Materia Medica, and as an oriental linguist. Indeed, we have seldom met with a work in which industry, learning, and knowledge, were so judiciously combined. We cannot resist our inclination to transcribe the following interesting account of the Hindoo physicians.

"I shall not perhaps find a better occasion than the present, for doing what I conceive to be a justice to the Hindoo medical men of these provinces; attacked as they have been, somewhat roughly, by Monsieur Sonnerat, in his "Voyage to the East Indies." That gentleman says, that the Indians are mostly all pretenders to some knowledge of medicine; that there is not one physician amongst them more learned than another; that they are generally individuals who have been washermen, weavers, or blacksmiths, but a few months before; and, to crown all, that they administer few remedies inwardly, and make little use of ointments or cataplasms. *

"In reply to the latter part of this gentleman's remarks, I shall only offer a perusal of the Tamool Materia Medica, and list of Medical Books contained in this work; to the former I must say, that either Monsieur Sonnerat has been a little remiss in his inquiries, or that I have been particularly fortunate in meeting with Vytians of a very different description from those he alludes to. That there may occasionally be found in this, as well as in other countries, men who, with more impudence than education or talents, push themselves into notice, will not be disputed; but it is as certain that there are many Hindoo physicians who are doctors by long descent, who, from their early youth, have been intended for the profession, and taught every thing that was thought necessary to be learned respecting it. Not a few of them have I known, who were not only intimately acquainted with all the medical Sastrums, great part of which they had by heart; but who, in other respects, were in their lives and manners correct, obliging, and communicative; and I am happy to see that a character nearly similar to this has been given of the same description of people in Bengal by Sir William Jones, who speaks of them in the following terms: "All the tracts on medicine must indeed be studied by the Vydyas, (Doctors,) and they have often more learning, and far less pride, than any of the Brahmins. They are usually poets, grammarians, rhetoricians, and moralists; and may in fact be esteemed the most virtuous and amiable of the Hindoos."

"There are no medical tracts of any note in Dukhanie † Such of the Hakeems as have any pretensions to learning, are sufficiently well

See Sonnerat's "Voyage to the East Indies and China." Vol. II. p. 136, 137. English Translation.

What is commonly understood by Dukhanie, is the language currently spoken by the Mahometans of Lower Hindoostan. It has a great affinity with the Hindoostanee of the Higher provinces; like it, too, it has two different styles, viz. the low jargon of the common people, which is a very poor dialect; and

acquainted with the Persian and Arabic to read with ease the professional works that are written in these languages; and some of them, by combining a knowledge of the Tamool Materia Medica with the opinions and doctrines which they find in the books they peruse, possess a great deal of information, and are in general men of polite manners, liberal minded, and humane."

III.

Researches on Pulmonary Phthisis, from the French of G. L. Bayle, D. M. P. By WILLIAM BARROW, M. D. Senior Physician to the Fever Hospital, Lunatic Asylum, and Workhouse, Liverpool. Liverpool, 1815. pp. 479. 8vo.

THIS

HIS is a very good book, although the extravagant praise with which it is introduced to our notice by the translator, almost prepossessed us against it. But a translator must be looked upon as a lover, who has eyes only for his mistress, and thinks this present age yields not a woman worthy to be her second." We readily admit, that "the indefatigable industry and perseverance of M. Bayle, his unassuming modesty and candour, the perspicuity and genuine philosophy he has displayed, certainly entitle him to the esteem and respect of every country" but Don Quixote was less unsuccessful in getting the transcendent beauty of his Dulcinea acknowledged, by force of arms, than Dr Barrow will be in his attempts to convince the pupils of the London and Edinburgh schools of the right of France to exult, even "at present, in her claim to pre-eminence, either in pathological or practical knowledge," or "to boast that one of her physicians has done more towards establishing an accurate knowledge of disease of the lungs, than had been effected in other countries (Why other countries only? Why except France itself from the censure?) in two thousand years."

We agree perfectly with Dr Barrow on the great value of morbid anatomy, and lament with him most sincerely the obstacles which exist in this country to pathological investigation,

that in use amongst the more enlightened and high cast of Moosulmans, which, by containing a great many Arabic, Persian, Sanscrit, and even Tamool and Telingoo words, is rich, copious, expressive, and energetic.

even in our public hospitals; but we do not agree with him in conceiving that legislative interference would produce much good in regard to this matter. The coroner might indeed be required to examine the body in all cases which come under his consideration, a duty which at present is often culpably neglected, and some facilities might be afforded for the keeping of correct bills of mortality and parish registers; but Dr Barrow's notions of obliging the faculty attached to public hospitals, to keep correct registers of practice, and of regulating the opening of the dead by law, are perfectly chimerical. It is only by removing the prejudices of the people, and by encouraging the zeal of the profession, that any progress is to be made.

In illustrating the advantages to be obtained from dissecting the dead, Dr Barrow mentions a very curious and important fact, which we regret he has not detailed more circumstantially, although not connected with Pulmonary Phthisis.

