proof of this, he obferves, that it has been useful in intermittent fevers. Arum, by ancient writers, is much commended, both as an external and as an internal remedy, and it is faid, that "Ratione particularum tenuium & volatilium mucum vifcidum & fpiffum ventriculi & inteftinorum parieribus adherentem potenter incidit, attenuat, atque refolvit ;" and was prescribed in all that numerous clafs of dileafes formerly fuppofed to proceed a fuccorum lentore. Bergius confiders it ufeful in Colluvies pituitofa, Anorexia, Cephalæa fympatica, Afthma humorale, Cachexia, Febris intermittens. Arum is certainly a very powerful ftimulant, and by promoting the fecretions may be advantageoufly employed in cachectic and chiorotic cafes, in rheumatic affections, and in various other complaints of phlegmatic and torpid conflitutions; but more especially in a weakened or relaxed ftate of the ftomach, occafioned by the prevalence of vifcid mucus. If this root is given in powder, great care fhould be taken that it be young and newly dried, when it may be used in the dofe of a fcruple or more twice a day but in rheumatisms and other diforders requiring the full effects of this medicine, the root fhould be given in a recent ftate, and to cover the infupportable pungency it difcovers on the tongue, Dr. Lewis advifes us to adminifter it in the form of emulfion, with gum arabic and fpermacæti, increafing the dofe from ten grains to upwards of a fcruple three or four times a day; in this way it generally occafioned a fenfation of flight warmth about the ftomach, and afterwards in the remoter parts manifeftly promoted perfpiration, and frequently produced a plentiful fweat. Several obftinate rheumatic pains were removed by this medicine, which is therefore recommended to further trial." We cannot omit quoting the remarks on the effects of Digitalis Purpurea; concerning the utility of which medicine there are different opinions. The leaves of Fox-glove have a bitter naufeous taste, but no remarkable fmell; they have been long ufed externally to fores and fcrophulous tumours with confiderable advantage. Refpecting the internal use of this plant, we are told of its good effe&s in epilepfy, fcrophula, and phthifis; but the incautious manner in which it was employed rendered it a dangerous remedy: thus we find Ray (after reciting the cafe of epilepfy cured by it, as mentioned by Panfon,) fays, Verum medicamentum hoc robuftioribus tantum convenit, fiquidem violenter admodum purgat & vomitationes immanes exci tat+:" and others, fpeaking of its fuccefsful exhibition in fcrophula, remark," Sed ob nimiam remedii vehementiam, continuationem jus neceffariam detrectavit 1." Yet while Digitalis was generally known to poffefs fuch medicinal activity, its diuretic effects, for 66 Bergius fpeaks highly of the efficacy of Arum in these headachs, which were of the most violent kind, and refifted all the means he employed, till he used the powder of this root, which never failed to relieve them.' which it is now defervedly received in the Materia Medica, were wholly overlooked; that to this difcovery Dr. Withering has an undoubted claim, and the numerous cafes of dropfy, related by him and other practitioners of established reputation, afford incon teftible evidence of its diuretic powers. and of its practical importance in the cure of thofe difeafes*. From Dr. Withering's extenfive experience of the ufe of the Digitalis in dropfies, he has been enabled to judge of its fuccefs by the following circumftances: It feldom fucceeds in men of great natural ftrength, of tenfe fibre, of warm fkin, of florid complexion, or in thofe with a tight and cordy pulle. If the belly in afcites be tense, hard, and circumfcribed, or the limbs in anafarca folid and refifting, we have but little hope. On the contrary, if the pulfe be feeble, or intermitting, the countenance pale, the lips vivid, the skin cold, the fwollen belly foft and fluctuating, the anafarcous limbs readily pitting under the preffure of the finger, we may expect the diuretic effects to follow in a kindly mannert." Of the inferences which he deduces, the fourth is, "that if it (Digitalis) fails, there is but little chance of any other medicine fucceeding." Thus we are to infer, that men of great natural strength, and under the other circumitances just mentioned, when affected with dropfy, have little to hope for from the ufe of this diuretic, and fill lefs from any other medicine . As this obfervation is the refult of experience, and of confiderable practical confequence, we with particularly to prefs it on the attention of the medical reader. Although the Digitalis is now generally admitted to be a very powerful