coals, metals, and acids; he cannot live in a marfhy country; he cannot expofe himself to the extremes of heat and cold, to showers, to an atmosphere loaded with moisture, nor to any great viciffitudes of weather; he can neither neglect the natural evacuations, nor omit the artificial, such as venæfection; he can neither be greatly grieved nor greatly exhilarated; he cannot devote himself to excefs of ftudy, to long watching, to abftinence, nor to any privation; he can neither indulge indolence, nor enjoy the gratification of active amufement; he cannot, in eating or drinking, exercifing or refting, nor, finally, dare he, in obedience to the dictates of appetite or paffion, deviate from the golden rule of mediocrity." P. 2. We have quoted the preceding lines to fhow the abfurdity of informing us what a confumptive patient cannot do ; thefe negative fymptoms are equally applicable to feveral other complaints; and are not always true with regard to confumption; for in fpite of the "golden rule of mediocrity," the author himself informs us in the next page, that "Very many of them (patients affected with incipient phthifis) become fond of convivial intercourfe and intoxication, as a refuge from that occafional defpondency to which they are particu larly liable. Some of them, for perhaps feveral months, proceed in an almost uninterrupted courfe of aftonishing diffipation, by which they may even feem to have meliorated their health," &c. &c. As he proceeds to defcribe the more advanced flages, Dr. Sanders alfo enumerates fymptoms which feldom or never occur; at page 6 we are taught (for the firft time) to dread an attack of furor like that of phrenitis;" at p. 18, that livid fpots or petechiæ appear all over the furface of the body, while at the fame time "fmall aphthous fores cover the lips, the tongue, the infide of the mouth and fauces, moft difagreeably tainting the breath, and rendering fpeech and deglutition very difficult," &c. We need fcarcely obferve, that these fymptoms are not characteristic of phthifis, although they occafionally occur in that complaint. The whole of p. 19 is more applicable to typhus fever than to confumption of the lungs; and at p. 21 and 24, the author outdoes himself in defcribing the laft fad fpectacle of human fuffering; furely this picture of a dying man might have been omitted. The fecond chapter commences with a defcription of the appearances which prefent themselves on the examination of the bodies of those who have died of pulmonary diseases. What the author's opportunities of witneffing fuch diffections may have been, we profefs not to know, but we are con C 3 vinced ticism are brought under difcuffion, and fome very important remarks occur, particularly on the date of the Pefbito verfion, Dr. Lawrence inclining to fupport Michaelis against his learned annotator; and notwithstanding the fufpicions of the latter to affign to that important verfion, a very high antiquity. T author has undoubtedly difplayed, in this fmall Tract, gre learning and ability, and amply fhown how eminently qu fied he is, to engage in fuch very curious researches and portant criticisms. ART. III. Treatife on Pulmonary Confumption, in u PULMONARY confumption, from the freq The author fir After enumerating some o us that- "Whoever is fo fame cafe of refpir danger than others ing the complai retain the air * ving in 1797, feven perfons ounted to 550; viz. Oliver », 87; Catharine Willey, 80; er, 79; Grace Roberts, 72; they celebrated their Christmas There was every appearance of ace. It is a very retired fpot; 's would furnish noble fubjects for ummer fcene, Poltefco (for fuch is variety of forms; caftles, pyramids, nadowed by the afh, the elm, the or breaking through their foliage; a he courfe of the valley; and a glimpfe s the profpect. Such was the fcenery : I thought it another Vauclufe. The es, the stream, and other objects in this leave to the imagination of my readers. iver, his wife, his fifters, or his coufins, fque beauty I did not enquire. But though C 4 the vinced that no benefit can accrue from fuch indefinite statements as the following: "The lungs are in one wonderfully fhrivelled, and in another enormously fwelled; the lung of one fide is almost completely obliterated, while that of the other has acquired uncommon fize, and feems, for a confiderable time, to have alone fupported the function of refpiration; even the air cells have been found prodigionfly enlarged." P. 42. "In the lungs of those on whom fcrofula has exercised dominion, glandular