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female, and her peculiar form of pelvis, (independent of disease, and the inflicted curfe) were the phyfical caufes of pain and difficulty in her labours. In attributing pain and difficulty to rickets, he appears to forget there are other causes for them; and from its being a disease peculiar to man, draws a most unwarrantable conclufion," that laborious parturition never did nor can occur in the quadruped."

Dr. O.'s argument then ftands fairly thus; the cause of pain and difficulty in human parturition, is rickets; rickets is peculiar to the human fubject, therefore, no other animal can have a painful or laborious labour:-or thus, no animal that is not subject to rickets can have a laborious or painful labour; no quadruped is subject to the rickets, therefore no quadruped can have a painful or laborious labour.

The abfurdity of these premises and conclufions are too glaring to need further refutation. I grant, and I believe it univerfally obtains, that the quadruped is not subject to the difease just spoken of, but I will by no means agree that this exempts them from painful and laborious births; they are by it only freed from this caufe of them, for I have seen, the cow particularly, in extreme agony many hours, from a bad pofition of the head, notwithstanding Dr. O.'s bold affertion, "that it is proportionably fmall, and may pafs in any direction."

From what has been faid, I truft, it has been made appear, that pain and difficulty are not phyfically necessary.

Account of a fingular Cafe of Hemorrhage, extracted from a Letter of the late DR. E. H. SMITH of New-York, to Benjamin RUSH, M. D. dated New-York, April 9, 1794.

J

AMES HAWLEY, was born October 8, 1758, (O. S.) well, and a perfect child. His mother, when a young woman, had been troubled with chlorofis; and had, during her

pregnancy with this child, the disorders usually attendant on a pregnant state, very fevere: but both the one, and the other, were relieved by the use of a peculiar clay-ftone, common in the parish where she was born; and which she was fond of eating..

-Three weeks before the infant was one year old, he fell, and ruptured the franum of the upper lip. The lip was filleted down, and to prevent the child's disturbing it, his hands were bound. The infant fwallowed the blood, and the stools were coloured with it. The bleeding continued, without the least intermiffion, till the birth-day---October 8, 1759---and then stopped spontaneously.----The 4th of October, 1760, in coughing, the child burst a vessel in the nofe. Cold applications did not stop the hemorrhage. Tents were retained in the noftril, and occasionally removed to let out the blood. All the stools were made black, by the blood fwallowed: and the hemorrhage did not abate till the birth-day---October 8, 1760---when it ceased, as before, fpontaneously.

The

"Several days before the child was three years old,it is not remembered, with certainty, how many---the child trode upon a knife, and made a gafh, near the little toe, about an inch in length, but scarcely skin-deep. This was on Sunday afternoon. The part was bound up; but bled all night. In the morning a phyfician was fent for, who had faid that he could ftop the bleeding. He attempted; but ineffectually. neighbours came in; many things were propofed; but all tried, were of no avail. Among others, a piece of bladder was glued on: but it was foaked off by the blood. Lapis infernalis was four times applied in one day. Several other physicians were called in; but their skill was baffled. All these applications had created an ulceration half an inch deep, and two inches long, when the clay-stone was thought of. It was obtained; the child ate it powdered, and the powder was applied to the fore. The blood ftopped immediately.--But this alfo happened on the birth-day--October 8, 1761--and whether it was effected by nature, or the clay-stone, may be a question.

Nineteen days before the boy was to be four years old, in drawing an axe out of a log, he let it fall upon his foot; by which the little toe of the right foot, was cut through the bone; and was only held on by a small piece of flesh. The fame phyfician was sent for; and recollecting the fuppofed efficacy of the clay-stone, the preceding year, he applied it again, but in a ftupid manner; as, inftead of making a direct application, he bound it on enclosed in a linen rag.---He neglected taking off the toe, and bound it on, in hopes that there might be a reunion of parts, by the first intention. Many other applications were made; but proved infignificant.----My father, who had just finished his ftudies, was fent for; but came too late. For feveral days the discharge had been only of a thin water; the blood feeming to be entirely exhaufted. The child, who was my father's nephew, died the day he arrived; on the 3d of October, 1762,---five days before his anxiously-expected birthday. These circumftances were related to me by my aunt, who is still living.

