existence, that they cannot ceafe to intereft while human nature endures. The human heart indeed may be too much depraved, and the human mind may be too licentious or too gloomy to have a perfect relish for Milton; but, in honour of his poetry, we may obferve, that it has a peculiar tendency to delight and to meliorate thofe characters, in which the feeds of taste and poetry have been happily fown by nature." P. 279.

The final fentence we omit. The increafe of intelligence, virtue, and religion, is what the prefent appearances of things almost forbid us to hope, and we cannot join in speculations on chimeras. This effay is introduced by an account of Lauder's attack, which we think juft and manly.

Ex

ART. XII. Medical Commentaries for the Year 1795. hibiting a concife View of the latest and most important Difes veries in Medicine and medical Philof phy. Collected and pablifhed by Andrew Duncan, M. D. F. R. and A. S. S. Édin. Phyfician to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales for Scotland, Fellow of the Royal College of Phyficians, Edinburgh, Member of the Royal Societies of Medicine of Paris, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Sc. and Profeffor of the Inftitutions of Medicine in the University of Edinburgh. Decade the 10th, Second Vol. 8vo. 421 PP. 6s. Mudie, Edinburgh; Robinfons, London. 1796.

THE reputation which this work has long and defervedly enjoyed, and its general circulation, make it unneceffary to particularife the whole of its contents; we fhall therefore only notice thofe articles which appear most deferving of attention. As this volume completes the fecond decade, the author does not mean to continue it under its prefent name, but promifes to publish a volume every year, under the title of Medical Annals. This is to be formed upon the fame plan as the prefent work, and the author hopes, with the affistance of his fon, who is about to return from his travels on the continent, to be able to give an earlier and more complete account than heretofore, of the difcoveries and improvements in phyfic made by foreigners.

The following obfervations are taken from An historical Account of the Climate and Difeafes of the United States of America, &c. By William Currie, M. D. Fellow of the College of Phyficians of Philadelphia.

"The rickets, which about thirty-five or forty years ago, had been pretty common, have now become fo rare, the author fays, that

he

he has not feen the disease more than three or four times thefe eight or ten years. The colica pictorum too, alfo formerly pretty frequent, occurs now only among thofe who deal in lead, fuch as painters, &c. 'This exemption the Dr. thinks proceeds from the fubititution of ftone ware, inftead of pewter, as the materials of table furniture. Acute difeafes are much lefs frequent than formerly: ar chronic difcafes, particularly pthifis pulmonis, have taken their place. In the year 1752 there was an exact account taken, by order of the magiftrates of Bofton, of all who had the fmall-pox, either in the natural way, or by inoculation, and of the number of thofe who died of it in either way. By this account, it appears, that the number of thofe who had the difeafe in the natural way, including blacks, amounted to 5544, of which number there died 574. The number inoculated was 2113, of which 30 died. At this time all prefent had had the fmall-pox, except 174. The total refidenters at that time was 9710, of which number 1544 were negroes. The number of those who fled to avoid the difeafe was eftimated at 1800. In 1764, of 3000 inoculated patients, only five died, and thefe were children under five years of age. Three hofpitals were erected, in different parts of Maffachufets, for the purpose of receiving patients defirous of being inoculated, and regulated in fuch a manner, as to prevent infection from fpreadi g; but through fome trefpafs of the rules, and the refractory difpofition of fome of the patients, the whole utility of the inftitution was fruftrated; whereupon the law permitting inoculation was repealed, and another paffed, prohibiting it under fevere penalties. By this new law, if any one enters the itate with infection, and communicates it to another, the party infected may recover treble damages and cofts of fuit. How thofe damages are estimated we are not told."

This is certainly a very carious account. But we wish the author had informed us what have been the effects of this law, and what the amount of deaths from small-pox has been, fince the interdiction of inoculation. Whether from a more rational method of treating the difeafe, it is become lefs fatal, or whether by regulations relative to the management of patients under the complaint, and their attendants, by prohibiting all communication with the mafs of the inhabitants, the progrefs of infection has been checked or ftopt. From fuch an account, the real value of inoculation to a country, might be appreciated. No one doubts of the greater fatality of what is called the natural small-pox, over the inoculated; but it is ftill doubted whether the latter is entitled to all the commendation that has been bestowed upon it, as the difeafe has been frequently carried into places, by means of inoculation, where it might not otherwife have arrived: and, if in fuch places, the prejudices against the practice happen to be ftrong, which is no uncommon cafe, great numbers of the inhabitants may take the infection, and die of the difeafe, who might otherwise have efY y BRIT. CRIT. VOL. VII. JUNE, 1796.

caped;

caped; for it is by no means true, that all perfons must have the fmail-pox fome time or another. A large part, perhaps the whole of the world, were free from it, for many ages; and it is only now communicable by infection. If therefore, by any regulations, the introduction of infection can be prevented, or its progrefs topped, the fmall-pox will be banished from that place. Where this is practicable, no one can doubt of the propriety of prohibiting inoculation. It is worth obferving, that from a community confifting of about 12,000 perfons, near 2000, or one-fixth part, we are told, fled to avoid the difcafe: and although regulations were made to prevent infection from being diffeminated from the hofpitals, yet on account of fome irregularities, it was found neceffary to shut the hofpitals up, and to prohibit inoculation. It feems extremely probable, that the hofpitals became nurferies for the infection, which was there conftantly retained, and the difeafe became from thence more general and frequent than ufual. Inoculation therefore, although highly advantageous to individuals, may be prejudicial to a community, unlefs all the inhabitants could be prevailed upon to fubject their children to the opera-

tion.

