ing it up, is repeatedly reftored to it from the earth, through the finger of the perfon who makes the experiment.

The cafe, in fhort, is perfectly analogous to the inftance we gave from M. De Cigna (in the part of our work above referred to); where an immenfe number of sparks may be fucceffively taken from, and given to, an infulated plate of lead, on prefenting an excited glass tube (or filk ftocking) at fome diftance from it, and touching it; and then withdrawing the tube, and again touching the plate, fucceffively. If the infulated metal plate of an electrophorus be applied to an excited glass plate, or to one that has been charged, and then discharged, as in the Leyden experiment (or even to an excited glafs globe, which it touches in little more than a point), in the fame manner as it is ufed with the electrophorus; the fame appearances will be prefented.

The principal difference between the refinous and the vitreous electrophorus is, that in the former, the virtue is much more permanent than in the latter; because refinous fubftances are not fo liable to be affected by the humidity of the air; and poffibly, because they poffefs a power of retaining the electricity which they have received from friction, or communication, much longer than vitreous fubftances, independent of this cir-, cumftance. M. De Volta has given his electrophorus the title of perpetual, and has confidered it as preferving a kind of vestal fire, and not improperly as it is certainly poffible, after only once exciting it by friction, to preferve its power indefinitely; by collecting a fufficient number of the fparks, when they grow weak, into a fmall coated vial, and then imparting to the electrophorus its former activity, by only reftoring to it its own fire; by running the coating of the vial over its furface, while the knob is held in the hand.

A curious method of effecting the fame purpose is described in this paper; which confifts in employing two refinous plates, and transferring the metal plate alternately from one of them to the other, and touching it after it is placed upon them. By this method, both the refinous plates have their electricity quickly increased; and the metal plate returns from each quite overcharged, fo that Leyden vials may be charged by it so very trongly as to break them.

The fingular appearances prefented by the electrophorus, have been thought by fome electricians to be incompatible with Dr. Franklin's theory of electricity: but the preceding illustration of the principal phenomena of that inftrument fliews, that they are perfectly confiftent with that fyftem. It is true however, that, when Dr. Franklin, by means of his theory, explained the phenomena of the Leyden vial, or a charged plate of glaís; it was not fufpected that, after the circuit between the two coat

ings was completed, and a difcharge produced, the glafs ftill retained a power, as we now find it does, of furnishing such a number of fparks (fimply by the alternate removal and re-application of one of its coatings, &c.) as is more than fufficient to charge another vial or plate repeatedly. This quality, poffeffed by excited electrics, after they have been charged, and then difcharged, particularly by thofe of the refinous kind, ftill remains to be accounted for: unless it be alleged, that Father Beccaria has explained this property in his treatife on, what he has thought proper to call, the Electricitas Vindex; a short account of which will be found in our xlvth vol. 1771. Appendix, p. 555, and the page following [where, at line 12, the reader is defired to correct an erroneous tranfpofition of the text and instead of-" this it does, in the common manner, even after it has been discharged"—to read-" this it does, even after it has been discharged in the common manner."] Article 49. Obfervations and Experiments tending to confirm Dr. Ingenhoufz's Theory of the Electrophorus; and to shew the Impermeability of Glafs to the Electric Fluid. By William Henly, F. R. S.

We do not find any thing new in thefe experiments, which are only diverfifications of others well known. Towards the end, the Author relates an experiment made by M. Lullin, of Geneva; which Mr. Henly confiders as a curious addition to the many others that have been made, to fhew the real direction. of the electric matter, in the difcharge of the Leyden bottle. We have frequently made remarks on the inconclufivenefs of the former experiments, made with this view, both by the Author and others. They all decifively prove the effential difference between the two electricities: but not one of them-not even the prefent-appears to us to afcertain with abfolute certainty, the real courfe in which the electric fluid is moving. In M. Lullin's experiment, on difcharging a Leyden vial, pofitively, or negatively, electrified, the true direction is supposed to be indicated by the light's appearing on the upper, or the under furface of a card; and by the fpot where a hole is made; in confequence of an interruption made in the electric circuit, between the extremities of two wires, that form the communication between the infide and outfide of the vial; one of which wires terminates on the upper, and the other on the under furface of the card.

