Account of a Cure of the St. Vitus's Dance by Electricity. In a Letter from Anthony Fothergill, M. D. F. R. S. at Northampton, to William Henley. F. R.S. [From the Philofophical Tranfactions.]

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NN AGUTTER, a girl of ten years of age, of a pale, emaciated habit, was admitted an out-patient at the Northamptonhofpital on the 6th of June last. From her father's account it appeared (for fhe was fpeechlefs, and with difficulty fupported from falling by two affiftants) that he had for fix weeks laboured under violent convulfive motions, which affected the whole frame, from which she had very fhort intermiffions, except during fleep; that the difeafe had not only impaired her memory and intellectual faculties, but of late had deprived her of the ufe of speech.

Volatile and fetid medicines were now recommended, and the warm bath every other night; but with no better fuccefs, except that the nights which had been reftlefs became fomewhat more compofed, Blifters and anti fpafmodics were directed, and particularly the flowers of zinc, which were continued till the beginning of July, but without the leaft abatement of the

fymptoms; when her father growing impatient of fruitless attendance at the hofpital, I recom mended, as a dernier refort, a trial of electricity, under the management of the Rev. Mr. Underwood, an ingenious electrician. After this I heard no more of her till the first of Auguft, when her father came to inform me that his daughter was well, and defired fhe might have her discharge. To (which, after expreffing my doubts of the cure, I confented; but fhould not have been perfectly convinced of it, had I not receiv ed afterwards a full confirmation of it from Mr. Underwood, dated Sept. 16, an extract from whofe letter I will now give you in his own words:

I have long expected the pleafure of feeing you, that I might inform you how I proceeded in the cure of the poor girl. As the cafe was particular, I have been very minute, and wish you may find fomething in it that may be ufeful to others. If you think it proper, I beg you will fate the cafe medically, and make it as public as you please.

July 5. On the glafs footed fool for thirty minutes: fparks were drawn from the arms, neck, and head, which caufed a confiderable perfpira.

July 23. On the glafs-footed ftool for the fpace of one hour: fparks were drawn from her arms, legs, head, and breaft, which for the first time the very fenfibly felt; alfo two shocks through the fpine. She could now walk alone; her countenance became more florid, and all her faculties feemed wonderfully ftrengthened, and from this time the continued mending to a ftate of perfect health.

Every time he was electrified pofitively, her pulfe quickened to a great degree, and an eruption, much like the itch, appeared in all her joints.'

Thus far Mr. Underwood. To complete the hiftory of this fingular cafe, I this day (Oct. 28.) rode feveral miles, on my return from the country, to visit her; and had the fatisfaction to find her in good health, and the above ac-. count verified in every particular, with this addition, that at the beginning of the disease she had but flight twitchings, attended with running, staggering, and a variety of involuntary gesticulations which diftinguish the St. Vitus's

dance, and that thefe fymptoms were afterwards fucceeded by convulfions, which rendered it difficult for two affiftants to keep her in bed, and which foon deprived her of fpeech and the ufe of her limbs. The eruptions which appeared on the parts electrified foon receded, without producing any return of the fymptoms, and therefore could not be called critical, but merely the effect of the electrical ftimulus. Having given her parents fome general directions as to her regimen, &c. I took my leave, with a strong injunction to make me acquainted in cafe the fhould happen to relapfe. Before I conclude, it may not be improper to obferve, that fome time ago I was fortunate enough to cure a boy who had long had the St. Vitus's dance (though in a much lefs degree) by electricity. A violent convulfive difeafe, fomewhat fimilar to the above, though, if I recollect right, not attended with the aphonia,' was fuccefsfully treated in the fame way by Dr. Watson, and is recorded in the Philofophical Transactions. May we not then conclude, that thefe facts alone, and more might perhaps be produced, are fufficient to entitle electricity to a diftinguifhed place in the clafs of antifpafmodics?

I am, &c.

An Account of a Remarkable Imperfection of Sight. From the fame. Rafen, May 26, 1777.

Rev. Sir,
due time. I fhould have given
RECEIVED your favour in

you

you my anfwer fooner, but have been greatly afflicted with the gout. I am very willing to inform you (and take your inquiry as a favour) of my inability concerning colours, as far as I am able from my own common obfervation. It is a family failing: my father has exactly the fame impediment: my mother and one of my fifters were perfect in all colours: my other fifter and myfelfalike imperfect: my laft mentioned filler has two fons, both imperfect;-but he has a daughter who is very perfect: I have a fon and daughter, who both know all colours without exception; and fo did their mother: my mother's own brother had the like impediment with me, though my mother, as mentioned above, knew all colours very well.

