Met. Diaries for February and March 202, 208 Suggestionspecting Neglect of Lord's Table ib. Report on the State of his Majesty's Health 203 A Christias Man after the Pope's Making. 239 Brief Notices of Literati, Collectors, &c....205 LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.... Observations on the Parish Registers Bill... 207 Index Indicatorius. .....239 240 Descriptions of Ivinghoe and Flamsted 209,210 233 Analysis of Books, No. IV.... Buckingham 292; Dr. Hall, Bp. of Dromore By SYLVANUS URBAN, GENT. Printed by J. NICHOLS and SÓN, at CICERO'S HEAD, Red Lion Passage, Fleet-street, Londen, where all Letters to the Editor are desired to be addressed, POST-PAID, 1812. The average degrees of Temperature, from observations made at eight o'clock in the morning, are 39-5 100ths; those of the corresponding month in the year 1811, were 38-39 100ths; in 1810, 34-57 100ths; in 1809, 42-11 100ths; in 1808, 34-15 100ths; in 1807, 35-75 100ths; in 1806, 37-75 100ths; in 1805, 35-86 100ths; and in 1804, 36-33 100ths. The quantity of Rain fallen this month is equal to 3 inches 66 100ths; that of the corresponding month in the year 1811, was 2 inches 57 100ths; in 1810, 2 inches 30 100ths; in 1809, 3 inches 26 100ths; in 1808, 59 100ths; in 1807, 2 inches 15 100ths; in 1806, 2 inches 14 100ths; in 1805, 2 inches 30- 100ths; and in 1804, 2 inches 43 100ths. METEOROLOGICAL TABLE for March 1812. By W. CARY, Strand. Height of Fahrenheit's Thermometer. Height of Fahrenheit's Thermometer. THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, For MARCH, 1812. T HE Report STATE OF HIS MAJESTY'S HEALTH. on this subject, of which we gave an abstract in our Magazine for last month, (page 162,) was that of the Committee of the House of Commons; and, of course, should have been connected with our account of the proceedings of that House. "The Report from the Lords Committees appointed to examine the Physicians who have attended his Majesty, touching the state of his Majesty's health," and which was presented to the House by Earl Camden, and ordered to be printed, January 15, contains many interesting particulars, of which we shall now give an abstract. Dr. William Heberden thinks his Majesty's bodily health not far removed from its natural state-his mental health very much disorderedhis recovery improbable, but not hopeless. Dr. Thomas Monro thinks his Majesty's bodily health tolerably goodhis mental health insane-his recovery very improbable; does not expect his recovery; but does not entirely despair. Dr. Samuel Foart Simmons thinks his Majesty's bodily health very good-his mental health much deranged - his recovery improbable. Q. " In what degree do you consider his Majesty's recovery as improbable?" A. " It is difficult to say, because in some cases recoveries so unexpectedly take place, that it sets all calculations at defiance. The proportion of recoveries in persons of his Majesty's advanced period of life, is much less than in earlier periods; but recoveries do sometimes take place in persons of a still greater age than his Majesty." Q. "Are you of opinion that his Majesty's recovery is hopeless?" A. "Not hopeless." Q."Are you physician to Saint Luke's Hospital?" A. "I was for thirty years; and now am consulting physician." Q. "Is there any regulation in that hospital with respect to the admission of patients after a certain age?" A. "Till within about three years there was not; persons of any age were admissible, but since that period no patient above seventy years of age is admitted. I have looked over the memorandums of all the Hospital cases that I have, where the ages of patients are accurately marked, prior to the regulation with respect to the exclusion of patients above seventy years of age; and I find that in the course of about thirty years, there were, out of six thousand two hundred and fifty-six patients, only seventy-eight who were of the age of seventy years and upwards; and that of these seventy-eight, only sixteen were discharged cured, which is in the proportion of one in five; whereas, of the others, nearly one half (rather more than four in ten) were discharged cured. It appears that of three hundred and thirty four patients discharged uncured, and re-admitted as deemed incurable, eighteen have been discharged cured, which is about five in one hundred. That, I think, shows the difficulty of fixing the degree of improbability. These eighteen persons had been for several years in a state of derangement. Q. "Were any of those eighteen above the age of seventy?" A. "I think they were not, but I cannot speak positively without referring to books." Q. "Does Dr. Simmons know what was the cause of the regulation in consequence of which patients above the age of seventy were excluded 204 : Report on the State of His Majesty's Health. [March, Q. as to the ultimate termination of the excluded from St. Luke's?" A. "About the same time that the regulation took place for the exclusion of persons above the age of seventy, a rule was also made for the exclusion of children under the age of twelve. It was found that of old persons a much smaller proportion recovered than of the other patients: many of them soon fell into a state of infirm bodily health; they died in a larger proportion from palsies, and other diseases incident to old age; and therefore it was thought better to confine the admission to the middle ages of life." Q. "Was the improbability of cure the cause of the regulation?" A. "I think not; because we have had persons of a