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alfo afferts, that it may be fafely given in fchirrufes of the abdomen. At the conclufion he inferts the following cautions.

"I have related many cafes, in which hemlock is proper: but I do not, nevertheless, infift, that it fhould always be confided in alone. Other medicines ought, on fome occafions, to be joined to it.

It is requifite, that a phyfician judicioufly follow thofe proper intentions of cure, which arife from the particular state of the cafe.

The furgeon fhould externally change, add and take away; as reafon, founded on experience, directs.

Many mifunderflood my opinion of hemlock, from my firft ellay; as they thought, that I had offered a remedy, which I believed to be univerfal, and fufficient, when given alone, in all cafes.

But I by no means meant fo. I affirmed only, that the hemlock performed fuch things, which other remedies, in high reputation, could

not.

It cures cancers, that, convinced by a great number of inftances, I was certain of.

But I do not, nevertheless, affert that it will cure every cancer.

Nor do I affert, that the whole is to be refted only on the fole use of hemlock.

The Peruvian bark removes intermitting fevers: and yet is not efficacious with all who have that difeafe: are there not many to whom it is even injurious?

Muft fuch medicines, therefore, be held as noxious or useless?

Skilful phyficians judge the fame of other remedies called fpecifick.

If there be fome, who from any idiosyncrasia,or from a complication of fymptoms, cannot bear the hemlock, let them avoid the ufe of it.

If the fymptoms, conjoined with the difeafe, require any other remedy, why fhould not that be adminiftered alone with the hemlock?

Purges are often necessary.

Bleeding is likewife very requifite.

Hæmorrhages fhould not, however, be ftopt by that means, in plethoric patients: for to fuch patients, they are of much greater benefit, than bleeding by venæfection.

But in fuch as are weak, they are quickly, and in the best manner ftopt by the agarick of the oak.

The agarick fhould, nevertheless, be only applied to that place where the effufion of blood is made.

For if it be put over the whole ulcer, it is injurious to the wound; and often fatal.

Sometimes, befides the hemlack, antiphlogifticks, and refrigerants, indicated.

If out of a hundred patients, whom other phyficians have difinifate fed, and declared to be incurable, I give relief to, or cure one, it fuffices me; but the number of thofe, who may be cured, is much greater.

Mercury cures the veneral difeafe. But is it always found to have good effects? Does it always cure? How many thoufands are there not cured, but deftroyed by this diseate?

This happens often in the gout and rheumatifm.

Externally,fometimes emollients, fometimes digeftives, and fometimes aftringents, are required.

Sometimes a paffage ought to be opened to the matter, by means of the knife; as I have frequently obferved in the spina ventosa, 14

that

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A method of preventing and removing Epileptic Fits; with some observations tending to prove the virtue of musk in preventing the Apoplexy.

A

NY perfon fubject to the Epilepfy, may himself prevent a prevent a fit of it, if he has any the leaft previous notice of its coming, before he be altogether deprived of his fenfes, by the following fimple experiment. Let him have always ready in his pocket a piece of metal, as broad as he is able to contain between his teeth when his jaws are ftretched to the utmoft: as foon as he feels the firft fymptom of the fit, let him immediately take this piece of metal, and open his teeth as wide as he is abie, put the piece of metal between them, that fo his jaws may be thereby kept at their utmost firetch for fome time: this in about half a minute will make him come entirely to himself again, and prevent the coming on of the fit for that time.

After the fit is come on, the fame experiment will also serve to remove it in a very fhort time: for if any bye-ftander will take the piece of metal before defcribed; and put it between the patient's teeth, and thereby force them open till his jaws are at the utmost stretch, the fit will immediately go off, and the patient very foon recover.

The certainty of this experiment, the perfon from whom this account is taken fays, may be depended on. The manner (fays he) in which I came to the knowledge of it was from the information of a gentleman of undoubted veracity; and as what he then told me may ferve to fhew with what fuccefs the experiment had been made by others, I fhall briefly relate it.

