riments, and therefore could not confider them in their full extent, or have a juft view of all the confequences that might be drawn from them.

XII. Experiments and observations upon the Hartfell fpaw, made at Moffat 1750; and an account of its medicinal virtues, so far as they have hitherto been difcovered from experience. By William Horfeburgh, M. D.

From the experiments of this gentleman it appears, that this fpaw contains a principle of iron which is volatile, and also an iron principle, which is fixed; an alcaline principle which is alfo fixed; a very little fea-falt; fome portion of alum, and a very small quantity of earth.

With regard to its ufe, Dr. Horfeburgh fays, that it has been found by experience to be of great fervice in curing itchy, hot, tettarous eruptions, old obftinate ulcers and fores, internally used, and externally applied: it is alfo of great use in diforders of the ftomach and bowels, in the bloody flux, bloody urine, fpitting of blood, immoderate flux of the menfes, obftruction of the menfes, the fluor albus, gleet, rheumatic pains, in the firft ftage of confumptions, and even when they have been farther advanced, in preventing mifcarriages, and in reftoring health when the conftitution has been impaired by long illness.

XIII. Of the various ftrength of lime-waters, by Robert Whytt, M. Ď. &c.

Dr. Alfton having obferved, (in his differtation on lime-water, fee Review for October, 1753) that quick-lime continued to communicate its virtue to water for a long time, imagined, that as water can only be impregnated to a certain degree with quick-lime, fo this will happen equally, whether the quicklime be fresh from the fire, or has had five hundred weight of water poured upon it before, provided the water be allowed time enough to extract the virtues of the lime. And he farther affirms, that the ftrength of lime-water cannot be increased by flaking new-made lime in it; because the water can take up no more of the lime than it had before. These conclufions being inconfiftent with what Dr. Wbytt had before advanced*, he thought himself obliged to make farther experiments on this fubject; from whence it evidently appears, that quick-lime, freih from the fire, will at firft impregnate water more strongly with its virtues than afterwards: and alfo, that the ftrength of

* See his efïay on the virtues of lime-water, Review for Decemba, 1752.

lime-water is very different, according to the different quantities of water poured on quick-lime.

XIV. Of the anthelmintic virtues of the root of the Indian pink, being part of a letter from Dr. John Lining, physician at Charles-town, in South-Carolina, to Dr. Robert Whytt, profeffor of medicine in the univerfity of Edinburgh.

From the account given us by this gentleman it appears, that the root of the Indian pink is a very efficacious remedy for the worms, and might, be of great fervice here, if properly introduced into practice.

XV. The history of a cure performed by large doses of an alterative mercurial medicine, communicated to Dr. Plummer, by George Dennistoun, furgeon, in Falkirk.

In the first volume of the Medical Effays, Dr. Plummer has given the method of preparing this alterative mercurial medicine, which proved fo fuccefstul in the r markable cure related in this paper. The patient had been twice falivated for the cure of the venereal lues, but without effect. After which Mr. Dennistoun ordered him to take three of these alterative mercurial pills morning and evening, with a draught of the decoction of the woods after each dofe, and to drink plentifully of the fame through the day. This curfe he regularly obferved for a month, but being tired with the tedious course he had formerly undergone, and defirous of having his difeafe terminate foon, either in death or recovery, he begged to have the dofe increased, which Mr. Denniston complied with, ordering four morning and evening. This not anfwering the patient's expectations, and having opportunity to get the pills renewed when he pleased, without the knowledge of the furgeon, he took twenty-four pills every day for the space of fix weeks; and, by this rafh method, was entirely cured. Being thus free from his disease, he triumphed, as having alfo conquered the timorous caution of his phyficians. Upon a calculation,' adds Mr. Denniftoun, I find he had taken unc. xiv. of the alterative pills, which may contain about unc. iii. of sweet mercury, from the 1ft day of December, 1739. to the 1ft of May immediately thereafter; but that he had taken unc. ix. (confequently above scrup. xv. of fweet mercury) within the fpace of fix weeks, without intermiffion. And ever fince he has enjoyed perfect health. From this accidental experiment, I conceived fuch a good opinion of these pills, that I have frequently ufed them fince, in many different cafes, and with much success.'

XVI. A defcription of the feminal veffels, by Alexander Monro, Student of medicine in the university of Edinburgh.

XVII. The diffection of a woman with child; and remarks on gravid uteri, by Dr. Donald Monro, physician in London. XVIII. Additional obfervations on gravid uteri, by Alexander Monro, ftudent of medicine in the university of Edinburgh.

We shall not trouble the reader with any extract from these articles, as it would be very imperfect without the figures with which they are illustrated.

XIX. Of the difference between refpiration and the motion of the heart, in fleeping and waking perfons, by Robert Whytt, M. D. &c.

