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digestive powers of the patient; warm clothing, moderate exercise, and a pure atmosphere. Third, when the eruption has declined, but the patient still complains of lingering pains in his head, elbows, hips, or knees, and it appears that the disease is nearly exhausted, it may be subdued altogether, by alterative doses of some of the mercurial salts, conjoined with the vegetable decoctions, without interdicting the patient from the advantage of enjoying exercise in the open air."-p. 87.

We shall now quote two or three cases illustrative of the foregoing observations; and first, a case of constitutional symptoms, arising from "the superficial ulcer without induration or elevated edges."

"Patrick M'Guiness, admitted January 7, 1812, on account of a small superficial ulcer on the prepuce, without any surrounding induration, and a large tumour in the right groin containing matter. He stated, that the ulcer appeared three weeks before his admission, and the tumour of the groin a week after the ulcer. I put him on the use of nitrous acid, and directed him to poultice his groin.

"January 25th. The ulcer of the prepuce had healed; the bubo had ulcerated; and the enlarged gland was projected through an opening in the skin, forming an ulcerated tumour of considerable size.

"Feb. 6. A thick eruption of small papulæ, of a dark red colour, and similar in all respects to those represented in plate ii, fig. 6, had appeared on his face, neck, and shoulders, attended with considerable fever, and severe pains in his shoulders, elbows, knees, and ancles. He also complained of soreness in his throat, and difficulty of swallowing. On examination there was not any ulcer, but a general inflammation of the fauces, and a peculiar raw and excoriated appearance of the back of the pharynx. He was directed to discontinue the nitrous acid, and to take the antimonial solution.

Feb. 22. The eruption continued; many of the spots, after forming minute pustules in their acuminated tops, had declined in exfoliation of the cuticle, while fresh papule, at the same time, appeared in other parts. He complained of the severity of the pains, particularly in his knees, which shot along the muscles of his legs, but he did not complain of any pain affestVol. V. No. 20.

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ing the tibia. His pulse was 112, with considerable thirst and restlessness. I directed that twelve ounces of blood should be taken from his arm, and the antimonial solution continued, The blood taken was buffed and cupped, and he felt considerably relieved after this depletion.

"On the 1st of March, he was directed to take decoction of sarsaparilla, in conjunction with the antimonial solution, the febrile symptoms having nearly subsided. Before the 8th, the eruption had every where declined; and in some places, disappeared. He still complained of the pains in his joints, which, however, were considerably alleviated. As a remedy for these, I directed fifteen grains of the pulv. ipecac. comp.; the decoction to be continued, and the tepid bath to be daily employed. Under this plan, his pains were soon removed, and the eruption disappeared, leaving the skin discoloured with indistinct red marks; the ulcer of his groin had also healed, and he was discharged the hospital on the 15th of March, apparently well.

"On the 1st of May, he again returned to the hospital, complaining of severe pains in his joints, and an eruption of papulæ on his arms. His pulse was 110, with thirst and general fever. He stated, that since he left the hospital, he was exposed to the inclemency of the weather, and that he had been affected with three several crops of the eruption, accompanied with pains resembling those of rheumatism. I directed that he should be bled to sixteen ounces, and that he should take the antimonial solution. The blood taken from his arm was thickly buffed. His pulse was next day reduced to 90, and the pains considerably alleviated.

"10th. The eruption had declined, and there had not appeared any fresh spots. He stated, that his hair was falling off, a circumstance that was noticed fifty or sixty years after the introduction of syphilis, as a new symptom of that disease. Yet this certainly was not syphilitic.

"17th. His ancles were swelled and painful, and as I conceived that the influence of this morbid poison was nearly exhausted, I did not hesitate to order alterative doses of calomel, which I combined with antimonial powder. Of those medicines, he took, in the form of pills, half a grain of calomel and three grains of antimonial powder, three times a day.

Under this plan, his pains were relieved, and his complaints to all appearance removed, and he was discharged the hospital on the 7th of June, with an injunction to return, if he should again suffer any relapse of his disorder; but he has not since returned."-p. 90.

The following case of constitutional symptoms, arising from "excoriation of the glans and prepuce, attended with purulent discharge, and frequently with gonorrhea," will conclude our review of Mr. Carmichael's work, so far at least as is published.

"Thomas Trainer, admitted December 23, 1812. His complaints were phymosis and purulent discharge from the glans and prepuce, an ulcerated bubo in the right groin, and an incipient bubo in the other. There was also considerable swell. ing and thickening of the scrotum, but the testicles were of their natural size. He stated, that he was four months disordered, and that the first symptom with which he was affected was gonorrhea, and that the other complaints shortly afterwards succeeded. I directed the antimonial solution, and the lotion of calomel and lime water.

