on the death of a young officer. The Epifode of Eloife de Valois, is interefting, and, which is feldom the cafe with epifodes, per. tinent. The moral is in every refpect unexceptionable; and the whole is decidedly the production of a man by no means unc cuftomed to the labours of the quill. ART. 19. A 125. Our curiofity is not often attracted to works of this descrip tion; but the words "Third Edition" in the title-page fo forcibly arrefted us, that we determined to give the Winter in London a careful perufal. Alas! for the folly and malignity of the times; for except that certain individuals in the higher circles of fashion are defignated with the moft exaggerated mifrepresentation, there is really very little to diftinguish this pro. duction from the refufe hourly found in the circulating library. It begins indeed with fome degree of fpirit, but we are foon loft and bewildered in a mazy group of Beauchamps, Rofevilles, Belloni's, &c. &c. By the way Signior Belloni is an abridgment of Schedoni. What can be more trite than the prefervation of Lady Emily by Beauchamp; what more prepofterous than the ftabbing of this latter by Belloni at the mafquerade; more improbable than the appearance of the girl at Belgrave Houfe to excite the jealoufy of Lady Emily, or than the whole ftory of Sir Alfred Beauchamp. There may be fuch a perfonage as Colonel Neville; fuch a phyfician as Sir Felix Fafcination, who vifits his patients in a fcarlet jockey frock, ftriped waistcoat, &c.; there may be fuch dutcheffes and fuch incidents which involve the difgrace of old and noble families; to us, however, who know no fuch characters, the whole feems a ftrange wild tiflue of incongruities. AGRICULTURE. ART. 20. The Principles and Practice of Agriculture, fyftematically explained, in Two Volumes: being a Treatife compiled for the fourth edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, and revijed and enlarged by Robert Forsyth, Efq. 2 vols. 8vo. il. IS. Conftable, Edinburgh; Vernor and Hood, London, 1804. Agricultural writers furpafs all others of the prefent day, and perhaps of all former ages, in the art of making large volumes, with a very minute portion of original matter. Mr. F. falls fhort indeed, in this art, of the Bath and Weft of England Society, who filled their 8th vol. from p. 99 to p. 239, with mere extracts; as we noticed in our 10th vol. P. 62. Mr. F. tranfcribes not more than fourteen pages together; but he repeats his tranfcrip tions fo continually, that the most apt account we can give of his work is, to propofe a change of its title, which may run thus :The theory and practice of agriculture: including the leffons, good, bad, and indifferent, which have been given by Meirs. Young, Anderfon, Marthall, Bartley, and a hundred others: With a great variety of experiments; as well those which have been fuccefsful, and generally practifed; as those which have failed of fuccefs, and are not likely to be repeated by any agriculturist whatsoever. MEDICINE. ART. 21. The modern Practice of Phyfic. By Edward Goodma« Clarke, M. D. 8vo. 454 PP. 1805. 9s. Longman and Co. Dr. Clarke is author of a fmall work, "Medicine Praxeos compendium," of which we gave a favourable account, in the 19th volume of the British Critic. In the work now to be noticed, he has followed Dr. Cullen, in the arrangement and in the definitions of the difeafes, which are given verbatim from the "Synopfis Nofologia Methodica" of that writer; but as the accounts of the caufes, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of the difeafes, are in English, for the fake of confiftency, the definitions fhould have been in the fame language, that is, they fhould have been tranflated. Perhaps alfo, as compilations of this kind can only be fuppofed to be useful to perfons who have not opportunity of reading more extended treatifes, a ftyle more plain, and familiar, and lefs loaded with technical terms than is here ufed, fhould have been adopted. The author appears to be well verfed in modern practical works, and is not fparing in his commendation of the writers. "The remote caufes of febrile, and other difeafes," he fays, p. 2, "will be divided into predifpofing and exciting, which will be taken notice of when we treat of the various difeafes. The proximate caufe of difeafes will be mentioned when it can be done without mifleading the young practitioner, but in many difeafes it is enveloped in perhaps eternal darknefs, and, that of fever, is at prefent matter of controverfy; and as I feel," he adds, "my incapacity of throwing any additional