The omentum was much enlarged by facs of purulent matter and water, interfperfed with the fat. The kidneys were both on one fide, united behind, with each its diftinct ureters, pelvis, and veffels. We wish that the symptoms of the disease had been more particularly related.

XVI. An Account of the fuccefsful Ufe of Foxglove, in fome Dropfies, and in the Pulmonary Confumption. By Erafmus Darwin, M. D.-Dr. Darwin seems to have been the first modern author who publicly recommended the foxglove. He now gives the event of his trials with this medicine in different species of dropfy, and his teftimony is very favourable to it. We think that it has failed in our hands as often as it has fucceeded; and though we have tried it with every precaution, we cannot join in its praises very warmly. It is, however, an additional resource, in a disease where medicine is frequently useless. Our author tells us, that in one instance of phthifis pulmonalis it fucceeded, but failed in two. This remedy was once celebrated for the cure of confumptions, and we wish to see it tried more generally, as its effects in lessening irritability feem to be confpicuous. In fchrophula, the foxglove feemed to fucceed; but the effects were not clear and decided. In one cafe of asthma, it was for a time useful; in melancholia it had no falutary effect.

XVII. An Appendix to the preceding Paper. By Sir George Baker. In this Appendix, a cafe is related, which appears to be that of the late Dr. Richard Saunders, in which the foxglove produced a temporary relief. We are afterwards told, that the disease returned, and proved fatal. In a fervant of the family it was more fuccefsful. A pretty full history of this remedy, and its various fortunes, is next fubjoined.

XVIII. A Sequel to the Cafe of Mr. Thomas Wood, of Billericay, in the County of Effex. By the fame.-This gentieman, who by abftinence and exercise reduced himself from a state of excessive corpulency to a moderate fize, by the methods related in the fecond volume of the Transactions, died in May, 1783, of an inflammation of the bowels, from riding in the rain. The prefent article is intended to refute a report, that he was addicted to the use of spirits, and to correct fome few errors in that article in the volume referred to. think Mr. Wood's directions to his correfpondents, on the management of their health, must be highly curious and entertaining. We hope to fee them in public.

We

By

XIX. An Account of a fingular Cure of a Dropfy. George Pearfon, M. D.-The dropfy was relieved by two pimples on the infide of the thigh; and, in imitation of naVol. LX. Dec. 1785.

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ture's

ture's efforts, afterwards completely cured by a very bold and frequent use of the fcarrificator.

XX. An Account of a Disease, occafioned by tranfplanting a Tooth. By William Watson, M. D.This is a remarkable hiftory, and ought to be made public. A tooth was tranfplanted from a perfon, in every refpect, fo far as examination could ascertain, quite healthy, into the focket of anOther healty person. Soon afterwards, the latter was affected with spreading ulcers of the mouth, and carious jaws, which yielded only to mercury. The tooth too, before it was tranfplanted, was foaked in warm water, and wiped quite dry. At the fame time we must remark, that the new toothwas not first affected, nor did it firft fall out. The cafe is very curious; but, if all the circumstances have been related, it is inexplicable. If there has been no concealment, we think the tooth had no fhare as a caufe: we must add too, for the fake of the furviving relations, that we have feen more than one fpreading ulcer, where there was not the least reason to suspect venereal infection, yield only to mercury.

XXI. An Account of an extraordinary Conformation of the Heart. By Richard Pulteney, M. D. The patient had almost a total inability of exerting his mufcular powers, on account of the faintnefs and difficulty of breathing which enfued. This appeared owing to a canal from the aorta, through the feptum, which divides the ventricles. The canal was near the base of the heart, at which the feptum feemed to terminate. The ring too, at the entrance of the pulmonary artery, was fmaller and more firm than ufual. The effects of this ftructure will be obvious.

XXII. Obfervations on the Disease, commonly called the Jail or Hofpital Fever. By John Hunter, M. D.-This feems to be a faithful account of a peculiar epidemic; and the method of cure, though little varied, is judicious. The author errs only in looking on this epidemic as the general form of jail fever; for it frequently affumes a very different appear

ance.

XXIII. Two Cafes of obftructed Liver, followed by Dropfy, fuccefsfully treated by Mercurial Friction. By Francis Knight, Surgeon.-The title gives ample information of the contents of this article.

XXIV. An Account of a divifion of the Liver, occafioned by a Fall. By George Pearfon, M. D. The patient. fell with his right hypocondrium and epigaftrium on the edge of a pail, from the fixth ftep of a ladder. The pain was excruciating in the abdomen and shoulders; but cold fweats and fymptoms of

irritation foon came on, which proved fatal within ten hours after the accident.

The blood being removed by a sponge, the right lobe of the liver appeared divided, in an oblique direction, through it's whole fubftance, from it's extremity, on the right fide, to the border of the left lobe; the two portions being only connected by the vena cava, and the trunks of the vena cava be patica. The inferior portion was a larger mafs than the other part, being about three-fifths of the right lobe. Under this larger portion the arteria hepatica, the vena portarum, the gallbladder, and the bile-ducts, were found not injured.'

In many refpects this cafe is curious and important. It is illuftrated by a plate.

XXV. An Account of a fingular Fact, in the Practice of Inoculation of the Small-pox. By Mr. John Dawfon, Sargeon. This fact deserves attention. Two children were inoculated; the arms fuppurated, and patients, inoculated from that purulent matter, were infected properly; but these children had no fever, and, in a subsequent inoculation, had the disease regularly. The fever is, however, the criterion by which we now judge, and, as that did not appear, the difease, at a subsequent period, might have been expected.