Now I will inform you what coJours I have leaft knowledge of. I do not know any green in the world; a pink colour and a pale blue are alike, I do not know one from the other. A full red and full green the fame, I have often thought them a good match; but yellows (light, dark, and middle) and all degrees of blue, except thofe very pale, commonly called fky, I know perfectly well, and can difcern a deficiency, in any of thofe colours, to a particular nicety a full purple and deep blue fometimes baffle me. I married my daughter to a genteel, worthy man a few years ago; the day before the marriage he came to my houfe, dreffed in a new fuit of fine cloth cloaths. I was much difpleafed that he should come (as I fuppofed) in black; faid, "He fhould go back to change his colour." But my daughter faid, "No, no; the colour is very gen

teel; that it was my eyes that de. ceived me." He was a Gentleman of the Law, in a fine, rich claret-coloured drefs, which is as much a black to my eyes as any black that ever was dyed. She has been married feveral years; no child living, and my fon is unmarried; fo how this impediment may defcend from me is un. known.

I have a general good fatisfaction in the midft of this my ina. bility; can fee objects at a dif tance when I am on travel with an acquaintance, and can diftin. guifh the fize, figure, or space, equal to moft, and, I believe, as quick, colour excepted.

My bufinefs was behind a counter many years, where I had to do with variety of colours. I often, when alone, met with a difficulty; but I commonly had a fervant in the way to attend me, who made up my deficiency. have been now feven years from trade. My eyes, thank God, are very good at difcerning men and things.

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greatly diminished its depth. But veffels frequently anchor between this island and the main.

Befide these towns, are feveral fmaller, viz. Alagoa, Agoa de Pao, Brelanha, Fanaes de Ajuda, and a number of hamlets, called Lugars, or Places.

About four leagues north-eaft from Villa Franca, lies a place called Furnas, being a round deep valley in the middle of the east part of the island, furrounded with high mountains, which, though steep, may be easily ascended on horfeback by two roads. The valley is about five or fix leagues in circuit, the face of the mountains, which are very fteep, is entirely covered with evergreens, viz. myrtles, laurels, a large fpecies of bilberry, called ura del fera (mountain grapes) &c. and numberless rivulets of the pureft water run down their fides. The valley below is well cultivated, producing wheat, Indian corn, flax, &c. The fields are planted round with a beautiful fort of poplars, which grow into pyramidal forms, and by their carelefs, irregular difpofition, together with the multitudes of rivulets, which run in all directions through the valley, a number of boiling fountains, throwing up clouds of fteam, a fine lake in the fouthwest part about two leagues round, compofe a profpect the fineft that can be imagined. In the bottom of the valley the roads are fmooth and eafy, there being no rocks, but a fine pulverized pumice ftone that the earth is compofed of.

There are a number of hot fountains in different parts of the valley, and alfo on the fides of the mountains: but the most remark

able is that called the Caldeira, fituated in the eastern part of the valley, on a small eminence by the fide of a river, on which is a bafon about thirty feet in diameter, where the water continually boils with prodigious fury. A few yards diftant from it is a cavern in the fide of the bank, in which the water boils in a dreadful manner, throwing out a thick, mud. dy, unctuous water feveral yards from its mouth, with a hideous noise. In the middle of the river are feveral places where the water boils up fo hot, that a perfon cannot dip his finger into it without heing fcalded; alfo along its banks are feveral apertures, out of which the ftream rifes to a confiderable height fo hot, that there is no approaching it with one's hand: in other places, a perfon would think, that a hundred fmiths bellows were blowing all together, and fulphureous ftreams iffuing out in thousands of places, fo that native fulphur is found in every chink, and the ground covered with it like hoar froft; even the bushes that happen to lay near thefe places are covered with pure brimftone, condenfing from the ftream that iffues out of the ground, which in many places is covered over with a fubftance like burned allum. In thefe fmall caverns, where the ftream iffues out, the people often boil their yams (inhames.)

Near thefe boiling fountains are feveral mineral fprings; two, in particular, whofe waters have a very ftrong mineral quality, of an acid taste, and bitter to the tongue.

About half a mile to the weftward, and clofe by the river fide,

are