He told me, "That when he was at Amfterdam fome years ago, he happened one evening to be in company with feveral gentlemen, when one of the company happened to be feized with a fit of the Epilepfy; the other gentlemen prefent could not help being concerned at the accident; but an old officer of the army, who alfo made one of the company, without any concern, defired them to make themselves easy, for he should shortly cure him; and then taking a piece of metal out of his pocket, he went to the perfon then lying in the Epilepfy, and putting the piece of metal between his teeth, he forced them open with it, whereupon the perfon forthwith recovered. After they were again fet down, they began to enquire of the officer how he could fo quickly recover the gentleman from the Epilepfy? He told them, that he was often obliged to go out at the head of a party, when the ene

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there are few liable to the Epilepfy, who may not, by means of this experiment, prevent its coming on in

my happened to be but a fmall diftance from their camp; and that as feveral of their men were liable to the Epilepfy, if any of them hap-the day-time: I think there are pened to be feized with it when fcarce any but who have as long they were thus out upon a party, warning of its approach, as might they were obliged to leave them be- be fufficient for taking out a piece hind, where they often fell into the of metal out of their pocket, and eremy's hands before they recover- putting it between their teeth. ed: That for this reafon, he had been long in fearch of fomething which might inftantly recover them, and that he had at last fallen upon this method of forcing open their jaws with a piece of metal, which he had often tried fince, and had never yet known it to fail."

As it is undoubtedly the forcing open of the jaws, and not any virtue in the metal itfelf, which produces this effect, there can be no difference of whatever kind the metal is of. A crown piece, I believe, might do; but if made of iron or feel for the purpofe, I think it would be more convenient if made of a fquare or oblong form, of about the thickness of a crown, and of fuch a breadth as to be exaly equal to the wideft opening of the jaws. It may be proper alfo to obferve, that one of the edges ought to be thin, that it may the more eafily enter between the teeth, when they are to be forced open by fome other perfon; for the fame reafon it may be convenient to put a handle to it, like the handle of a key.

I have reafon to believe that this experiment will not only remove the fit of the Epilepfy for that time, but alfo until the next time of its ordinary periodical return, without any apparent difference from what

been allowed to work itself off.

I have only to add, that I fuppofe

PHILANTHROPOS.

According to letters received this year (1761) by the Dutch hips from the Indies, feveral perfons, and fome of diftinction, have died laft year at Batavia, of the apoplexy, which is thought extraordinary: for though that diffemper is as common in Holland as any where, yet formerly it was never heard of at Batavia ; and this circumftance has been urged by very great phyficians, as a firon argument in favour of mufk, which was as much in use at Eatavia, as difregarded in Holland and other parts of Europe, fince the reign of Lewis XIV. whofe queen had an averfion to that and all other perfumes, which circumftance gradually drove them out of all the courts of Europe.

An account of a Hydrophobia cured by an accidental bleeding by the temporal artery; communicated by Mr. Baldu in Surgeon, at Farringdon, in berks. With an account of a remedy, recommended as a most effectual cure against the lite of a mad dog; in the transactions of the Berne Society of Agriculture, Arts, and Com

merce.

ALKING of canine madness,

perfon in company related this fact. A woman, bit by a mad dog, and

who

who had the dreadful hydrophobia upon her, was doomed, according to the old cuftom, to be fmothered; but at the time her executioners appeared, the happened to have a fmall interval of reafon,-and made fuch efforts to escape, that the got out of their hands to the stairs-head; when, her foot flipping, the fell, and cut through the temporal artery, which bleeding freely, her friends did not attempt to ftop it, concluding it would fave them their painful office, as in the end it did; for the woman, almoft exhaufted, gave evident figns of a recovery from the dreadful diftemper, and actually furvived it.

The remedy recommended in the Berne Tranfactions is no other than the herb Anagallis or Pimpernel gathered in July, fuffered to dry, and pulverized; it may be given in the quantity of half a dram to that of a dram, in a fimple difilled water of the fame plant, or in tea. After which the patient is to faft for two hours. One dofe is generally fufficient; however, it may be repeated in eight or ten hours. after with fafety.

