an hemorrhage; and that the retraction of a divided artery fignified little. He maintained that the principal caufe was the tumefaction of the cellular membrane, by which the veffel was closed. Gooch likewife rejects Petit's coagulum; and afcribes the effect to the combined agency of the three other caufes. Mr. White is of opinion, that the coagulation of the blood, fo far from ftopping, tended to keep a wounded veffel open: and, from a love of fimplicity, both he and Mr. Kirkland admitted but one caufe, namely, the contraction of the veffel. Laft of all comes Mr. John Bell, who freely criticizes and differs from all. He confidently afferts, that "when hemorrhage ftops of its own accord, it is neither from the retraction of an artery, nor the conftriction of its fibres, nor the formation of clots, but by the cellular fubftance, which furrounds the artery, being injected with blood." Mr. Jones finding fuch difcordant opinions among his predeceffors, refolved, if poffible, to find out the exact ftate of the cafe. With this view he made a great many experi ments, by dividing the arteries of living horfes and dogs, and examining the appearances after death. The refult of thefe experiments is given in the following quotation. "An impetuous flow of blood, a fudden and forcible retraction of the artery within its sheath, and a flight contraction of its extremity, are the immediate and almoft fimultaneous effects of its divifion. The natural impulfe, however, with which the blood is driven on, in fome measure counteracts the retraction, and refifts the contraction of the artery. The blood is effufed into the cellular fubftance between the artery and its sheath, and paffing through that canal of the fheath which had been formed by the retraction of the artery, flows freely externally, or is extravafated into the furrounding cellular membrane, in proportion to the open or confined ftate of the external wound. The retract. ing artery leaves the internal furface of the fheath uneven, by lacerating or ftretching the cellular fibres that connected them. Thefe fibres entangle the blood as it flows, and thus the foundation is laid for the formation of a coagulum at the mouth of the artery, and which appears to be completed by the blood, as it paffes through this canal of the fheath, gradually adhering and coagulating around its internal furface, till it completely fills it up from the circumference to the centre. "A certain degree of obftruction to the hemorrhage, results from the effufion of blood into the furrounding cellular membrane, and between the artery and its sheath, but particularly the dimi nifhed force and velocity of the circulation, occafioned by the hemorrhage, and the fpeedy coagulation of the blood, which is a well known confequence of fuch diminished action of the vaf cular cular fyftem, moft effentially contribute to the accomplishment of this important and defirable effect. "A coagulum then, formed at the mouth of the artery, and within its fheath, and which I have diftinguished in the experiments by the name of the external coagulum, prefents the firft complete barrier to the effufion of blood. This coagulum, viewed externally, appears like a continuation of the artery, but on cutting open the artery, its termination can be distinctly seen with the coagulum completely fhutting up its mouth, and inclosed in its fheath. "The mouth of the artery being no longer pervious, nor a collateral branch very near it, the blood just within it is at reft, coagulates, and forms, in general, a flender conical coagulum, which neither fills up the canal of the artery, nor adheres to its fides, except by a small portion of the circumference of its base, which lies near the extremity of the veffel. This coagulum is diftinct from the former, and I have called it the internal coagulum. In the mean time the cut extremity of the artery inflames, and the vafa vaforum pour out lymph, which is prevented from efcaping by the external coagulum. This lymph fills up the extremity of the artery, is fituated between the internal and external coagula of blood, is fomewhat intermingled with them, or adheres to them, and is firmly united all round to the internal coat of the artery. "The permanent fuppreffion of the hemorrhage chiefly depends on this coagulum of lymph; but while it is forming within, the extremity of the artery is farther fecured by a gradual contraction which it undergoes, and by an effufion of lymph between its tunics, and into the cellular membrane furrounding it; in confequence of which thefe parts become thickened, and fo completely incorporated with each other, that it is impoffible to diftinguish one from the other: thus, not only is the canal of the artery obliterated, but its extremity alfo is completely effaced, and blended with the furrounding parts." P. 53. The author's theory thus appears to be of the eclectic kind or rather he fhows, that nature employs a variety of aids in the important business of obftructing a bleeding artery. The