the experiment with his own broth, and found exactly the fame appearance to be the confequence. But being determined to put the matter out of all doubt, he put two equal fragments of the fame calculus into equal quantities of each of these medicines, keeping both in the fame degree of heat, and found both fragments diffolved in the fame space of time. Upon these combined evidences he refts his proof, devoting the remainder of his pamphlet to remarks on the regimen obferved by the Doctor's patents, together with confiderations on his pretenfions to its being a new difcovery and a more efficacious medicine than any other. In the course of these confiderations he proves that other phyficians, particularly Dr. Jurin, have been well acquainted with the lythontriptic virtues of foap-ley (Dr. Chittick's medicine being nothing elfe) and recommends that fpecies of it which is prepared with two thirds of a pure fixed alkali, and one third of well calcined quicklime diffolved in a fufficient quantity of water; and with regard to the dofe, he recommends from 30 or 40 drops to a tea-fpoonful, or even two, twice or thrice a-day, according as the cafe may require, or the conftitution of the patient may admit. Having now finished this first part of his defign, the Author informs the public that he intends to publish a fecond part with all convenient fpeed, and concludes the prefent in the following manner.

Thus far I had proceeded by medical conjecture and chymical investigation, when, after the greatest part of this treatise was printed, I had an opportunity of making enquiry, and of afcertaining by teftimony what I had before advanced from probable deduction. The medicine which Dr. Chittick adminifters he docs not deny that he inherits from his brother, who used it before him to his brother it was given, according to an ac count fent me from Ireland, by General Dunbar; I have received the genuine receipt in thefe words:

Take one tea-fpoonful of the ftrongest foap-ley, mixed in two table fpoonfuls of fweet milk, an hour before breakfaft, and at going to be3. Before you take the medicine, take a sup of pure milk, and immediately after you have swallowed the medicine, take another. If you find this agrees with you for two or three days, you may add half as much more to the dose. This agrecs exactly with fuch information as had been given me before by another hand.'

Upon the whole, the Author appearing to have no other motive in difclofing this fecret than the good of his fellow-creatures, the public are undoubtedly much obliged to him for this publication,

B..t.

A Differtation

A Differtation on the Inflammatory, Gangrenous, and Putrid Sore Throat; alfo on the Putrid Fever, together with their Diagnoftics and Method of Cure. By T. Penrofe, Surgeon. 8vo. Owen.

IS.

A

S there is nothing of greater importance in the art of healing, than a perfect knowledge of thofe figns, termed diagnoftic, by which any one disease is diftinguished from all others, every attempt to elucidate this branch of medicine deserves attention. It may poffibly be fuppofed, after what hath been already written upon fore throats by Huxham and Fothergill, that nothing farther is wanted to enable every person employed in curing thofe difeafes, to treat their patients with propriety and fuccefs. Nevertheless it will be in our power, from this pamphlet, to extract several obfervations, founded on experience, which may probably be of advantage to many of our medical readers. Sore throats have hitherto been generally divided into inflammatory and gangrenous, or putrid. Thefe, viz. gangrenous and putrid, our Author confiders as two diftinct fpecies, attended with very different fymptoms, and requiring different treatment. He firft confiders the inflammatory fore throat, and then proceeds to the gangrenous; but there being nothing new either in the defcription or method of treatment of thefe diforders, we fhall turn to page 15, where the Author begins his obfervations on that fpecies of fore throat which frequently attends putrid fevers, and which, though often mistaken for the gangrenous, is found nevertheless to differ from it, in being fymptomatic, not infectious, very common, and rarely appearing in the beginning of the diforder; whereas in the gangrenous, the uvula and tonfils are affected from the firft. The gangrenous fore throat frequently destroys the patient in a few days; but the putrid fometimes continues above a month, and proves fatal at laft. These symptoms, the Author thinks, will fufficiently diftinguish thefe two fpecies from each other; but as there may be fome danger, in the beginning, of confounding a putrid fever with an inflammatory, he gives us, chiefly from his own observation, the following defcription of the former: The perfon, when first feized, often mopes about the first two or three days, with little complaints, perhaps little chills, often fucceeded by alternate heats, liftleffnefs, pain of the head, &c.-and tho' thefe are also symptoms which generally attend the beginning of an inflammatory fever, yet there is commonly this difference, that in the inflammatory cafe they come on moftly at once, and with great violence, whereas in the putrid one they increase by flow degrees, unless the diforder is uncommonly fevere. In the beginning of a putrid fever the urine is of a natural colour,

and

and if left to ftand twelve hours, depofites a mealy or woolly fediment; fometimes quite pale and clear, at other times, though not often, of so dark a colour as if blood was mixed with it, but then it generally lets fall a fediment after standing. Whenever I am called in at the beginning of a fever, if I find a fediment in the urine, I obferve it to be of a bad kind, and generally of long ftanding, more particularly if it is of a natural colour.' This laft fentence is unintelligible. As in an inflammatory cafe we do not find the crifis to take place till the urine begins to be cloudy and to depofite a sediment, so in the putrid one there is feldom or ever an alteration for the better till the urine becomes clear; and if it had been pale, of an higher colour. The blood, if drawn away at this time, is of a loose texture, though fometimes never feparating any serum. The pulfe, at the beginning, differing but little from that of a perfon in health, though for the most part quick and small. The tongue generally furred a great deal, often black and dry; very often, after the fever has continued fome days, this fur comes off in a flough and leaves the tongue quite red, in appearance as if the skin had been pulled off, but foon gets again dry and rough, and upon putting your finger upon it feels like a grater. The breath full and hot. After fome days continuance of the fever they often complain of a disorder in their throat, as a heat and burning, with fome difficulty of fwallowing; but this laft fymptom is not near fo troublefome and violent as what we often meet with in an inflammatory cafe. On examining the mouth and throat, we often find the uvula, tonfils, &c. covered with ciniritious or white efchars, having the fame appearance with those of any flefhy part that has been lately burnt; at other times covered over with white fpots, or apthe.

