that the carious and corrupted parts might be feparated from the found: and fometimes a fungus fhould be cut off. The internal and external ufe of hemlock prevents, with fufficient effect, any relapse in fuch cafes, But fometimes the callous lips of cancers, or fungous cancers themfelves, are wasted away, by the following remedy only. Take of the powder of hemlock two drams and a half; and of the honey of rofes three ounces. This medicament is fpread upon lint; and applied to the part affected, as often as the physician, or furgeon, judges neceffary. A method of preventing and removing Epileptic Fits; with fome obferva tions tending to prove the virtue of mufk in preventing the Apoplexy. A NY perfon fubject to the Epilepfy, may himself prevent a fit of it, if he has any the leaft previous notice of its coming, before he be altogether deprived of his fenfes, by the following fimple experiment, Let him have always ready in his pocket a piece of metal, as broad as he is able to contain between his teeth when his jaws are stretched to the utmost as foon as he feels the first symptom of the fit, let him immediately take this piece of metal, and open his teeth as wide as he is able, put the piece of metal between them, that fo his jaws may be thereby kept at their utmoft ftretch for fome time: this in about half a minute will make him come entirely to himself again, and prevent the coming on of the fit for that time. After the fit is come on, the fame experiment will alfo ferve to remove it in a very fhort time: for if any bye-ftander will take the piece of metal before described, and put it between the patient's teeth, and thereby force them open till his jaws are at the utmost stretch, the fit will immediately go off, and the patient very foon recover. The certainty of this experiment, the perfon from whom this account is taken fays, may be depended on. The manner (fays he) in which I came to the knowledge of it was from the information of a gentleman of undoubted veracity; and as what he then told me may ferve to fhew with what fuccefs the experiment had been made by others, I fhall briefly relate it. He told me, "That when he was at Amfterdam fome years ago, he happened one evening to be in company with feveral gentlemen, when one of the company happened to be feized with a fit of the Epilepfy; the other gentlemen prefent could not help being concerned at the accident; but an old officer of the army, who also made one of the company, without any concern, defired them to make themfelves eafy, for he should shortly cure him; and then taking a piece of metal out of his pocket, he went to the perfon then lying in the Epilepfy, and putting the piece of metal between his teeth, he forced them open with it, whereupon the perfon forthwith recovered. After they were again fet down, they began to enquire of the officer how he could fo quickly recover the gentleman from the Epilepfy? He told them, that he was often obliged to go out at the head of a party, when the ene my my happened to be but a small diftance from their camp; and that as feveral of their men were liable to the Epilepfy, if any of them happened to be feized with it when they were thus out upon a party, they were obliged to leave them behind, where they often fell into the enemy's hands before they recovered: That for this reason, he had -been long in fearch of fomething which might inftantly recover them. and that he had at laft fallen upon this method of forcing open their jaws with a piece of metal, which he had often tried fince, and had never yet known it to fail." As it is undoubtedly the forcing open of the jaws, and not any virtue in the metal itself, which produces this effect, there can be no difference of whatever kind the metal is of. A crown piece, I be lieve, might do; but if made of iron or steel for the purpose, I think it would be more convenient if made of a fquare or oblong form, of about the thickness of a crown, and of fuch a breadth as to be exactly equal to the wideft opening of the jaws. It may be proper alfo to obferve, that one of the edges ought to be thin, that it may the more eafily enter between the teeth, when they are to be forced open by fome other perfon; for the fame reason it may be convenient to put a han dle to it, like the handle of a key. I have reafon to believe that this experiment will not only remove the fit of the Epilepfy for that time, but alfo until the next time of its ordinary periodical rerurn, without any apparent difference from what would have happened if the fit had been allowed to work itself off. I have only to add, that I fuppofe there are few liable to the Epilepfy, who may not, by means of this experiment, prevent its coming on in the day-time: I think there are fcarce any but who have as long warning of its approach, as might be fufficient for taking out a piece of metal out of their pocket, and putting it between their teeth. PHILANTHROPOS. According to letters received this. year (1761) by the Dutch