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This disorder confifted in a fevere pain of the ftomach, frequent and violent vomitings, great weakness and wafting of flesh. It was of fome months ftanding, and had exceedingly emaciated the patient. He had been grafped by the waistcoat, at the pit of the ftomach, and fhaken rudely. Three eminent phyficians had in vain tried various remedies before he was brought to Dr. Hunter. No fulness, hardness, or tumor whatever could be discovered, though the patient's body was examined with attention in various pof

tures.

We fhall give Dr. Hunter's directions for the treatment of this obfcure and dangerous complaint in his own words: they will not only exhibit the train of his thoughts, but will alfo afford an agreeable fpecimen of that familiar Socratic manner, by which he ufed to render inftruction fo pleafing.

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I told him, the patient's father, that there were two things which I would recommend.. The first was not fo important, indeed, yet I thought it might be useful, and certainly could do no harm. It was to have his fon well rubbed, for half an hour together, with warm oil and a warm hand, before a fire, over and all around his ftomach, every morning and evening. The oil, perhaps, would do little more than make the friction harmless as well as cafy; and the friction would both footh pain, and be a healthful exercise to a weak body.

The fecond thing that I was to propofe I imagined to be of the utmost confequence. It was fomething which I had particularly attended to in the diforders of the ftomach, especially vomitings. It was carefully to avoid offending a very weak ftomach, either with the quantity or quality of what is taken down; and yet to get enough retained for fupporting life. I need not tell you, Sir, faid I, that your fon cannot live long without taking fome nourishment: he must be fupported to allow of any chance in his favour. You think that for fome time he has kept nothing of what he swallowed; but a small part muft have remained, elfe he could not have lived till now. Do not you think, then, that it would have been better for him if he had only taken the very small quantities which remained with him, and were converted to nourishment? It would have answered the end of fupporting life as well, and perhaps have faved him fuch conftant diftrefs of being fick and of vomiting. The nourishment which he takes fhould not only be in very fmall quantity at a time, but in quality the most inoffenfive to a weak ftomach that can be found. Milk is that kind of nourishment. It is what providence has contrived for supporting animals in the most tender stage of life. Take fon home, and as foon as he has refted a little, give him one fpoonful of milk. If he keeps it fome time without fickness or vomiting, repeat the meal and fo on. If he vomits it, after a little reft try him with a smaller quantity, viz. with a defert or even a teafpoonful. If he can but bear the fmalleft quantity, you will be fure ENG. REV. Jan. 1785. VOL. V.

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of being able to give him nourishment. Let it be the fole bufinefs of one perfon to feed him. If you fucceed in the beginning, perfevere with great caution, and proceed very gradually to a greater quantity, and to other fluid food, especially to what his own fancy may invite him; fuch as fmooth gruel or panada, milk boiled with a little flour of wheat or rice, thin chocolate and milk, any broth without fat, or with a little jelly of rice or barley in it, &c. &c.'

The title of this article has already told the reader that the event was fortunate. In the next paper Mr. Hey, of Leeds, relates four cafes faccessfully treated in the fame manner, excepting that he departed, probably without neceffity, from the fimplicity of Dr. Hunter's plan, by giving the following draught, three times a-day.

Aq. font. 3vi.

Tinct. ftomach. 3ij

aromat. gutt. xxx. M. f. Hauft.

Cafe of recovering from apparent Death, in confequence of taking a large Dofe of Opium. By T. Whateley, Surgeon, Old Jewry.