Hiftory of a Cafe of Cyftirrhea, cured by the Ufe of aftringent Injections thrown into the Bladder. By Mr. Thomas Browne, Surgeon, Muffalburgh.

The woman, who was the subject of this cafe, was afflicted with an inceffant irritation or defire to make water, a burning heat and violent pain in the part, difcharge of mucus, vomiting, wafting, &c. The author, after various attempts to remove or mitigate the complaint, by bark, zinc, cicuta, uva urfi, opium, fteel, &c. without obtaining any material advantage, at length, on the 20th of June, two months from the time he firit faw the patient, had recourfe to injections into the bladder. For this purpose he first tried infufions of bark, with opium and gum arabic, lime water, alum, &c. These proving ineffectual, on the 20th of July he used an injection, compofed of Infeed oil, mixed with lime water and opium. This, we are told, in a few days produced the happiest effect, it was therefore continued with occafional intermiffions, until the 9th of September, when it was changed for a preparation of white vitriol, with opium and gum tragacanth diffolved in water, with which the cure was completed. The instrument employed to convey the injection into the bladder, was a fe-. male catheter, mounted with a bladder. We have feen this complaint cured with a mixture of linfeed oil, mucilage of gum arabic, and occafionally a few drops of tincture of opium,

given by the mouth, and Mr. William Macbeth, furgeon in Demerary, in a letter to Dr. Duncan, which is here published, gives an account of an affection of the urinary organs, common among the negroes in that country, which appears to be very fimilar to this complaint, for which he found balfam of copaiba, mixed with mucilage of guin arabic, an almost certain

cure.

The next article we fhall notice, is A Cafe of the fuccessful Treatment of locked Jaw, Opisthotonos, c. occafioned by a Wound of the fore Arm, by Dr. John Mackie, Phyfician, Southampton.

The fymptoms in this cafe, which are minutely related, were very violent, but yielded completely to a long and liberal ufe of the warm bath and opium.

Article the 9th contains an account of the good effects obtained by washing the body with cold water and vinegar, in cafes of typhus fever, attended with petechia. By Dr. Robert Halls, phyfician, Colchester.

The fever was diftinctly marked; about twenty patients fell under the author's care, all of whom were cured, by washing the whole body twice ajday with cold vinegar and water; in what proportions one to the other, or in what manner the ablutions were performed, we are not told. To a few of the patients, opium with æther, or a gentle laxative were given. The effects of ablution, the author fays, were "The number and livid appearance of the petechiae were leffened. The pulfe, when weak and frequent, became flower and stronger; the skin moift and foft. Sleep was procured. The appetite often returned, and, in fome cafes, thirft, of which the patients had not complained before, was produced." This, the author thinks, arose from the delirium being appeafed, and the fenfibility of the tongue and fauces being restored.

Some curious articles of medical intelligence, or accounts of inventions, experiments, and inquiries, now making on various fubjects of importance to phyfick, with a lift of medical pub. lications for the last year, conclude the volume, which, we will venture to fay, will not diminish the credit the editor has acquired by his fermer publications.

ART. XIII. An Apology for the Bible. In a series of Letters. Aldreffed to Thomas Paine, Author of a Book entitled, The Age of Reafon. Part the Second. Being an Investigation of true and fabulous Theology. By R. Watson, D. D. F. R. S. Lord Bishop of Landoff, and Regius Profeffor of Divinity in the University of Cambridge. Third Edition. 12mo. 385 pp. 4s. Evans. 1796.

WE

us.

E hail, with much delight, the repetition of editions of a book fo important to the beft of causes, the cause of Christianity, as the prefent. It confirms an opinion which we have afferted, because we believe it to be true, and which we certainly wish to be and to continue fo; that good books on the fubject of divinity are fure of attention and circulation in this country. We have indeed heard two objections made to this publication, by very found friends to religion; one of which, though we in fome degree admit, we confider as of no great weight; and the other, as far as our own opinion goes, we entirely dif claim. It is faid, in the first place, that the title is injudicious. No one, we truft, will fuppofe that we are ignorant of the arguments which have been, or may be, adduced in defence of this title. We know and have read the apologies of antiquity; and the claffical meaning of the word will not be difputed by Nevertheless the title does appear to us in, fome degree, objectionable. Apologies made for a fect at that time calumniated and defpifed, addreffed to emperors or fenates, form no precedent for an apology for Chriftianity as it now fubfifts, addreffed to fuch an individual as Thomas Paine. Such an addrefs appears to degrade the one, and exalt the other, in a manner which certainly was not intended by the learned bifhop; and, according to the most current English idiom, by which an Englith title must be judged, an apology feems in itfelf to admit of fome defect. Where any thing is above all juft objection, we fay exprefsly that it requires no apology, and we write to defend not to apologize for it. Admitting, therefore, this first objection, in fome degree, we are still ready to enquire, in behalf of the book, to what does it amount? An objection to the title-a very fuperficial objec tion to a matter which probably coft the author but little thought, and cannot produce any durable eff. &t upon the reader.

The fecond objection is of a very different nature, and we think it founded altogether in mifapprehenfion. It is faid that the Rt. Rev author is too civil to Thomas Paine, and too little offended by the atrocious blafphemies vented by that