After mentioning the different methods of treatment required in the inflammatory and putrid fevers, our Author proceeds to the recommendation of antimonials as a specific in the cure of the latter; but of all the various preparations of antimony, he recommends the vitrum antimonii ceratum as the most efficacious, and particularly serviceable in abating the diarrhoea which often attends putrid fevers. He begins with two grains, joined with cordials and alexipharmics, every fix hours, increafing the dofe to ten or twelve grains, or till it makes the patient fick. With regard to the bark, he affures us from repeated experience, that he always found it aggravate the fymptoms if given before the decline of the diforder. He then relates a few cafes in confirmation of his doctrine, and concludes his pamphlet with the three following aphorifms:

1. Where a patient, being of a fanguine habit, is feized with the fymptoms of an infiammatory fever, with great pain and difficulty in fwallowing, continually increafing, even fo as to threaten fuffocation, the tenfils, uvula, &c. appearing red, tenfel

and

and smooth, the furrounding parts being alfo inflamed, the pulfe ftrong, the fpirits high, the urine high-coloured and crude; there can be no great danger in declaring it to be of the inflam matory kind, and to be treated accordingly.

2. Where the patient is attacked with a great swelling, which on its first appearance, is lax and uneven, with a stiffness and emphysematous fwelling in the neck, together with an efflorefcence on the fhoulders, extending down the arms; when in a little time the fwelling of the tonfils, &c. fubfides, and alters to a white, or ash-colour, with a quick small pulse, dejection of fpirits, and anxiety, this fore throat may be declared to be of the gangrenous kind, and requires warm, aromatic fomentations, vapours, cataplafms, and inwardly bark, cordial and alexipharmic medicines, abftaining from all evacuations, even from blifters.

3. When the patient has laboured under a putrid fever for fome days, with a small and quick pulfe, his urine loaded with a great fediment, and generally of a natural colour, complains of a fore throat, tho' feldom with very great difficulty in swallowing, the tonfils, uvula, &c. covered with white ciniritious or afh-coloured floughs, aptha or white blifters, affecting not only the parts of the throat, but alfo the whole mouth; we may then declare it to be a putrid fore throat, and must abstain from evacuations of all forts, and likewife from preparations of the bark, till the putrefcence of the juices is abated, after which it is often found to be of great ufe in recovering the patient. The medicines to be given must be alexipharmics and cordials, together with antimonials, which feem to be specifics in this disorder.

We have been the more particular in our account of this pamphlet, because the subject is really important, and because, notwithstanding a few inaccuracies in point of ftile, it contains fome new and ufeful, practical obfervations and hints, which fome of our medical readers may poffibly improve to the advantage of those who may labour under thefe dangerous disorders.

B.-t.

Travels through France and Italy; containing Obfervations on Character, Customs, Religion, Government, Police, Commerce, Arts and Antiquities, with a particular Defcription of the Town, Territory and Climate of Nice: To which is added, a Register of the Weather, kept during a Refidence of eighteen Months in that City, By T. Smollett, M. D. 8vo. 2 Vols. 10s. Baldwin.

RAVELS, more than any other fpecies of writing,

ment; and yet nothing can be more infipid, tedious, and un

interesting

interesting than the remarks of the generality of travellers. The English are beyond all doubt the greatest travellers in the world; for in all places on the continent, which are frequented by ftrangers, we find the number of Englishmen greatly to exceed that of all other nations taken together. Hence it were natural to expect a constant inundation of written travels, especially through France and Italy. Nevertheless we have but few books of this kind, in proportion to the number of travellers; and among these few books, very inconfiderable is the number of thofe which are worth reading. The reafon is plain: our travellers are in general young men of fortune, and are led by their tutors; and both of them, from the youth of one and the narrow education of the other, are as incapable of observation as if they were conducted through France and Italy blindfold. For want of that knowlege, fteadiness, fagacity, and penetration, which can be only founded on ftudy, and ripened by experience, they traverfe the continent in a continued mift, gaping, ftaring, blundering along, and viewing every object in a falle light. This however is by no means the cafe of the Author now before us. He hath not travelled without a previous acquaintance with mankind; and his abilities, as a writer, are univerfally known.

Dr. Smollett's travels appear in the form of letters from different parts of the continent, written, or fuppofed to be written, to his friends in England. The Doctor's motives for undertaking this journey we learn from his firft epiftle, which is dated Boulogne fur Mer, June 23, 1763. You knew (fays he) and pitied my fituation, traduced by malice, perfecuted by faction, abandoned by falfe patrons, and overwhelmed by the fenfe of a domestic calamity, which it was not in the power of fortune to repair. You know with what eagerness I fled from my country as a scene of illiberal difpute and incredible infatuation, where a few worthlefs incendiaries had, by dint of perfidious calumnies and atrocious abufe, kindled up a flame which threatened all the horrors of civil diffenfion. My wife earneftly begged I would convey her from a country where every object ferved to nourish her grief: I was in hopes that a fucceffion of new fcenes would engage her attention, and gradually call off her mind from a feries of painful reflections; and I imagined the change of air, and a journey of near a thousand miles, would have a happy effect upon my own conftitution.' Prompted by these confiderations, the Doctor, his lady, two young ladies and a fervant, embark at Dover for Boulogne, where, after a rough paffage of eight or nine hours, they arrive early in the morning. Having been imposed on by the skipper, the Doctor, for the benefit of future travellers, writes thus: When a man hires a packet-boat from Dover to Boulogne, let him remember

that