Clarified butter or tallow, recommended as specificks against the bloody flur, and defluxions on the eyes and breast. In a letter from Aaron Hill, esq; to the cart of Chesterfield, September 27, 1747, on occasion of the havock made by that disorder in the armies in

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without falt, and, fkimming off the curdy part when melted over a clear fire, to give two spoonfuls of the clarified remainder, twice or thrice within the day. And this hath never failed to make an almoft inftant cure in many (I am fure at leaft a hundred) cafes. I have had myself the pleasure to relieve officioufly by its effects; and who were perfons, for the most part, at the point of death, and folemnly refigned to that laft cure of every malady, by their phyfician's farewell fentence.

A long time after Mr. Boyle had published his experience of this noble medicine, from his frequent proofs of it in Ireland, where dyfenteries were too common accidents, there happened, at the fiege of Londonderry, fuch a general demonftration of its efficacy, as leaves a fubfequent neglect of it no way to be accounted for, but from the reafon I have juft affigned it to. For when by the fatigues and wants of that brave garrifon, they found themfelves in greater danger, from the havock of the terrible difeafe, than from the efforts of the enemy, we are informed, by the defcribers diffemper flopt at once, upon the of that memorable fiege, that the of calks of tallow in a merchant's foldiers finding a concealed referve warehoufe, and dividing it among the companies, to melt with, and lengthen out, their fhort remainder

of bad oatmeal.

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could not fee upon what theory to ground a likelihood of fuch fuccefs in using it, for anfwer I referred him to a known experiment in fermentation, where, on barely throw ing a little melted greafe (or a small quantity of animal oil) upon the furface of a working liquor, when in the highest foam, the curbed inteftine motion finks to flatnefs in an inftant; nor can it be recovered into a new head by any art our brewers or distillers are acquainted with. The added oleaginous particles obtunding the now checked saline ones in a manner little differing from the operation of the recommended procefs in the human ftomach, when the vitiated hot ferment having had beginning, the incifive acrid falts are fheathed and made inactive by this oppofite balfamic foftener; and thence paffing on corrected through the gradual digeftions, furnish a fit chyle for blunting the too ftimulative acrimony. And hence arifes not a temporary, not a palliative relief but a complete eradication of the peccant principle. For when the falts above defcribed have loft their points, in the abforbing fheather, thofe united contraries (commixing oily with lixivious particles) compofe together, a new, foluble, and faponaceous body, which diffolving readily into the ferum and lymphatic humours, is prepared to pals, by fweat, or even perfpire infenfibly through ftrainers, which (while feparate) neither oils, nor falts, could have been final enough to have pervaded; and which muft, there fore (though the blood could have been helped to throw them off upon the glands, or joints) have bred fuch obftinate concretion and obftruction there, as bring on gout,

fciatica, or rheumatifm. But (thus) unlefs in cafes of veffels too much lacerated already, the caufe being radically removed, it is no wonder the effect is anfwerable.

I have, therefore, not let flip this opportunity, with a view to give occafion, from his recollecting it, to the moft likely hand in Europe, to make generous ufe of its remembrance.

I don't know whether I should add, (and yet it is too remote from the immediate point in view, confidering how liable an army is, efpecially, where long entrenched in marfhy fituations, to defluxions on the eyes, or breaft) that, in whatever other cafe, of falts too fharp and active, none of the trite remedies, however tedious all of them, and fome extremely mortifying, will be found of any ufe, comparatively with this plain and pleafant one, which need be taken, in the last named intentions, only to half the quantity, perfifiing night and morning, for fome length of time, uninterrupredly.

T

On the benefit of issues in the
gout, c.

Smyrna, March 28, 1761. Beg leave to acquaint thofe, who are afflicted with the gout, that they will find great benefit from iffues. The gouty humours are drained off by thefe outlets, and the fits are either prevented, or much alleviated. It is now almoft feven years fince I first experienced the good effects of ifives on my gouty patients, and I have found them more or lefs beneficial to all; fome continuing to this time entirely free from fits, and alfo enjoy a much better ftate of health than

before.

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