fatisfactory light upon the fubject, I muft, with the greateft deference, refer my readers to the works of the illuftrious Cullen, Brown, and Darwin." In the cure of intermittents, the author fays, p. 8, "the oxidum arfenici, combined with opiates, either in folution or in the form of pills, will frequently fuccced, when the cinchona and other remedies have been tried without effect." The only form in which arfenic can be given with fafety, because it is the only form in which the dofe can be afcertained with certainty, is in folution, but even in that form, and in the minuteft dofes, 1 it cannot, without extreme hazard, be perfifted in many days in fucceffion. Dr. Heberden expreffed himself doubtfully on the fubject of bleeding in the gout, to which he thought physicians were more averfe than was neceffary; this author, on the contrary, recommends it without referve, whenever the excitement, the term he ufés, is confiderable; and though he does not, like Kinglake, recommend immerfing the gouty limb in cold water, he advises, contrary to the ufual practice, to expofe it to cool, or cold air, and on the whole, carries the antiphlogistic treatment in the cure of this disease further than any writer we remember to have feen; as the following extract from the chapter on the treatment of the gout will show. "The violence of the paroxyfm will be moderated," the author fays, p. 139, "by blood-letting, which must be repeated according to the ftate of the pulfe and degree of excitement, where the conftitution is not worn down by repeated attacks: leeches fhould be applied to the inflamed parts, and gentle cathartics fhould be adminiftered, as the oleum e feminibus ricini, calomelas, rheum palmatum, infufum fennæ, or the fulphur fu blimatum; if the stomach is not affected, the nitras potaffe may be exhibited in small dofes with advantage; the inflamed parts fhould be expofed to cool or cold air, and diluting liquids fhould be taken freely the antiphlogistic regimen must be strictly adhered to; abstinence from wine, fpirits, fermented liquors, and ftimulating food, fhould be carefully enjoined, unless the fyftem is very much debilitated, in which cafe, a more nourishing diet, and a fmall quantity of wine or of diluted fpirits, may be allowed; after the excitement has been fubdued by proper evacuations, blifters may be employed with advantage; they are recommended by that enlightened phyfician, Dr. Rush, to be applied to the legs and wrifts; burning with moxa may be advised, or a cabbage-leaf applied to the part affected will often afford confiderable relief; booterkins made of oiled filk, are an useful application to gouty joints; when the violence of the symptoms is abated, opiates may be given with advantage, when the pain only returns during the night, and prevents fleep; when the conftitution is broken down by repeated attacks of the disease, eyacuations must be employed with caution, and it will, in general, be more advifeable and fafe to allow fome animal food, and wine or diluted fpirits; the parts affected fhould, at the fame time, be wrapped in flannel, fleecy hofiery, or new combed wool, and a gentle diaphorefis fhould be excited, for which purpose the decoction polygalæ fenegæ is recommended: when a fwelling and stiffness remain in the joints after the paroxyfm has ceased, they will be removed by the diligent ufe of the flesh-brush, gentle exercife of the parts, and the Buxton or Bath waters taken at the fountain head; and where the gout has left a number of dyf, peptic fymptoms, the latter may be drank with confiderable advantage; purging immediately after a paroxyfm, will be very apt to produce a relapfe." Though we have pointed out fome defects, or what we think fuch, in this volume, yet it will be found to contain a confiderable mafs of information, upon most of the diseases treated of. It may therefore be advantageoufly confulted by practitioners who are not fuch adepts as the author in the new philofophy. As the author has given names to many of the preparations here recommended, which have not been adopted by the London College of Phyficians, it would have added to the convenience of the readers if they had been explained in an index. ART. 22. Cow-Pock Inoculation vindicated, and recommended. from Matters of Fact. By Rowland Hill, A. M. 72 PP: IS. Darton and Harvey. 1806. 