A man near 40 years old, fwallowed two pieces of opium, about two drachms each, with a defign to deftroy himself. Half an hour afterwards Mr. Whateley faw him, and in the courfe of three quarters of an hour gave him fifteen grains of Tartar emetic, with a large quantity of warm water and camomile tea; but in vain. He grew more and more infenfible, was fometimes delirious and unable to ftand, at others difpofed to fleep; his fpeech faultered, and his countenance changed. He next took fix grains of merc. emet. flav. and in an hour afterwards twelve grains of tartar emetic, which, with warm liquids, excited vomitings feveral times, and greatly relieved him, though he was ftill difpofed to fleep. Mr. Whateley now left him to the care of another perfon, who happening to go from him for two or three minutes, found him apparently dead; and Mr Whateley being again called, could perceive no fign of life, except a small irregular pulfe. Air was immediately introduced into his lungs with a pair of bellows, at firft ineffectually; but by repeated efforts he was brought to life. More emetics were now administered, and the utmost care was taken to prevent him from falling afleep. By thefe means he was happily recovered. Mr. Whateley justly remarks, that when folid opium is taken, much longer attention to the patient is requifite than when it is fwallowed in a liquid form, fince it will generally be evacuated, as in the prefent inftance, only as it is diffolved.

Account

Account of the Epidemic Difeafe of 1775. By Drs. Fothergill,
Pringle, Heberden, Baker, Reynolds, Cuming, Glass, Afh,
White, Haygarth, Pulteney, Thomson, Campbell, and Mr.
Skene.

This very general diforder, according to the accounts before us, appeared first in Dorsetshire, in which county Dr. Pulteney was feized with it at Blandford, in the middle of October; and at Dorchester Dr. Cuming faw a perfon affected with it on the 15th of that month, but it did not become general fooner, indeed fcarce fo foon as in London, viz, about the 10th of November; at Lancafter it was three weeks later in its appearance than in the metropolis, though at York it seems to have begun quite as early. At Exeter, Birmingham, and Chefter it was a week or nine days later. The fymptoms, according to Dr. Fothergill, came on generally in the following order, giddinefs, fore throat, cough, running at the nofe, watery eyes, flight naufea, frequent calls to make water, and fometimes a diarrhoea. Next fevera ish heat, pain in various parts; the tongue moift, skin not remarkably hot or dry; pulfe fuller, quicker, and harder than might be expected with fuch a ftate of the fkin. Stools, whether spontaneous or procured by purgatives, black or of a deep yellow. In a few days all the fymptoms, except the cough, abated. Thofe fooneft grew well who had plentiful defluxions, black bilious ftools, high-coloured urine, or profufe fweats foon after seizure.

The cure was generally foon effected by warm, diluting, cooling medicines. Bleeding and blifters were in fome cafes neceffary; the blood was fizy, but did not exhibit the cuplike appearance of inflammatory diforders. Anodynes, after the proper evacuations, were very ufeful. Towards its decline the difeafe affumed the type of an intermittent; which the bark did not generally cure, though fome mild cathartic removed it.

In old afthmatic perfons it induced a peripneumony, which often proved fatal. A few died phrenetic.

The accounts of the other phyficians agree for the most part with this sketch, though.in a few particulars, as might be expected, there is fome difagreement. Sir G. Baker fays that many were fuddenly feized with great giddinefs and intenfe pain in the head; that the blood was not always fizy, and that the cup-like appearance occurred in feveral cafes, which laft obfervation is alfo made by Dr. Reynolds. Drs. Glafs and Cuming faw a few patients with floughs of the malignant kind on their tonfils; and the former remarks that fwellings of the tonfils and fubmaxillary glands were not unfrequent. Dr. Afh obferves that it never appeared neceffary

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to take any blood away. He is the only phyfician whom we have noticed as fpeaking in favour of emetics. Dr. White, of York, faw no crifis by a fpontaneous diarrhoea; and bleeding, he fays, did hurt; an apothecary told him that he never faw fo many bad effects follow bleeding as in this epidemic./

Refpecting the cause of the disease, all the authors, except Sir John Pringle and Dr. Glass, are filent. The following paffage of the former deserves to be quoted.