effufion of the coagulating lymph by the inflamed veffels, a circumftance overlooked by the writers before mentioned, is evidently the principal means of permanently clofing a wounded veffel. John Hunter, that extraordinary man, firft difcovered this effufion; and the author has very ingeniously thown its great utility in restraining hemorrhage. It likewife appears, that in horfes and dogs, when only one fourth of the circumference of an artery is divided, that the the veffel will fometimes heal with little obftruction to its canal. But when one half, or more of the artery, is cut through, the remainder ufually tears afander, or is divided by ulceration; in which cafe the canal is obliterated. The fpurious aneurifm can hardly be produced in these animals; but as it frequently occurs in men, he thinks "it highly probable that it is formed either in confequence of the lymph, which had been poured out for the re-union and filling up of the wound, being torn through by the impetus of the blood, foon after the wound of the integuments had healed, or elfe by the blood ftriking againft, and gradually dilating into an aneurifinal fac, the lymph which had reunited the artery." The effects of ligatures on arteries are next confidered. Deffault had remarked, that ligatures cut through the internal and middle coats of arteries. Mr. Jones's experiments confirm this fact: and he obferves, that the internal wound of the artery is followed by inflammation and the exfudation of coagulating lymph, which obliterates the canal. When the artery was not tied fufficiently tight to cut through the inner coats, no coagulating lymph was effufed, and a hemorrhage must have taken place on the feparation of the ligature. In tying arteries, he advifes the adopting a round and not a flat ligature; the enclofing nothing but the artery; the placing it ftraight, and not obliquely round the veffel; and, lafly, to draw the ligature very firmly. He takes notice of the queftion, whether it is better in the operation for the aneurifm to truft to one ligature, or to employ two, and divide the vessel between them. He concludes in favour of the latter plan, as fafeft; though his experiments on brutes are rather in favour of the former. He deprecates the paffing a loose ligature to be in readiness, as extremely likely to excite the very evil it is intended to remedy. The plates annexed to this work are numerous, and uncommonly well engraved. ART. V. The Woodman's Tale, after the Manner of Spenfer. To which are added, other Poems, chiefly Narrative and Lyric, and the Royal Meffage, a Drama. By the Rev. Henry Boyd, A. M. Tranflator of the Divina Commedia of 8vo. of Dante. Vicar of Drumgath in Ireland, and Chaplain to the Right Honourable Lord Viscount Charleville. 567 pp. Longman and Co. 1805. MR. BOYD has more than once or twice, and with deferved reputation, appeared before the public as the Tranflator of the Divina Commedia of Dante, and author of various poetical performances. This volume, if we mistake not, will add confiderably to his literary fame. It confifts of an allegorical poem, in five cantos, called the Woodman's Tale, of what Mr. Boyd calls Milefian Tales, with a va riety of mifcellaneous pieces, chiefly lyrical. The Woodman's Tale is a poem, the object of which is to illuftrate the terrible confequences which proceed from intemperance in drinking. A long introduction in profe more particularly explains the author's defign, which is further exemplified in the lamentable cataftrophe of Burns, which every friend of genius will earnestly deplore. Mr. Boyd juftifies his embodying the virtues and vices of the human mind, and exercising them in imaginary adventures, from the examples of Phineas Fletcher, and his countryman, Spenfer. They who are fond of the flanza employed by this later poet, cannot fail of being highly amufed and interefted by this production, which, with the exception perhaps of Sir James Burges's poems, has not often been fo fuccessfully imitated. The following fpecimen will prove this. "But from the central hills that crown the ifle "He faw the Demon hide his deadly freight, The fraudful rite, while glanc'd from east to west, Dark gathering clouds the welkin dim inveft, "Unusual "Unufual horror feiz'd the lift'ning crowd, And o'er th' affembly hung unusual night; The affiftants fprung aloof, with pale affright (Who ftill the rite withftood.) The hoary fage Began: Have then the pow'rs of vengeance giv'n A welcome paufe, a moment to affuage Your hot mistemper'd zeal and headlong rage; The fad benighted fouls, and break the mental gloom! With livelier hopes, and better omens now, I rife once more to urge my baffled plea, If yet your patient ears a paufe allow, And deign to weigh the dread result with me; And bring a wand'rer, toft from fea to fea, On which the fortunes of your ifle depend, The Naiads faw their favour'd realm afcend? • Know your own blifs, enough for man to know Lurk in these rites unknown, this feeming fimple show. ‹‹ ‹ Why |