly, but took not the leaft notice of his having been bit, nor did he appear to recollect it during the whole course of his illness. The doctor likewife forbore to inquire after the ftate of the wounded part, or to say any thing which might lead him to fufpect that his prefent complaints arofe from that fatal accident.

Dr. Fothergill immediately ordered fix ounces of blood to be taken from the arm; and that a scruple of native cinnabar, and half a fcruple of musk made into a bolus, might be given every four hours; and that as much nourishment, fruit, or whatever the patient chofe, might be got down, as poffible. At the fame time Dr. Watfon was likewife defired to attend.

The patient was again blooded, and from this period was treated with the warm bath, laxative clyfters, opiates, and mercurial friction on his legs, till the next night, when he

expired at half paft twelve. Before his death he was fretful and reftlefs, foon became delirious, but offered no violence.

Endeavours were used to obferve the condition of the part that had been bit, when the patient was dreffing after bathing, as far as could be done without alarming him; but without effect. After death it was examined minutely, but not the fmalleft morbid appearance could be observed.

The fervant maid of this patient was bit by the cat the fame morning, previous to her mafter, and likewife took the Ormfkirk remedy. The mafter's leg foon healed, but fortunately, perhaps for the girl, the employed a young furgeon, under whose management her leg grew worfe. She got into one of the city hofpitals, where her leg continued long in a fore ftate, but he was perfectly well the 29th of August 1774. The great importance of the fubject induces us to lay before our readers Dr. Fothergill's remarks on this deplorable cafe.

It is worth obferving, that two perfons are bit by a mad cat, nearly at the fame time; the first who was bit, and the moft feverely, efcapes; the fecond lofes his life. The wounds of one heal prefently, the other becomes a fore, notwithstanding endeavours to the contrary. Both used the same preventive

means.

May not then the happy efcape of the girl be owing to the fore which followed from the bite? It feems probable; and af-' fords a moft forcible argument for enlarging the wounds made by the bite of mad animals, and promoting a discharge from them as long as poffible. Perhaps this is the only fure prefervative against the direful effects of this malignant venom the world is yet acquainted with.

It is with fome repugnance we point out the inefficacy of a medicine, which in this country has established a reputation of its being an infallible prefervative. Perhaps it has had its use in being fo esteemed by the generality; for it is undoubtedly true, that many perfons have fuffered almost as much as they could have done from the moft poifonous bite, by representing to themselves the miferies they were expofed to. A medicine that could powerfully affuage thefe apprehenfions, from a uni verfal testimony of its falutary effects, has certainly been beneficial to many; and fo have a multitude of other famed prophylacticks,

But as this medicine, which has furvived the reputation of many others, has in this inftance been found to be ineffectual; it feems to be abfolutely neceffary to apprize the public of the fact, which, as far as one evidence can extend to, is decifive. The fame medicine, procured by an unexceptionable hand, (the apothecary, who urged its being given, from a thorough pers fuafion of its affording perfect fecurity) from the place au

thorised

thorised to fell it, and given precifely according to the prefcriber's directions, to two perfons, bit by the fame animal, and at the fame time: the perfon first bitten efcapes; the fecond dies of the hydrophobia.

Was it not of the laft confequence to thofe who may become the unhappy objects of fuch applications, to be informed that even this medicine had failed of fuccefs, we fhould not endeavour to bereave them of the comfort which the unfortunate might derive from an opinion that it was infallible; but when there is fuch evidence to the contrary, it becomes neceffary, for the public benefit, to endeavour to remove prejudices that may be fatal to the real fafety of individuals.

To inquire farther into the merits of this, or any other prefervative against the poisonous bite of mad animals, would take up too much room in your collection. This, however, would be no unprofitable employment for a perfon of fuitable leisure and abilities; and we are not lefs in doubt about the efficacy of all those remedies which have been urged by the feveral propofers, as extremely beneficial in the cure of this diflemper, even in its laft ftages. We are confident that divers have been mentioned, as being cured of the effects of fuch bites, who never had one fymptom of the difeafe thence arifing.

At the fame time that we fuggeft opinions which may tend to deftroy that happy confidence which has prevented much fuffering to individuals, and whilft we own our apprehenfions that none of the celebrated medicines hitherto proposed to the public can fafely be confided in, either as prophylactics or as curatives, we would earnestly recommend one means of pré* fervation, which not only the present instance before us, but extenfive experience feem to eftablish upon a folid foundation; that is, after having washed the part, and cleanfed the furface as quickly as poffible from the poifon, to enlarge the wound immediately by actual cautery, the knife, or any other speedy and. effectual method, and to promote the discharge as long as is poffible. This being effectually done, affords the fureft ground for a proper confidence and fecurity against future mifchief."

XX. An Account of the Cæfarean operation; by Dr. Cooper.

XXI. Cafe of an Angina Pectoris, with remarks; by Dr. Fothergill.

XXII. Farther Account of the Angina Pectoris, by the fame.

XXIII. A remarkable Cafe of the Softness of the Bones; by Mr. Thomfon, furgeon to the London Hospital.

XXIV. Tables fhewing the Number of Deaths occafioned. by the Small-pox, in the feveral Periods of Life, and different Seafons of the Year; with its comparative Fatality to Males and Females; extracted from the Regifter of the Collegiate VOL. XLII. Dec. 1776.

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