PAPERS relating to MEDICINE. Article 29. On the Antiseptic Regimen of the Natives of Ruffia. In a Letter from Matthew Guthrie, M. D. of Petersburgh, to Dr. Priestley, F. R. S.

No people upon earth are, perhaps, more expofed to the operation of thofe predifponent caufes, which terminate in the production of

the

the true or sea fcurvy, and other putrid difeafes, than the boors of Ruffia. During the long and fevere winter feafon of that climate, they are fhut up in clofe huts, never ventilated during fix months of the year; and where the air must neceffarily be highly phlogisticated, or rendered impure and noxious, by the breath and perfpiration of those confined in them. During this time, they live occafionally upon fifh or meat, falted; and do not taste fresh vegetables: being expofed likewife, when they go abroad, to a fevere cold atmosphere; the tendency of which, to produce the fcurvy, is well known. Notwithstanding these circumftances, the Ruffian boors, as we are here told, are ftrangers to putrid diseases; and they owe this exemption, to an antifeptic regimen, that nature seems to have indicated to them,, and which the Author minutely describes in this article.

We have already (in our Review for October, p. 279) taken notice of the Author's reflections on " the late fortunate Attention to the antifeptic Qualities of fixed Air," by Dr. Macbride, Dr. Prieftley, and others; and of the ftrong evidence of the truth of their fyftem, prefented to us in the account here given of the antifeptic regimen of the Ruffian boors, and its falutary confequences. This regimen, which thus powerfully counteracts the baneful influence of their mode of living, confifts in the continual ufe of prepared vegetables in their common diet; one of the principal articles, and that which enters into the compofition of most of the Ruffian foups, is the four cabbage; the use of which has been already adopted in the British navy. The fecond capital article of this antifcorbutic regimen is, a fubacid liquor, called Quafs, prepared from rye flour, or ground malt; and which is not only used as a drink, but likewife, ferves as a fauce to a great number of dishes.

This liquor Dr. Guthrie confiders as an elegant improvement of Dr. Macbride's infusion of malt: for the acidulous tafte makes it highly palatable and refreshing; and probably, there may be a virtue in this fpecies of acidity, which is perhaps the only thing that the fweet infufion wants, to give it all the antifcorbutic qualities of your four-krout, &c.; as it alfo abounds in the antifeptic fluid, fixed air, which recommends the other for medical purposes, and particularly as an antifcorbutic; at the fame time, that the fermentation is permitted to run on until it acquires the acid tafte, which I observe every one of the efficacious vegetable preparations used in the North, is poffeffed of, and what nearly feems to be the fecret alone, by which thefe people preferve them for a length of time, and put them upon an equality with fresh vegetables, as one would be led to think by their falutary effects.'

The next articles enumerated and defcribed by the Author, are the Ruffian rye bread, fermented with leaven; and prepared

or

or falted cucumbers, which have the fame fourish taste with the other articles in the Ruffian antifcorbutic bill of fare; and which feem to have their share also in the merit afcribed to the regimen at large :-a regimen, the Author obferves, fo confiftent, and uniformly calculated to ward off the disease that their fituation threatens (even when viewed by the teft of modern opinion and experience), that the most enlightened physician of our day could not have prefcribed a better; and perhaps, you may think with me, that there are some articles in it, which, from their cheapnefs and antifcorbutic qualities, might be permitted to accompany, for trial, their old northern companion, four cabbage; who has, I suppose, been met with ftraggling in Germany, where he was fingly able to make head against all the dangers that their climate threatened; although in our more frigid realms, it requires his whole united phalanx to keep us in fafety.' Article 31. Obfervations on the Scurvy. By Charles De Martano, M. D. Dated Vienna, January 14, 1778.