diuretic, and many cafes may be adduced of its fuccefsful ufe in addition to thofe already published, yet it is but juice to acknowledge that this medicine has more frequently failed than could have been reafonably expected, from a comparifon of the facts ftated by Dr. W. § -The dofe of the dried leaves, in powder, is from one grain to three twice a day. But if a liquid medicine be preferred, a dram of the dried leaves is to be infufed for four hours in half a pint of boiling water, adding to the ftrained liquor an ounce of any fpiri See his account of the Fox glove, publifhed 1785; a book, which, in the opinion of Dr. Cullen, "fhould be in the hands of every practitioner of phyfick," (M. M.)' +L. c. p. 189. & feq.' In fuch caies Dr. W. attempts to induce a change in the conftitution, and thereby to fit it for the action of the Digitalis. Would not repeated purging, according to Sydenham's plan, fucceed beft in thefe cafes?' The author could bring many inftances, were it neceffary, of the good effects of the Digitalis: a clinical patient at Guy's hofpital, treated by Dr. Relph latt winter, afforded a striking proof of the efficacy of this medicine in hydrothorax.' Among the principal of the unfuccefsful cafes, we may notice the eight fatal ones related in the Medical Memoirs by Dr. Lettfom. In reply to these cafes, Dr. Withering fent me the follow tuous water. One ounce of this infufion, given twice a day, is a medium dofe. It is to be continued in thefe dofes till it either acts upon the kidneys, the ftomach, the pulfe, (which it has a remarkable power of lowering) or the bowels." After what we have already obferved, we fcarcely need fay that we expect much gratification from the remaining volumes of this ufeful and very amufing work. ing letter, which is published by the permiffion of Dr. Lettfom, who authorizes me to fay, that as his only object in this business is the investigation of truth, he willingly appeals to the juftice and candour of the public, how far his practice is fairly reprefented in Dr. Withering's letter. .* Sir, Pleafe to accept my thanks for your offer of inferting any thing new which I might have to fay refpecting the Digitalis; but I really have nothing new to obferve, nor have I any thing to retract of what I faid before. Under my own management, under that of the medical practitioners in this part of England, and I may add, alfo in the hands of fome worthy and refpectable clergymen in village fituations, it continues to be the most certain, and the leaft offenfive diuretic we know; in fuch cases, and in fuch conftitutions, as I have advised its exhibition. I have alfo the fatisfaction to find, by letters from fome of the most eminent phyficians in different parts of England, that it is equally useful and fafe in their hands. But I complain of the treatment this medicine has had in London. Its ill fuccefs there cannot be altogether owing to difference of conftitutions. Dr. Lettfom has related his unfuccefsful attempts with a degree of courage, and of candour, which do the higheft honour to his integrity; but no one can compare his choice of patients, with my declaration of the fit and the unfit, or the dofes he prefcribed, and the perfeverance he enjoined, with my dofes, rules, and cautions, without being aftonished that he could fuppose he had been giving this medicine" in the manner prescribed by me."I am fully fatisfied, that, had I prefcribed it in fuch cafes, fuch forms, fuch dofes, and fuch repetitions as he has done, the effects would, in my hands, have been equally ufelefs, and equally deleterious. I must therefore fuppofe, that he had forgotten what I had written, without being confcious that his memory had deceived him. Had it been otherwife, after perufing the cafes I had published at pages xx. and pages 151, &c. of my ACCOUNT, &c. he would hardly have thought it neceffary to have published more inftances of what I had ftigmatized as bad practice; or to have fought for further proofs, that an active and ufeful medicine might be employed fo as to prove a deleterious poifon.' + Memoirs of the Medical Society of London, vol. ii. p. 145. ART. XII. The Annals of Chemistry, or, A Collection of Memoirs relative to Chemistry, and the Arts with which it is connected. By Meffrs. De Morveau, Lavoifier, Monge, Berthollet, De Foureroy, Baron de Dietrich, Haffenfratz, and Adet. Tranflated from the French. Vol. I. 8vo. pp. 240. 3s. 6d. fewed. Johnson. 