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biftory, and physical geography. 2. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES of the lives of eminent phyficians and naturalifts, especially those of the laft half of the 18th century, and of the prefent time. 3. REVIEWS of, and EXTRACTS from new publications in medicine, natural history, and geography, especially those which have been published in the United States, or which have a particular reference to this tract of country, &c. 4. MISCELLA-, NEOUS FACTS, of various kinds, all, however, relating to the expreffed objects of the work."

The refpectable editor of this work, has evinced his partiality for the profeffion in which he ranks fo high, by his endeavours to extend his information to fociety at large. As this is a work not exclufively medical, but largely appropriated to the natural history of our country, fo it will be perufed with pleafure by all those who are anxious for information on this head; As the various branches of this pleasing study are purfued with great industry by the profeffor; we may hope in a few years to have a copious refervoir of all that is interefting to our country, in this department of fcience.

Friendly Cautions to the Heads of Families, &c. &c. &a. by Robert Wallace Johnfon, M. D. &c.-Philadelphia edition. J. Humphreys.---1804. 12mo. pp. 163.

We cannot but feel a fincere pleafure, in obferving the frequent emiffion from the preffes of the Union, of so many works of merit, reprinted from the European editions. Whilft it evinces the increafing ftate of literature amongst us, it is a fure pledge that when our own citizens fhall find time to devote themfelves to fcientific purfuits, no encouragement will be wanting. Among the various publications, none have afforded us more gratification, than the one whofe title is hereto prefixed; we have perufed it with that fatisfaction, which its merit must enfure, both from the character of its author, and the extenfive advantages it is calculated to produce. The merit of this work (heretofore unknown amongst us), is fufficiently evinced by its having paffed through three editions in Great Britain. As the editor has justly obferved, "It is not

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to one description of perfons alone it will prove useful, but to every clafs of fociety. As long as ficknefs is a concomitant of humanity, fo long will this, or fome work of a fimilar nature, retain its eftimation. Its value may not be perceived by perfons in health, but when ficknefs finds accefs to fome beloved friend, this little treatise will be regarded with pleasure."-With a fimilar impreffion-we cannot but recommend it as a fit present for every family, and fincerely wish it may be as beneficial to the active and benevolent publisher, as it is certainly calculated to be to the fick of every description.

We hear with great pleasure that profeffor Rush is preparing for the press a new edition of his valuable medical works, to be comprised in three volumes;with many additions and improvements. This edition will appear in the course of the enfuing year. The high opinion entertained in all parts of the world, where medicine is cultivated, of this indefatigable physician, cannot but render this information as gratifying to others, as it has proved to the editor.

Dr. James Hutchinson of Philadelphia, is engaged in preparing for the press, a Treatife on Ulcers-particularly of the lower extremities. It will appear in the course of the ensuing year.

DEATHS.

AT Versailles, aged 79, Francis Dezoteux-formerly consulting surgeon of the camps and armies of the French king. He was one of the physicians to whom France was indebted for the introduction of the inoculation of the small pox.-He was obliged to carry on a celebrated process against the parliament of Besançon, which had declared against inoculation. He lost his whole fortune in the revolution.

On the 24th of last August, at Milan, the Abbate Fontana, one of the most celebrated naturalists of Europe.

In March last, John Relph, M. D. senior physician to Guy's hospital, and author efan Inquiry into the Medical Efficacy of Yellow Bark."

The Rev. John Walker, M. D. professor of natural history in the university of Edinburgh.

Thomas Percival, M. D. &c. of Manchester, England, a gentleman well known by his numerous medical and philosophical writings.

NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Dr. Farquhar's paper on the Angina Maligna, is received, and will appear in our next number.

Dr. Dewees's "Examination of Dr. Osburn's opinion of the physical necessity of pain and difficulty in human parturition, " is received, and will appear in our next. Several other communications from the same gentleman, and others, are received and will appear in order.

MEDICAL MUSEUM.

VOL. I.....No. III.

DR. DRYSDALE'S Hiftory of the Yellow Fever at Baltimore, continued from page 149.

LETTER VII.

MY laft contained remarks upon purging in the yellow

remedy,

fever; we will now proceed to another important

Blood-letting.