The writer of this article adopts the fame principles as Dr. Guthrie. He obferves, that during an abode of many years at Mofcow, he found that many gentlemen, merchants, and ftrangers, were attacked by a flow fcurvy, having their gums foft, fwollen, and blueish, the breath ftrong, and many fcorbutic fpots at the legs; whilft it was rare to find among the lower people, either of town or country, a fingle person with these marks;'-notwithstanding the many circumstances predifpofing to the fcurvy, to which the latter are subject, and which we have above enumerated.

I was many years,' fays the Author, making thefe obfervations, and inquiring what it was that could preferve them from the fcurvy, which, on fo many accounts, they ought to have been more fubject to than the others. It appeared to me that, exclufive of the daily ufe of the four cabbage, which I confider as the most powerful of all prefervatives, they were indebted for their fafety to the great quantity of raw greens, fuch as onions, leeks, radifhes, turnips, peas in the pod, and others which they eat ;'-of which laft, however, we should obferve, by the bye, that they are debarred, according to Dr. Guthrie's account, during a fix months winter. The people of fashion, on the contrary, eat much meat, both falt and fresh; but eat very little bread, and feldom ufe any greens, except a foup made of four cabbage, which they fup only occafionally.

The juftice of thefe obfervations is confirmed by the trials which the Author had an opportunity of making in a large hofpital for foundlings, where there were, every winter, feveral fcorbutic patients. When the difeafe was uncommonly stubborn,

he

he found a very fenfible advantage from giving his little patients their vegetables in a raw ftate, which they had before been accuftomed to eat boiled. As an addition to, and an agreeable variation in, the antifcorbutic regimen of fea-faring people, he proposes the use of four turnips, which are prepared in the fame manner as the four cabbage, and are used in Auftria, and feveral other parts of Germany.

ART. II. The Hiftory of Women, from the earlieft Antiquity, to the prefent Time; giving fome Account of almost every interefting Particular concerning the Sex, among all Nations, ancient and modern. By William Alexander, M. D. 4to. 2 Vols. 11. 10s. Boards. Cadell. 1779.

TH

HE title of this work promifes a great deal; and the judicious reader will naturally think that the writer of fuch a history ought to be poffeffed of a variety of talents, which are feldom united in one perfon; that his acquaintance with ancient and modern history ought to be very extenfive; that much judgment is neceffary both in the choice and in the arrangement of his materials; that he should have converfed much in the polite world; that he fhould poffefs great knowledge of the human heart, and that coup d'œil in regard to characters and manners which is abfolutely neceffary to the fuccessful execution of fo difficult a task.

Dr. Alexander does not appear to us to have been fufficiently fenfible of the difficulty of his undertaking; if he had, we cannot allow ourselves to think that he would have engaged in it. He has, indeed, collected a great variety of particulars relating to the treatment, the employments, and amufements, of the fair fex, in different ages and countries; and made fome pertinent obfervations upon them: but his remarks are generally trite, and often frivolous; his materials are injudiciously felected, and badly arranged; the language is inelegant throughout, except when he adopts the language of others. In a word, we are at a lofs to know what clafs of readers can receive any great pleasure from the perufal of his Hiftory. His views in publishing it we fhall lay before our Readers, in his own words:

As the following Work was compofed folely for the amufement and inftruction of the Fair Sex; and as their education is in general Clefs extenfive than that of the men; in order to render it the more intelligible, we have ftudied the utmost plainnefs and fimplicity of language; have not only totally excluded almost every word that is not English, but even, as much as poffible, avoided every technical

term.

As we perfuade ourselves, that nothing could be more perplexing to the fex, or to which they would pay less attention, than a long lift of authors on the margin, to fhew from whence we have derived our information, and as a great part of fuch lift would refer to books in other languages, we have entirely omitted it, and con

tented