1791, THE Annales de Chimie (which fhould be tranflated Chemical Annals, not The Annals of Chemistry.) commenced in 1789, and continue to be published in monthly numbers, three of which make a volume: of thefe volumes, ten ftill remain to complete the tranflation to the prefent time. The tranflator fhould himself have mentioned thefe particulars, that his readers might form fome idea of the extent of the undertaking. Thefe Annals are more comprehenfive in their objects, than the title-page would lead to expect. Befide feveral original Memoirs in each Number, by the editors themfelves or their correfpondents, they give a compendious view of the labours of others, and of all the difcoveries fucceffively made in chemistry, and in the chemical arts and manufactures, throughout Europe. It is likewife a material part of their plan, to repeat the interefting experiments of others, and to give an account of the refults that take place in their own hands. The importance of fuch a work is obvious to every one; and the execution of it has hitherto done credit to the wellknown abilities of the gentlemen who have undertaken it. The tranflator alfo has acquitted himself, as fuch, fufficiently well but he fhould have confidered, that the fpeedy and complete communication of difcoveries and improvements is profeffedly the main object, and that, in this respect, he has by no means put the English reader in poffeffion of the fame advantages which the French reader enjoys. The French have other collections, fimilar in kind, but different in contents: the Journal de Phyfique, a monthly publication, of long standing and great celebrity, contains many valuable original papers, as well as extracts from the works of others; and, being in the fame language as the Annals, it may be prefumed to be equally known to those who are acquainted with that language, and equally unknown to those who are not: to the impartial philofopher they are indeed equally neceffary; for as the editors have efpoufed different theories, it is natural for each party to have a predilection for fuch papers, and fuch correfpondents, as are moft favourable to his own. Not that we mean to recommend The only material error that has occurred to our notice, is a flip of the pen, or of the prefs, at the top of p. 21, alkalies of the lime, for alkalies or lime. REV. JUNE 1792. N a tranf a tranflation of both the bulk and expence of fuch a work would probably defeat its intention: but, by judicious abstracts and felections, the interefting parts of them might be reduced to a very moderate compafs. Such an article as the following, which makes an entire page (184) in the prefent publication, cannot be supposed to be of any importance to the English reada er, especially when a work of the fame nature has been much better executed, three years ago, in our own language*: Supplement to the Second Edition of the Elements of Chemißry and Natural Hiftory, By M. De Fourcroy. 1 Vol. Octavo. The name of M. de Fourcroy appears in the title of this little work by mistake. It is by Mr. Adet, whom M. de Fourcroy defired to undertake it. This work does not appear to us to admit of being analyfed, as it ftates, chapter by chapter, the additions which M. de Fourcroy has made to his work. But we believe that Mr. Adet has pursued in this performance the best mode that could be devifed.' Some other articles, of much greater length, are equally uninteresting to the English reader; though they may, doubtlefs, at the time of their original publication, have contributed not a little to give celebrity to the fyftem which the editors were labouring to propagate. The most important papers in the prefent volume are the following: M. ADET on the fuming muriat of tin, or smoking spirit of Libavius; which is found to confift of tin combined with oxygenated muriatic acid and caloric, deftitute of water on introducing about one third of water, the caloric is extricated, and the muriat becomes a folid mass, no longer fuming. M. LAVOISIER on the combuftion of iron in vital air; fhewing that the vital air unites wholly with the iron: but that with zinc, notwithstanding its well-known combustibility, the phenomenon does not fucceed; a circumftance for which the author does not attempt to account. M. BERTHOLLET on the Pruffic acid; which he finds to confist of azote, hydrogene, and carbone, in unknown proportions. On metallic oxids, or calces; which appear to act as acids with alkalies or lime; as alkalies with acids; and fometimes to unite with one another, like an acid with an alkali, as gold with tin in the purple precipitate: the preparation of argentum fulminans is defcribed, and its effects are explained.Abridgment of Pelletier's Memoir on the indirect combination of phosphorus with metallic fubftances, by fluxing them with glafs of phosphorus and charcoal: it united with gold, platina, fil * See vol. iii. of our New Series, p. 163. |