He who has imbibed from authors ideas of putrefaction, will hear with amazement-blood-letting recommended in a disease which he has believed to be of a putrid nature. But the more attentive obferver of nature, whofe guide is reason, and whose object is truth, will be astonished only at the influence, which a falfe and deftructive hypothefis has fo long undeservedly occupied in the schools of medicine.

Could hemorrhages have given rife to the opinion of putrefaction in fevers? The hemorrhages from the nofe and from the lungs, in the different periods of life, prove that this cannot be the cafe.

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Does the appearance of petechia prove putrefaction in the blood? Did their occurrence even in typhus fever itself, depend on this caufe, why fhould not our conclufions be established by the hasty putrefaction of the bodies after death? But Hamilton, Lind, jun. and Moore, have remarked, that this circumftance proceeds more flowly in fuch bodies than in others. That petechiae originate alfo from exceffive violence of action of the blood-veffels, might be proved by innumerable facts. I know that they attended a violently inflammatory hepatitis, and were removed by venæfection. Sydenham* abounds with facts of a fimilar nature. Pringlet relates a curious inftance of their appearance below the ligature placed on an arm during venæfection. "Petechial or purple spots," fays Mofeley, "feldom accompany the remitting fever in the West Indies, unless the circulation has been forced with cordials or hot regimen." Bartholine in his defcription of the fever of 1652, obferves, that petechiæ appeared in the exacerbations, and disappeared in the remiffions. This circumstance occurred in several cases of the yellow fever.

Can the yellowness of the fkin be attributed to a putrefactive diffolution of the blood? It is now too well known to depend upon fuffufion of bile, to be ascribed any longer to fuch a caufe nor does the fuperabundance of bile prove the putrefaction of the blood, though long fuppofed to be the offfpring of putrefaction, and to tend more rapidly to that condition, than any other fluid of the body. It has lately been proved that the opinion is without foundation. The blood flowing through the venæ portarum putrefies more flowly than that which has juft circulated through the lungs; and the bile fecreted from it, is much later in entering that process than the blood of the fame animal. This has been clearly demonstrated by an experiment related in the inaugural thefis of your late pupil, Dr. J. R. Coxe.§

See pages 88, 400, 403, 548, and 553, of Swan's edition. † Page 304, 8vo. edition.

+ Page 94.

§ Inaugural Effay on Inflammation, page 31.

Yellowness of the skin occurs alfo very frequently in a common ague; and who will term this, or jaundice, a putrid disease? Let me ask also, how any person can recover health, after this colour had appeared over their bodies, if it depended upon a putrefactive diffolution of the blood?

But what teftimony of putrefaction in a living body can be deduced from the speedy putrefaction of dead bodies ?----Animals killed after a chafe are difpofed to speedy putrefaction. "The bodies of men, who die of violent paffions, or after ftrong convulfions, or even after great muscular exertion, putrefy in a few hours after death." The violent emotions which precede death in these cafes, must have induced fuch great diforganization throughout the body, as to have destroyed, as it were, its texture, and thereby have difpofed the more to its early diffolution. That the circumstance depends rather on the exceffive derangement produced, than on the actually putrefactive nature of the disease, derives additional support from the following facts: Fishermen, fays Wilson and other authors, produce fudden extinction of life in fish by crushing their brains they are by these means preserved from putrefaction longer than those which die gradually after convulfive emotions. The bodies noticed by Ferriar from Dr. Hamilton--thofe by Lind, jun. and Moore, ought to have putrefied rapidly, upon account of the diseases of which they died, had this procefs already commenced previously to the lofs of life. The conclufions drawn from these circumstances in favour of the inflammatory difpofition of the yellow fever, are strengthened by your obfervation, that those bodies putrefied most rapidly during the prevalence of the disease in your city, whofe violent commotions had not been oppofed by evacuations. I had not an opportunity of attending to this circumftance in Baltimore; the bodies were hurried away to their graves almost immediately after death. Are we not informed that bodies dead of nervous difcafes, fuch as tetanus and hydrophobia, quickly rush into putrefaction?

But paffing by thefe points of useless controverfy, let us review fome of thofe fymptoms of the disease itself, and the

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