fwellings or tubercles present themselves, replete with matter of every colour and confiftence, while part of the fubftance of the lungs remains found in the interstices; fome of the tubercles contain pus, and others appear as if they have been arrested in their progrefs to fuppuration; very many of them are not larger than fmall feeds, and others are of incredible magni'tude. In fine, every fpecies of fore, from the minute puftular to the large cancerous; every form of inflammation and effect of diminished vitality are manifefted, from fimple redness to complete fphacelation." P. 45. Notwithstanding this abuse of epithets, the author' mira, bile dictu,' seriously laments "how far we may be led from the very object of our refearch by adventitious circumflances, and the want of precife and definite terms," and even attempts to ridicule the judgement and experience of Drs. Cullen, Darwin, Rush and Willis! The remaining part of the treatife on confumption is equally deficient in practical remarks, and found obfervation: the author appears indeed to have confulted various works, and from each has culled a little, till he has got up a book of tolerable fize. The fecond part, containing an account of the powers of digitalis, is the moft original, for the author directly contradicts the received opinions of the beft writers on the effects of that medicine. It has long been acknowledged, and large experience has determined, that digitalis, in whatever form adminiftered, has a direct influence in diminishing the frequency of the pulfe; yet Dr. Sanders, affifted by fome of his fellow ftudents, has demonftrated by experiments, "That each small dofe of the digitalis taken by a perfon in health, increases the force and frequency of the pulfe; and if the dofes are repeated, that they will induce an inflammatory action of the fyftem; that alfo in difeafe, the firft effects of digitalis exhibited in fmall dofes, are to increase the force and frequency of the pulfe; to excite and maintain that degree of action during which fores affume the action of healing; to promote the procefs by by which effufions are removed from any of the cavities or parts of the body; to enliven the mind, and improve the powers of voluntary motion; to invigorate digeftion, and increase the evacuations by the fkin, and by the urinary organs in the mean time, is gradually attaining a febrile activity, fo that from 70 or go, if the ufe of the medicine is incautiously perfevered in, the pulfe fhall be raised in a fhort time to 120, 130, or any number between these and 150.” * We shall leave our readers to determine which party is in the right, premifing that in the courfe of confiderable practice, we have never obferved any inflammatory fymptoms occur during the ufe of digitalis; neither have we in any inftance obferved any increase in the velocity of the pulfe; on the contrary, we have ufually found it diminish in frequency, and fometimes even to a very confiderable degree. ART. IV. The Hiftory of Cornwall, &c. &c. By the Rev. R. Polwhele. (Concluded from Vol. xxxiv, p. > THE volume, which gives the hiftory of Cornwall, "in refpect to its population; and the health, ftrength, activity, longevity, and diseases of its inhabitants," remains for notice. From the inftances of longevity, we, fhall extract a few of the more recent. "In the parish of Grade, were living in 1797, feven perfons of one family, whofe ages then amounted to 550; viz. Oliver Oliver, who was 84; Eliz. Francis, 87; Catharine Willey, 80; Duance Martin, 82; Grace Oliver, 79; Grace Roberts, 72; Urfula Harry, 66. In that year they celebrated their Christmas together, with great hilarity. There was every appearance of comfort in Mr. Oliver's refidence. It is a very retired spot; and indeed its romantic features would furnish noble fubjects for "poefy or picture." As a fummer scene, Poltefco (for fuch is its name) exhibits rocks in a variety of forms; caftles, pyramids, and craggy projections overshadowed by the afh, the elm, the poplar, and the fycamore, or breaking through their foliage; a winding rivulet that takes the courfe of the valley; and a glimpfe of the fea which terminates the profpect. Such was the fcenery of which I was a witnefs: I thought it another Vauclufe. The effect of winter on the trees, the ftream, and other objects in this fine affemblage, I muft leave to the imagination of my readers. Whether Mr. Oliver Oliver, his wife, his fifters, or his coufins, had any fenfe of picturefque beauty I did not enquire. But though C 4 the |