fhips from the Indies, feveral perfons, and fome of diftinétion, have died laft year at Batavia, of the apoplexy, which is thought extraordinay: for though that diftemper is as com mon in Holland as any where, yet formerly it was never heard of at Batavia; and this circumftance has been urged by very great phyficians, as a strong argument in favour of mufk, which was as much in ufe at Batavia, as difregarded in Holland and other parts of Europe, fince the the reign of Lewis XIV. whofe queen had an averfion to that and all other perfumes, which circumftance gradually drove them out of all the courts of Europe. who had the dreadful hydrophobia upon her, was doomed, according to the old custom, to be fmothered; but at the time her executioners appeared, the happened to have a fmall interval of reafon, and made fuch efforts to escape, that fhe got out of their hands to the flairs-head; when, her foot flipping, the fell, and cut through the temporal artery, which bleeding freely, her friends did not attempt to ftop it, concluding it would fave them their painful office, as in the end it did; for the woman, almost exhausted, gave evident figns of a recovery from the dreadful distemper, and actually furvived it. The remedy recommended in the Berne Tranfactions is no other than the herb Anagallis or Pimpernel gathered in July, fuffered to dry, and pulverized; it may be given in the quantity of half a dram to that of a dram, in a fimple diftilled water of the fame plant, or in tea. After which the patient is to faft for two hours. One dofe is generally fufficient; however, it may be repeated in eight or ten hours after with safety. Clarified butter or tallow, recommended as fpecificks against the bloody flux, and defluxions on the eyes and breaft. In a letter from Aaron Hill, efq; to the earl of Cheflerfield, September 27, 1747, on occafion of the havock made by that diforder in the armies in Flanders. Yopechie in quetion] where hinted first (if I mistake not) in a piece of Mr. Boyle's. The procefs (fhould your memory, by chance, not recollect it) is no more, than to take new-churned butter, 7OUR Lordship will remember without falt, and, skimming off the curdy part when melted over a clear fire, to give two spoonfuls of the clarified remainder, twice or thrice within the day. And this hath never failed to make an almoft inftant cure in many (I am fure at leaft a hundred) cafes. I have had myfelf the pleafure to relieve officioufly by its effects; and who were perfons, for the most part, at the point of death, and folemnly refigned to that laft cure of every malady, by their phyfician's farewell fentence. A long time after Mr. Boyle had published his, experience of this noble medicine, from his frequent proofs of it in Ireland, where dyfenteries were too common accidents, there happened, at the fiege of Londonderry, fuch a general demonftration of its efficacy, as leaves a fubfequent neglect of it no way to be accounted for, but from the reafon I have just affigned it to. For when by the fatigues and wants of that brave garrifon, they found themselves in greater danger, from the havock of the terrible difcafe, than from the efforts of the enemy, we are informed, by the describers of that memorable fiege, that the diftemper fopt at once, upon the foldiers finding a concealed referve of calks of tallow in a merchant's warehoufe, and dividing it among the companies, to melt with, and lengthen out, their fhort remainder of bad oatmeal. An acquaintance of my own, a gentleman of the prefcribing faculty, complained to me fome years ago, of the mortality of this diftemper, then an epidemic one, in London. I advised him to make trial of the mentioned help: to which he hrit objected, that he could could not fee upon what theory to ground a likelihood of fuch fuccefs in ufing it. For anfwer, I referred him to a known experiment in fermentation, where, on barely throw ing a little melted grease (or a fmall quantity of animal oil) upon the furface of a working liquor, when in the highest foam, the curbed inteftine motion finks to flatness in an inftant; nor can it be recovered into a new head by any art our brewers or distillers are acquainted with. The added oleaginous particles obtunding the now checked faline ones in a manner little differing from the operation of the recommended procefs in the human ftomach, when the vitiated hot ferment having had beginning, the incifive acrid falts are fheathed and made inactive by this oppofite balfamic foftener; and thence paffing on corrected through the gradual digestions, furnifh a fit chyle for blunting the too ftimulative acrimony. And hence arifes not a temporary, not a palliative reliefbut a complete eradication of the peccant principle. For when the falts above described have loft their fciatica, or rheumatifim. But (thus) unlefs in cafes of veffels, too much lacerated already, the caufe being radically removed, it is no wonder the effect is answerable. I have, therefore, not let flip this