"Some time ago a very alarming disease broke out amongst the chil dren in the workhouse. It was observed to commence in the most sudden manner. The little sufferers were seized with vertigo, without any previous indisposition, and instautly fell to the ground: a very languid state and stupor, from which it was difficult to rouse them, quickly followed. The first that was affected did not excite alarm in the apothecary then in attendance, and he ordered the usual means for clearing the bowels: the child, to his great astonishment, continued in a comatose state, and died in the afternoon of the same day. This circumstance being represented to the churchwardens, they interrogated him very closely, and though, in this instance, very little to blame, he was severely censured. In a day or two after, another child was seized in the same manner, of which I had immediate notice; and having already had a melancholy account of the formidable nature of the disease we had to contend with, I prescribed powerful antimonial emetics, to be repeated every ten minutes till they produced a copious effect. The little patient was then put into a warm bath, and afterwards wrapped in blankets, to elicit a profuse perspiration, during which I directed the nurse to awake him every three or four hours, for the purpose of giving a couple of pills of calomel and antimonial powder, to be washed down with a mixture of infusion of senna and salts, and this course to be repeated as long as the coma lasted. This plan having succeeded, the child got well. More of the children, however, continued to be attacked each day, and being treated in the same manner, all, except one, recovered. This child, after shewing symptoms of amendment, relapsed two or three times, and died. I took the opportunity of examining the body very minutely, but could find nothing in the brain or stomach to throw any light on this singular disorder. In the heart alone could I discover any morbid change, and here were strong appearances of

inflammation, particularly in the aortal valves of the left ventricle. Having obtained this proof of the nature of the disorder, I was enabled to proceed with confidence in place of the timidity and diffi. dence I felt previous to the dissection, and though more than 200 of the children were attacked, this dangerous disorder was not fatal in any other instance.”

We do not think Dr Barrow warranted to infer, from finding the aortal valves of the left ventricle inflamed in a single instance, that the inflammation of these, or even any part of the heart, occurred in all the two hundred attacked, unless some symptoms, indicating disease of this organ, had been observed in all or most of them..

The translation is, upon the whole, correct. We noticed, however, some errors, as commissioner, repeatedly, for porter. Its style may be judged of by the extracts we have made.

M. Bayle, in the first part of his work, treats of the essential character of phthisis; of the diseases which have been confounded with phthisis; of the different kinds of phthisis; of the different periods of phthisis; of the state of other parts of the body in those who die of phthisis; of the complication of phthisis with other diseases; and, lastly, of the treatment. These subjects occupy 130 pages; the remaining 370 contain the histories of particular observations, with dissections and remarks.

M. Bayle, in establishing his essential character of phthisis, disregards entirely those symptoms by which it is commonly recognised during the life of the patient, and deduces it solely from a pathological state of that organ. In his opinion, "Every organic affection of the lungs which, left to itself, produces their progressive disorganization, succeeded by their ulceration, and finally by death, ought to be considered as phthisis pulmonalis." This definition limits the commonly received idea of phthisis in some respects, and extends it in others. It excludes all diseases, in which there is no actual disorganization of the lungs, however much they may resemble phthisis in their symptoms, and it includes all incurable disorganizations of the lungs, however different in their nature, as soon as they commence, and therefore before they have produced any symptoms to denote their existence.

His particular view of this disease renders it necessary to distinguish it from some other affections, which are united with it, when the subject is differently considered. These are, 1st, Chronic pulmonary catarrh, when it proves fatal; the catarrhal phthisis of authors. M. Bayle indeed candidly admits, that in its symptoms, especially when accompanied by puriform expectoration and hectic fever, it is very nearly allied to phthisis, bu

considers it as an essentially different disease, as it only affects the mucous membrane of the lungs, does not disorganize them, and has no tendency to destroy their substance. 2dly, Chronic peripneumony, which indurates the lungs, gives them somewhat the appearance and consistence of muscle, but does not produce ulceration. One variety of this affection is called Engouement du poumon, when the lungs are a little firmer than usual, very heavy, and pouring out from all parts an astonishing quantity of blood, serum, and frothy mucus, without tubercles or ulcerations. Sdly, Chronic pleurisy, especially when it is not accompanied by any local pain, and when it produces effusion, purulent expectoration, hectic fever, cough, and the highest degree of marasmus. On opening the thorax, the lungs on one side sometimes seem to be altogether destroyed, or converted into a purulent fluid; but, on accurate examination, they will be found entire, and contracted into very small bulk. In other cases, the lungs will seem to contain a very large cavity filled with pus, when, in fact, the pus is not in the substance of the lungs, but effused in the space between two of their contiguous lobes adhering by their edges.

M. Bayle next proceeds to describe the various affections of the substance of the lungs, which, in his opinion, constitute phthisis pulmonalis; and of these he has observed six, which sometimes occur without complications, but frequently combined with each other, or with other affections. This view leads him to divide phthisis into six species; 1. tubercular; 2. granular; 3. with melanosis; 4. ulcerous; 5. calculous; and 6. cancerous.

Tubercular phthisis is often simple. The tubercles are formed by a homogeneous substance, always opaque, of a white or dirty white colour; at one time yellowish, at another greyish. Some are very distinctly encysted; the surface being commonly membranous, but in some cases cartilaginous, or even bony. Others adhere to the parenchyme of the lungs, by continuity of substance, and are commonly marked by some black lines. Both kinds are penetrated by capillary blood-vessels, and both often occur in the same person. They vary in size from a millet seed to a chesnut, and are sometimes excessively numerous, and at others there are only two or three in number. They are at first very firm, then grow soft in the centre, which is transformed into a grumous purulent matter; and in the end they are totally destroyed by suppuration. The ulcers arising from the suppuration of tubercles are almost always covered by a distinct membrane which secretes pus, or by an albuminous layer, unless where the substance of the lungs is ulcerated. When