DR.

Singular Cafes of Hemorrhagy.

R. OTTO, who has given a very interefting account, in the 6th volume of the New-York Medical Repository, of "an hemorrhagic difpofition exifting in certain families," has furnished me with the following additional information of the family of A. B. which he procured through the late Mr. BORDLEY of this city. Editor.

DEAR SIR,

Eafton, May 27, 1803.′

YOUR letter was duly received, but at the time, I was con fined to my bed by a very tedious and painful indifpofi

tion, which I offer as an apology for any apparent neglect.---
I was not myself acquainted with the history of the cases you
mention: but, with a view of aiding your benevolent intentions,
I confulted Dr. Allen, the oldest physician of this neighbour-
hood; Dr. Martin; and extended my inquiries to Choptank
Bridge, Dorfet and Queen Anne's county, but in vain, until our
prefent court, when I met Mr. Walker Binny, a juryman,
who is perhaps better acquainted with the circumstances than
any other perfon in this country.---Mr. W. Binny is nearly re-
lated to Mr. Benjamin Binny, who I prefume gave you the
information, which was the fubject of your letter he now oc-
cupies the very farm upon which Benjamin refided :---He knows
nothing of the minutiae of the business, but is certain of the
fact, that all the male children of B. Binny fell victims to fatal
hemorrhagies, from the flightest causes, as the puncture of a
pin, the cut of a knife, &c. &c. A daughter of his is now liv-
ing, who has occafionally experienced thofe little difafters we
are all liable to, and with the ufual effects. Either three or
four boys died from trifling injuries, notwithstanding the assist-
ance of the best informed gentlemen in medicine. If I should
be fortunate enough to hear any thing more particular, relative
to them, I shall with great pleasure communicate it to you.
I am, dear Sir,

Your obliged and very obedient fervant,
JOHN COATS.

JOHN B. BORDLEY, Efq.

P. S. Since writing the above, I have had a fecond interview with Mr. Binny; the refult you will find in the inclosed letter. The only male who did not immediately die by loss of blood, fell a victim to the confequence,---dying of the dropfy in early life.

DEAR SIR,

June 1, 1803.

I HAVE made inquiry refpecting the lofs of three of the fons of Benjamin Binny, deceased.---The first that died with the

lofs of blood, was occafioned by the kick of a colt over the eyebrow.The fecond was loft by a blister being raised on the fore finger, from the fall of a brick, from a negro child, when they were at play.---The third was cut over the eye, by the fwing of a gate, as he was paffing through.---Physicians attended each of them, but to no purpose; as all their skill could not ftop the blood.---A fourth was very fubject to bleed at the nofe, though he did not die of the fame. The females were not fubject to the fame complaint.

With respect,

Your obedient fervant,

CHARLES W. BINNY.

DR. JOHN COATS.

THE following cases, extracted from the Philosophical Tranf actions of Great Britain, are introduced here; as they fhew that fimilar inftances have occurred at various periods, though they have not perhaps been always noticed.

Editor.

"Aftrange Kind of Bleeding in a little Child. By M. SAM. Du

GARD.

DU

"A, child (about a quarter of a year old) at Little-hall, in Shropshire, about Candlemas, 167 was taken with a bleeding at the nose and ears, and behind the hinder part of the head, where there was nothing at all of any fore: this lasted for three days; at the end of which the nofe and ears ceafed bleeding: but ftill blood came, as it were fweat, from the head. Three days before the death of the child, (which was the fixth day fince she began to bleed) the blood came more violently from her head, and ftreamed out to fome distance from it: nor did the bleed only there, but upon her shoulders and at the waift, in fuch quantities, that the linen next her might be wrung, it was so wet; and every day required clean

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