1200. Mr. R. Hill, whofe name and fame are spread far and wide, not only writes with zeal in defence of cow-pox inoculation, but appears to have been equally active and fuccefsful in detecting the mifrepresentations of those who oppofe the practice. That he is qualified to give an opinion on the fubject, muft be allowed, as he has inoculated, he declares, upwards of 5000 perfons with his own hand; and there have been inoculated, under his infpection, upwards of 9000 perfons," and not one evil confe quence as yet," he fays, P. 64," has been heard of, which has created the leaft alarm." None of the perfons vaccinated under his direction, have afterwards taken the infection of the smallpox, or have fuffered from any of thofe difeafes, of which fuch alarming accounts have been published. On the contrary, Mr. Hill affures us, that feveral of them, who were afflicted with fcrofulous, and other foul ulcers, when they fubmitted to the operation, appeared to have been cured of thofe difeafes, by the agency of the cow-pox. A teftimony fo full and ftrong in favour of vaccination, will, we hope, have the effect of overturning the prejudices that unfortunately, at prefent, prevail 1. among the lower order of people against the practice. ART. 23. A Practical Treatife on the Difeafes of the Stomach, and of Digeftion, including the Hiftory and Treatment of thofe Affections of the Liver, and Digeftive Organs, which occur in Perfons who return from the Eaft or Weft Indies. With Obfervations on various Medicines, and particularly on the improper Ufe of Emetics. By Arthur Daniel Stone, M. D. Fellow of the Royal College of Phyficians, London, 8vo. pp. 291. 6s. Cadell and Davies, Strand, 1806. Our readers will perceive, that the fubjects treated of in this volume, are important, and the author appears to have bestowed upon them confiderable attention. The two first chapters treat of the anatomy and phyfiology of the ftomach and intestines. As the refult of various experiments made with the view or dicovering the nature of the gastric juice, the author finds it to have properties fimilar to the muriatic acid, if that prove not to be the very fubftance employed by nature in the procefs of digef tion, P. 36. The fubject, however, he obferves, deferves and requires further investigation. He next gives a curfory view of certain difeafes of the ftomach. "Of the vitiated state of the fluids in the ftomach. Of marafmus. Of repletion of the ftomach.” And in the fourth chapter of this part, he treats" of the effects of poifons." From this chapter, we fhall give, as a fpecimen of the execution of the work, the author's obfervations on the digitalis, the rather as the reputation of this once fashionable drug, fecms declining." The effect of digitalis," he ob. ferves, P. 77. " is different from that of any other vegetable poifon. The violent vomiting and purging it produces, are indeed the common effects of other draftic medicines; but it fometimes increases the fecretion of urine, much more than any of them; and its effect in diminishing the frequency, and hardness of the pulfe, is fingular. At the time of its first introduction into practice as a medicine in dropfy, he witneffed," he says, “many inftances of its very deleterious effects; either the vomiting, or the ftools, or the wine, were, after the repetition of an uncertain number of dofes, very much increafed; the hydropic fwellings difappeared, and immediately on the abforption of the extravafated fluid, the patients appeared in a joyous ftate of delirium, refembling that of intoxication. To this ftate, fucceeded that of ftupor; the pulfe became gradually flower, and death fucceeded. in lefs than forty-eight hours." Of In the following chapters are fome ufeful obfervations on the effects of drinking ardent fpirits, and of living in hot climates. The author next proceeds to the treatment of the Idifeafes of the ftomach, and on the ufe of emetics. thefe he prefers the milder fort, as ipecacuanha and fquills. He has feen, he fays, P. 146. more than one fine child, whofe ftomach has been ruptured by taking antimonial emetics. He muft, however, have been peculiarly unfortunate, as we know fuch accidents to be extremely rare, though thousands of antimonial vomits are probably given every day. The author has been equally unfuccefsful in his experiments with castor oil, which has played fuch unlucky tricks with his patients, bringing back fpafm in fome, and bloody flux in others, that he advifes, P. 210. in cafes where oily purges are required, to use a preparation of fenna and oil of almonds, or of olives, instead of it. In thefe opinions, he probably will not have many followers. The directions for the treatment of hemorrhagy from the ftomach and malena, which follow, are evidently the refult of experience, and, |