more advanced age (one of eighty-three) discharged from the Hospital as cured. The age of the patients, merely, was certainly not the reason of the regulation." Q." Does Dr. Simmons recollect whether any of the persons above the age of seventy, discharged as cured, were blind?" A. "I can speak with certainty that they were not; because the number of blind patients that I have had an opportunity of seeing, has been very small; not more, as far as I recollect, than six in the Hospital, and two in private practice." Q. "How many of those blind patients recovered?" A. "I recollect no instance of perfect recovery." Q. "Do you expect that expe the king will recover?" A. "I can hardly say that I expect it." Q. "Upon what grounds do you deem his Majesty's recovery improbable?" A. "I believe I have already stated the reasons, one of which is his age." Q." Is the age of his Majesty the only ground upon which Dr. Simmons considers his Majesty's recovery as improbable?" "Not merely his age -the general turn of his disorder." Q. "What are the grounds upon which Dr. Simmons considers that his Majesty's recovery is not hopeless?" A. "There are many grounds upon which I consider the case as not hope-ment under which the King labours." less-the regularity of his Majesty's former habits of life-the present good state of his general health-his recovery from former attacks of his disorder-the accuracy of his perception in many points, particularly with respect to his food. His Majesty's memory, likewise, seems so perfect, that it cannot fail to give some hope Dr. John Willis thinks his Majesty's health such as renders him incapable of any kind of public business. Q. "What is the present state of his Májesty's bodily health?" A. "Nearly the same as it has been since I have seen his Majesty. I have thought it, upon the whole, rather better since I was first called in." Q. "When was Dr. Willis first called in during his Majesty's present + illness?" A. "The first time I saw his Majesty was on the 9th of October." -- Considers his Majesty's recovery as very improbable, but not hopeless. " By saying not hopeless, I mean to say, I do not consider recovery as impossible." Q. "Has Dr. Willis known many persons to recover, when afflicted by the particular species of derangement under which the King labours?" Α. "Yes; I have known many recover from the particular species of derange Q. "After they had arrived at the * Dr. Simmons attended his Majesty through the whole of his illness in 1804. EDIT. † Dr. John Willis (with his father the late Rev. Dr. Francis Willis) attended his Majesty in the first attack of his disorder in 1789. EDIT. age age of the King?" A. "No, I cannot say that." Q. "Has Dr. Willis ever attended any patients who were blind?" A. "No, I have not." Dr. Matthew Baillie thinks that, except for a little exacerbation within the last two or three days, his Majesty's bodily health has been little disordered-considers his recoveryextremely improbable. Sir Henry Halford thinks his Majesty's bodily health by no means good-his mental health extremely disordered; and his recovery very improbable. Dr. R. D. Willis thinks his Majesty's bodily health better than uuder all the circumstances of the case might be reasonably expected-the present state of his mental health as bad, or perhaps worse, than at any period of the complaint-considers recovery as extremely improbable-all but impossible-has never attended any patients in a state of mental derangement who were blind. Notices and Anecdotes of LITERATI, COLLECTORS, &c. from a MS. by the late MENDES DE COSTA, and collected between 1747 and 1798. 1. Mr. Baker the Bookseller, in York Street, Covent Garden, informed me that Dr. Mead's Library produced about 5500l. 2. Mr. Buddle's Horti Sicci are in the British Museum, also all Petiver's collections, and Mr. Charlton's, alias Courteen, to whom Lister dedicates his "Historia Conchyliorum." 3. Fettyplace Bellers, esq. F. R.S. the remains of his Collection are in the hands of Ingram, esq. at Northleach, in Gloucestershire, (N. B. MSS. 1747.) 4. The collection of the famous Charles Dubois, esq. remains in the family, viz. in the hands of Peter Uraldo, esq. of Mitcham, in Surrey, (N. B. MSS. about 1760, when I saw it.) 5. Aubrey's Surrey, Vol. II, p. 107, mentions a Mr. Hind, Vicar of Banstead, in Surrey, who had a collection of Natural and Artificial Curiosities, which his sister sold to Mr. Livingstone, an Apothecary, at Epsom, for twenty shillings. I enquired about it in 1741, and Mr. Livingstone was dead. 6. Sir Francis St. John, bart. who died in 1756, left his collection by will to his son-in-law Sir John Ber 13. Emanuel Swerts, citizen of Amsterdam, diligens in exoticis conquirendis. 14. Wallichius Syvertz, Apothecary, at Amsterdam. 15. John Rutger, the son, citizen of Amsterdam, in suo museo variis Conchyliorum generibus ac aliis peregrinis rebus bene instructo. 16. Peter and Jacobus Garetus,' brothers, Apothecaries, at Amsterdam. 17. William Parduyn, at Middleburgh. 18. Tobias Roelsius, M. D. at Middleburg, bis museum mentioned. 19. Bernard Paludanus, M. D. of Enckhuysen, in instructissimo suo museo. 20. Christian Porretas, Apothecary, at Leyden. 21. Theodore Clutius, Præfect of the Botanic Garden of the University of Leyden. 22. Peter Paaw, head professor of Physick and of Anatomy at Leyden. 23. Henry Hoieri, M. D. of Bergen, Norway. 24. Jacob Plateau, instructissimo suo museo of all kinds of curiosities. 25. Simon de Tovar, M. D. a Spaniard, a famous physician. |