Dr. Whytt, in this effay, has fhewn that the reason why the motion of the heart is flower during fleep, than when we are awake, is either because it is lefs ftimulated, or has acquired a lefs degree of fenfibility. He obferves, that in his Essay on the vital and other involuntary motions of animals*, he has fhewn, that the dilatation of the ventricles of the heart is owing to the force of the refluent venous blood; that their contraction is produced by the fame blood acting upon them as a ftimulus ; and that the heart can only be affected by fimuli, fo far as it is a fentient organ, i. e. endued with feeling. • Whence,' fays he, it must follow, that the flowness of the pulse in fleep, and indeed in every other cafe, can only arise from · one or more of the following general caufes, viz. 1. A di⚫ minution of the ftimulating quality of the blood. 2. Its flow ⚫ return to the heart. Or, 3. A lefs degree of fensibility, or aptitude for motion, in the heart itself."

After examining particularly each of these four general caufes, he concludes, that in ordinary fleep the fenfibility of the heart and lungs fuffer fo fmall a diminution, that their motions will be very little more affected by it, than they would be from the horizontal pofition, and reft of the body, and compofure of mind attending it. In the deeper fleep which fucceeds great fatigue, the motions of the heart and lungs will be more obfervably altered. And, in the moft profound fleep, occafioned by opium, or a morbid ftate of the brain, where a general infenfibility reigns over the whole body, the pulse will become much more remarkably flow and full, and refpiration flower and deeper.

XX. Remarks on the intercostal muscles, by Alexander Monro, F. R. S. profeffor of anatomy in the university of Edinburgh.

* See an ample account of this work, Review, vol. VI.

In this paper Mr. Monro has applied Mr. Bayle's demonftration of the action of the internal intercostal muscles, to account for the defect of the internal intercoftals between the spine and the angle of the ribs; and for the deficiency of the external intercoftals, from where the ribs begin to turn upwards to the fternum.

XXI. The cure of a fractured tendo achillis, by the fame.

This ingenious author having had the misfortune to break the tendo achillis of his left leg, has given us, in this article, a full history all the particulars relating to the cure; and illuftrated his account with figures of the bandages he made use of.

XXII. An account of the difeafe called Mill-reek, by the miners at Leed-hills, in a letter from James Wilfon, furgeon, at Durrifdeer, to Alexander Monro, P. A.

The mill-reek is a terrible disease caused by the poisonous fmoak of melted lead; and confequently incident to all who live near works where that metal is fmelted, especially the workmen. The author has particularly confidered all fymptoms attending every ftage of this disorder, and the methods of cure, which both his father and himself have long practifed with fuccefs. He has also laid down feveral precautions, which, he affures us, if carefully obferved, would defend perfons from this difeafe; or, at least, caufe them to have it very mildly. As thefe precautions may be of great ufe to all concerned in melting lead, as well as those who fmelt it from the ore, we fhall infert them for the fatisfaction of the reader, and with them conclude our account of this performance.

1. No man ought to go to work fafting, and he ought to take oily or fat food: the English mill-men on this account ⚫ hold much better out than our countrymen. A glafs of fweet oil pure, or mixed with a little aqua vita, would be a good • morning draught.

2. Phyfic fhould be taken spring and harvest, and whenever any effects of the reek are felt.

3. Ardent fpirits ought to be drank very sparingly; and ought never to be taken in time of work at the mill, or immediately after it. They increafe and fix the bad effects of the leady fmoak.

4. No mill-man, when heated by work, ought to go into cold air; but to put on his cloaths immediately, and return to his lodging, to change his working cloaths for others, and cool gradually, by which he would prevent catching cold. In this article they are very carelefs.

Immediately after coming from work, the aliment fhould be moftly liquid, as broths.

6. Low and poor diet makes them more liable to be affected, and lefs able to undergo a cure: these workmen ought to feed on good meat.

7. When their business can allow, they should go out of the reach of the reek, to breathe an untainted air, and to take victuals free from lead. But I muft caution the labourers at Lead-hills not to take long journeys: they are more hurt by travelling one day than by working two.

B.

ART. XXI. Guicciardini's Hiftory of Italy *, Vol. II.

THE

k

HE fecond volume of this hiftory comprehends the tranfactions of five years, from the latter end of 1495 to 1500 inclufive. The inglorious return of Charles VIII. to France flattered the Italians with just expectations of a lafting profperity; but, as our noble author obferves, their deliverers, blinded by ambitious views, which in the end proved hurtful to themfelves, infamoufly facrificed the public good to private intereft, and inftead of confirming and establishing, by their counfels and arms, the peaceable profpect they had procured, made use of their power to bring further calamities on their country. Ambition, which would not fuffer them to remain contented within their proper bounds, foon threw every thing again into confufion."

We took notice in our account of the firft volume of this hiftory, that it was particularly ftipulated in the treaty Charles concluded with the Florentines, that without delay all their towns and forts fhould be delivered up to them; and in the accommodation made with Lodovico, duke of Milan, it was agreed, that no obftruction fhould be made to the Florentines taking poffeffion of their forts: however, this article was but ill obferved by all the contracting parties; the reluctance of the Pifans to fbmit to their old mafters, the republic of Florence, gave an opportunity to the French, who were left in poffeffion of the principal fortreffes there, to protract the furrender of them; and when they were at laft obliged, by express orders from their king, to give them up, instead of obeying his commands to deliver them to the Florentines, they furrendered them to the Pifans, who being unable to defend themselves, were obliged to apply to other powers for protection. The Venetians and the duke of Milan were equally inclined to give them the * See Review for July last, p. 17. for the first volume.

affift