XXVI. Of the Measles. By William Heberden, M. D.— This very juft and accurate defcription of a diforder, fufficiently attended to in practical authors, cannot be abridged. The practical remarks are alfo ufeful.

XXVII. Additional Obfervatlons concerning the Colic of Poitou. By Sir George Baker.-Sir George Baker defcribes the Colic, in this paper, and gives fome directions relating to the cure. He fubjoins fome remarks on the way in which lead may be the unfufpected caufe of the complaint. Much has been faid of glazed earthen vessels; but many manufacturers use no lead in the glazing: at least in many glazed earthen veffels, if there is any faith in the famous liquor, made and ufed with more precautions than are commonly employed, no lead is diffolved by the vinegar which has stood in them fortyeight hours in a moderate heat. As the author has told us, that vitriolated lead is insoluble in water, we were surprised to find him examining the lixive with his tormentor, the leaden inquifitor. We may juft hint to fir George, that this falt is really foluble, in a fmall degree, in pure rain water; but his teft is incapable of difcovering it: if he doubts it, we refer him to his table of affinities, for the foundation of the changé in confequence of the prefence of faccharum faturni. We dearly perceive the effects of lead in the cafes fubjoined;

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but

but we are not fo fully convinced that lead is the fole efficient caufe of the Poitou colic.

We have thus fhortly examined this volume, in the order of the articles. If we have been obliged to speak more flightly` of the greater number of the papers than may appear confiftent with the refpect due to a royal college, we muft, as ufual, plead our duty and the strictest impartiality is no where more neceffary than when the weight of names, and the splendour of titles, may contribute to mislead the inexperienced reader.

:

An Anfwer to the Rev. James Ramsay's Effay, on the Treatment and Converfion of Slaves, in the British Sugar Colonies. By fome Gentlemen of St. Chriftopher. 410. Two Dollars. Printed at St. Christopher's.

TH

'HE slavery of the Negroes in the West India islands, however repugnant to humanity, and derogatory to the Chriftian religion, is too ftrongly connected with perfonal confiderations, to be voluntarily relinquifhed by the planters. It might naturally be expected, therefore, that Mr. Ramsay's Effay, in which he contended with great and laudable zeal for the abolition of this practice*, would excite a general alarm among that clafs of men whose interests must be particularly affected by fuch an event. Some gentlemen of the island of St. Christopher are the first who have engaged in attempting to refute the arguments, and contradict the most effential facts, advanced on this important fubject by the above mentioned author. But we are forry to obferve, that in the profecution of their defign, they difcover a degree of prejudice inconfiftent with impartial enquiry; and where the defence of the practice for which they argue ought to be explicit and well fupported, they rather endeavour to evade or palliate than repel the charges exhibited by the author of the Effay. Thefe gentleJnen fet out with urging the merits of their own conduct, reipecting the fums of money which they contributed towards the defence of Brimftone-hill, and other purposes, during the late war. We have no inclination to depreciate the efforts made by the inhabitants of St. Chriftopher against the enemics of Great Britain: on the contrary, we confider them as deferving of praife for every act of loyal attachment manifefted on the invation of the island. But thefe allegations, however juft and recommendatory, have no connection with the flavery of the Negroes.

1

The conduct of thofe gentlemen as authors, however, is more liable to animadverfion with regard to another circum

* See Crit. Rev. vol. lvii. p. 381, 449.

ftance;

Sc

ftance; which is their unbecoming attempt to injure the eftablished reputation of the author of the Effay. This is such a proceeding as can be afcribed only to refentment; and instead of fupporting, never fails to wound the cause where it is employed.

The authors of the Anfwer endeavour afterwards to justify the flavery of the Negroes, by examples in other ages and countries, and even by the authority of Scripture. But arguments drawn from political inftitutions, fupported by custom, and accommodated to particular fituations of fociety, can give no fanction to the continuance of a practice, which more enlarged views of the rights of mankind have at length abolished in civilized nations. Having examined the relation between mafter and flave in ancient times, in Gothic times, and as propofed for Scotland, in the year 1698, they proceed to confider it in its prefent form, in the British colonies. Of this, as may well be fuppofed, they give the most favourable reprefentation. But we cannot say that any of the obfervations or arguments which they have advanced, either in the smallest degree invalidate Mr. Ramfay's authority, or can reconcile the mind of a liberal enquirer to the doctrine which they endeavour to fupport.

Curfory Remarks upon the Rev. Mr. Ramjay's Essay on the Treatment and Converfion of African Slaves in the Sugar Colonies. 800. 25. Wilkie.

HE author of thefe Remarks follows as an auxiliary to the

Gentlemen of St. Chriftopher, whofe caufe he maintains with greater appearance of inveftigation. For the most part, however, his obfervations deferve to be confidered rather as minute than important; and on a fubject in which facts alone are concerned, he too frequently bestows his attention on speculative topics. But that our readers may be enabled to form an opinion for themfelves, with regard to a controverfy maintained by oppofite affertions, we shall lay before them a short extract, taken from a part of the Remarks, the credit due to which, when weighed with that of the Effay, must depend entirely upon the comparative authority of the different au thors.

Page 69." At four o'clock in the morning the plantation bell rings to call the flaves into the field."-Now every Tyro in geography knows, that in the latitude of moft of our fugar lands, it is not light, even when the days are longeft, till after five o'clock. For what purpose, therefore, the Negroes

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fhould