I think you do well to record the ftate of the weather; but I think the conclufion ought to be, that the fenfible qualities of the air had most probably no fhare in producing this epidemic, I fhould be tempted to fay, that they had evidently no part; for we hear of the fame diftemper having been in Italy, France, and in the Low Countries; and, I doubt not, in other parts of Europe, had we inquired. But it cannot be fuppofed that the ftate of the atmofphere, either as to weight, heat, or moisture, was the fame every where. And in the fame country have we not feen it rage in one district or city, whilst others, at no great distance, were totally free? Yet between the found and the fickly there could be no confiderable meteorological difference. My conclufion, therefore, fhould be, that fuch Epidemics (of which there have been four in my remem brance) do not depend on any principles we are yet acquainted with, but upon fome others, to be investigated, and by fuch means as Dr. Fothergill very properly and most commendably proposes to be done by the united inquiries of his brethren.'

An Account of a fatal Difeafe of the Stomach; by Dr. Morris. With a relation of the Appearances on opening the Body. By Mr. Watfon.

The pylorus in this patient was an inch thick, and projected into the duodenum, as the os tincæ does into the vagina: it was almost totally obftructed by tubercles, which lay both within and about it. This remarkable difeafe is illuftrated by an engraving.

We have thus pointed out what is moft curious and important in this volume. It will, we truft, appear from our account that it is inferior to none of the preceding. But while we acknowledge its excellence, we cannot but reflect with fome concern, how much of its value it derives from departed merit. When will the lofs of Hunter and Fothergill, be fupplied to the Society?

Longum noftris dolor & honor,

In publications like the prefent, elegance of compofition is doubtlefs an object of inferior confideration; yet among writers who must have enjoyed the benefit of a liberal education, it is furprizing to find fuch a general want of accuracy and neatnefs of ftile. Many typographical errors like

wife

wife occur, among which there are feveral that obscure or change the fenfe; thefe would have been more eafily excufed, if care had been taken to fubjoin a lift of them with corrections.

We must not conclude without briefly remarking the frequent references to doctrines, which, confidering how formidably they have been attacked, and how weakly defended, one fhould expect, would have been entirely put to flight. Thus the phyfician who communicates to Dr. Macbride an inftance of anguis pectoris fuccefsfully treated, tells him that it was his intention to correct or drain off the irritating fluid.. and Dr. Fothergill talks of acrimony with as much confidence as Boerhaave used to do.

ART. VII. A Difcourfe on the Inflitution of a Society for enquiring into the Hiftory Civil, and Natural, the Antiquities, Arts, Sciences, and Literature of Afia, delivered at Calcutta, January 15, 1784. A Charge to the Grand Jury at Calcutta, December 4, 1783: and a Hymn to Camdeo, tranflated from the Hindú into Perian: and from the Perfian, into English. By Sir William Jones. 4to. London. Is. 6d. Payne and Son.

IT

T is a fignal honour to Sir William Jones, that he was called upon to open a new inftitution fo liberal as that of the Afiatic Society. His difcourfe is worthy of the occafion; and breathes that spirit of patriotism, and that ardour for knowledge, which have conftantly diftinguifhed this celebrated fcholar. The investigations of this new and promifing Society are to be bounded only by the geographical limits of Afia. The field for their refearches is not only immenfe, but fertile in every topic that can excite curiofity and entertainment. They are not confined to Hindoftan. They are to carry a penetrating eye to the ancient and wonderful empire of China; to that of Japan; to the interesting country of Tibet, and the vaft regions of Tartary; to the beautiful provinces of Perfia, and to the unmeasured deferts of Arabia.

While a space fo unbounded is to engage the attentions and care of the Afiatic Society, the topics of their inquiry. are vast, and without measure. They are to examine what ever is performed by man, or produced by nature, within the limits they have prefcribed to themselves. They are to exhibit accounts of natural productions; to unfold the genuine records of empires and ftates; to embrace the circle of pure and mixed mathematics; to hold out fpeculations and facts concerning ethics and law; and to unbend in the fofter

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amufements

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