"28th. The discharge and swelling of the penis were entirely removed; on retracting the prepuce, the parts were free from ulceration. The ulcerated bubo was healing, and that of the other was declining fast. The swelling and thickening of the scrotum was also considerably lessened. He complained, however, of severe pains in his joints, particularly at night.

"January 12, 1813. The swelling of the scrotum had again increased, and he complained of soreness in the throat. On examination, the back of the pharynx appeared raw and excoriated; and the velum and uvula swelled and relaxed. I directed the decoction of sarsaparilla, in conjunction with the antimonial solution.

"15th. An eruption of papulæ broke out all over his body, attended with high fever, pain in his chest, and difficulty of breathing. The scrotum and penis were very much swelled, and the prepuce so much swollen, as to resemble a bladder of water. The soreness of his throat was increased, and the pains of his joints had become more severe. I directed that he should be blooded to sixteen ounces, and the antimonial solution to

be continued without the sarsaparilla. On the following day, his fever seemed considerably diminished, and his breathing was free. There appeared numerous small ulcers on the scrotum, which were probably the papulæ altered in appearance by the friction." From this time he convalesced, and recovered rapidly. p. 102.

The plates to both parts will accompany the second part, and their loss is felt by the readers of what is already published.

To Mr. Carmichael we offer our thanks, for the pleasure and instruction his volume has afforded us, and we shall be happy to peruse the remainder of his work, and contribute to the dissemination of its practical information.

Elements of Medical Jurisprudence; or a succinct and compendious Description of such Tokens in the Human Body as are requisite to determine the judgment of a Coroner, and Courts of Law, in Cases of Divorce, Rape, Murder, &c. To which are added Directions for preserving the Public Health. By SAMUEL FARR, M. D. 12mo. pp. 139. 1814.

[From the London Medical and Physical Journal, for October 1814.]

The title of this little volume sufficiently proclaims its object: and we hope its appearance may excite in the practitioner an attention to a most important and much neglected study. Whether we look upon the science of medical jurisprudence in its connection with the actual practice of medicine, or as one of the accomplishments of medical education, without which it cannot be said to be complete; it will be found highly deserving of our regard; but in the former point of view alone, it is a duty imperative on the practitioner to make himself acquainted with it to its fullest extent. The physician or surgeon is often called upon to make depositions in courts of justice respecting the cause of death under particular circumstances: should he err on one side, the existence of a fellow-creature may be forfeited through his ignorance; by a mistake on the other, the guilty may be absolved, and the purposes of justice defeated. How mortifying the situation of the practitioner,

who, called as a witness on a trial, is unable to explain what is required of him, or delivers his evidence contrary to the dictates of science! Exposed to the buffetings of hostile counsel, his stupidity is soon brought to light; he retires an object of derision with the whole court, with a stain upon his character that the grave will scarcely efface! Setting aside, however, the personal interest we have in an intimate acquaintance with this science, can no case arise in which life may be endangered by our ignorance of it? We fear many such instances could be found: one occurred within our own recollection, where an individual narrowly escaped being hanged upon the testimony of several medical men of eminence in Liverpool; and certainly would have paid the forfeit of his life, had it not been for the providential and unexpected interference of Dr. Carson, of the same place.

As no arguments we can adduce can have so much weight as this solitary fact, we shall call the attention of our readers to the particulars of the case; to which we shall subjoin another, which occurred in our own private practice, which strikingly proves the correctness of Dr. Carson's reasoning upon this subject.

A Mr. Angus, of Liverpool, was indicted for the murder of Miss Burns, a young woman with whom he lived in habits of stricter intimacy than prudence or modesty could justify. She became pregnant, miscarried, and died in a few days. The concealment of the delivery, and subsequent death, induced a suspicion that abortion had been produced by means of poison: and unhappily, on examining the body, an opening or supposed ulceration was discovered in the posterior part of the stomach, which was pronounced by gentlemen of eminence to be capable of explanation in no way but on the supposition of poison having been administered. Marks of inflammation were seen on the peritoneum, small intestines, and also on the peritoneal covering of the uterus; which last, being of the size of a bullock's heart, left no doubt of the very recent delivery of the deceased. By some unlucky fatality, the inflammation of the uterus excited no suspicion that all the mischiefs which terminated in death had there begun; upon the evidence of these gentlemen the unfortunate man was committed to goal, on sus

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