opportunity, with view to give occafion, from his recollecting it, to the most likely hand in Europe, to make generous ufe of its remembrance. I don't know whether I fhould add, (and yet it is too remote from the immediate point in view, confidering how liable an army is, efpecially, where long entrenched in marfhy fituations, to defluxions on the eyes, or breaft) that, in whatever other cafe, of falts too fharp and active, none of the trite remedies, however tedious all of them, and fome extremely mortifying, will be found of any ufe, comparatively with this plain and pleafant one, which need be taken, in the last named intentions, only to half the quantity, perfifting night and morning, for fome length of time, uninterruptedly. I points, in the abforbing fheather, On the benefit of issues in the gout, &c. thofe united contraries (commixing oily with lixivious particles) compofe, together, a new, foluble and Japonaceous body, which diffolving readily into the ferum and lymphatic humours, is prepared to pafs, by sweat, or even perfpire infenfibly through ftrainers, which (while feparate) neither oils, nor falts, could have been small enough to have pervaded; and which muft, therefore (though the blood could have been helped to throw them off upon the glands, or joints) have bred fuch obftinate concretion and obstruction there, as bring on gout, Smyrna, March 28, 1761. Beg leave to acquaint thofe, who are afflicted with the gout that they will find great benefit from iffues. The gouty humours are drained off by thefe outlets, and the fits are either prevented, or much alleviated. It is now almost feven years fince I first experienced the good effects of iffues on my gouty patients, and I have found them more or lefs beneficial to all; fome continuing to this time entirely free from fits, and also enjoy a much better state of health than before. before. Others have only a very flight fit in the winter, which feldom continue fo long as a week; whereas, before the opening of iffues, moft of them were laid up with the gout fome months every year; among whom there were two much incommoded with humours of chalky matter on fome of the joints, who are now free from that inconveniency; thefe humours having fuppurated and discharged their contents by little and little, fo that the ufe of fome joints was recovered, after having been bound up by these tumours for fome time.. This to me feems to be a proof that the supply of humours, which formed thefe tumours, was cut off by the difcharge of the iffues, and confequently proves the preventive efficacy of them, by draining off the gouty matter, which would otherwife be accumulated, after fome time, to a quantity fufficient to cause a fit or fits. I have always ordered thefe openings to be made above the knee, immediately above the garteringplace, which I have found to be a more convenient part for iffues than below the knee. I am also convinced, from experience, that thefe drains in the lower extremities are particularly beneficial, (by giving a direction of the humours downwards) in preventing the gout from affecting the head, breaft, and ftomach; a relief from the apprehenfion of which is generally very confolatory to every perfon threatened with that difeafe in these parts; even this advantage alone feemed to me a fufficient inducement for the ufe of them, and was my first motive to the trial of them, on one of my patients, in imminent danger, from the gout in the head and breaft; in which cafe they gave fuch relief as engaged me to order them for thofe of my patients who were the most afflicted with this disease. I have generally found that one iffue is fufficient to carry off or prevent the disease, except the fits are long, frequent and violent; in fuch cafes I always defire that two iffues may be opened. I imagine that every body will eafily be convinced of the neceffity of fuch outlets in gouty bodies; and, I hope, that the benefit of them will be found on trial; their ufe is become so general here, that even the porters, almost to a man, have iffues either in their arms or legs, and they find much benefit from them, for old achs from ftrains and for rheumatic and sciatic pains. Though I know of no objection which can be made to the opening of iffues for the gout, notwithstanding I advise every perfon to confult the phyfician, who is best acquainted with his constitution before he takes this ftep; perhaps fome extraordinary circumftance may forbid the use of them. As I have no other motive or view, in making this public, but that of the relief of those afflicted with the gout, I only beg the favour of thofe who try this method of cure, that they tranfmit to me an account of its effects for my further information. Letters may be directed to Doctor Turnbull, in Smyrna, to be left at the Swordblade Coffee-Houfe, London. Poft paid to London. I am Sir, your moft humble, and moft obedient fervant, A. TURNBULL. P. S. I intended to have wrote more fully on this method of carry ing |