The New constructed double Microscope,lia
Invented & made by John Cuff

1753. Mr. NOR FORD, of CANCEROUS TUMOURS.

As any new Discovery that but seems to have
a Tendency towards the Cure of that terrible
Difemper called a CANCER, ought
to be made as publick a as poffible, we shall
give our Readers the following Extract
from a Letter written by Mr. WILLIAM
NORFORD, Surgeon and Man-Midwife,
to Mr. JOHN FREKE, Surgeon to St. A
Bartholomew's Hofpital, and published
at the End of Mr. NORFORD'S Effay on
CANCEROUS TUMOURS.

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I fhall not, at prefent, trouble you with an account of all the plants I have made trial of: That which, I think, deferves our immediate notice, is, the fharp-pointed fpurge, or cataputia, which I have growing in my garden.-The milky juice of this plant is fomewhat acrimonious, as may be difcovered by the tafte of it; but C it makes no change on the blue paper.

As I do not, now, intend to give a detail of the methods made ufe of to difcover the nature of this plant, and what first induced me to make trial of it, I fhall only, in general terms, tell you in what manner I have used it, and the fuccefs I have had with it in one cafe; at the fame D time ingenuously relating what I mixed with it, and what internal medicines my patient took at the time of its application.

After I had got about a pint of the juice of the cataputia (partly by wounding a number of plants in feveral places, and partly by expreffion) I placed it in E the fun, in a leaden-difh, where it stood till it had acquired almoft the consistence of an ointment.-To every ounce of this infpiffated juice, I mixed of mercur, dulcis præcipit. and finely levigated black-lead, of each one fcruple: The unguent, thus prepared, was kept in gallypots close tied down with a bladder, for ufe.

The cafe in which I ufed the above unguent is as follows.

A young woman, about thirty years old, (fometimes fubject to cutaneous ulcers on her legs, which were healed by ordinary applications and mild mercurial purgatives) had the misfortune to be brought to bed of an illegitimate child, which at firft the fuckled.

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In a few weeks after her delivery, her right breaft fwelled and inflamed, fo that the child could not fuck of it: But to prevent its coming to fuppuration, she had it, twice in a day, fomented with very hot fpir. vin. rect, which, indeed, abated the fwelling, in fome measure, and the inflammation; but reduced the whole breast to a very hard fchirrhous tumour.-The uneafinefs which the fuffered from the pains in her breast, and other circumstances, going contrary to her wishes, threw her into a fever, for which the kept her bed three weeks. During this diforder the milk in her other breast fo much leffened, that he was obliged to wean the infant.

Almoft four months elapfed in the ufe of various applications, as poultices, &c. prefcribed by her female acquaintance, to refolve the induration of the breaft; but with fo little fuccefs, that both the pain and hardness rather increased; although there was a partial fuppuration of a very large knot in the interior inferior fide of the breaft near its bafis.-The matter difcharged was thin and ichorous.--Soon after this an ill-conditioned fungus thrust out at the orifice of the fore, which her female attendant endeavoured often to reduce, by clipping off the top with her fciffars, afterwards rubbing it with the vitriol ftone, and then covering the ulcer Thefe applications gave her great pain, with an ointment of her own making.the fungus, in a day or two, growing up as large as ever, and bleeding fome ounces every time it was cut, made her, at length, fo miferable, that the was defirous I should attend her.

I found the whole breaft indurated, as that it could with difficulty be moved upbefore obferved, and much enlarged, fo on the ribs; the fkin a little inflamed, and the cutaneous veins turgid.-The fungus was near an inch higher than the fkin, and as large as an ordinary man's thumb, the roots of which feemed to grow out of the middle of the tumour, which could with much difficulty be felt from the other parts of the breast, and was of the fize of a large hen's egg. This was the tumour, in which there had been an ichorous fuppuration, as above-mentioned. From this fungus there iffued a very thin and fetid fanies.

The whole breaft, and particularly the knot, from whence the fungus grew, were attended with fuch lancinating pains, that Hhh the,

September, 1753. *What I call Mercur. dulcis præcipit. is fweet mercury precipitated in aq. calcis, and is prepared as follows. Take of frong aq. calcis one pound; of mercur, dulcis well levigated, balf an ounce; mix, and let them fand sogether a day or two till the mercury is precipitated black poroder at the bottom of the glass; then feparate it from the water, by filtering the latter per chartam: The remaining powder in the paper is to be dry'd, and kept in a wial clofe ftopped for use.

in a very

fhe, frequently, for fome weeks past, had laid whole nights without fleep.-Except a little feverish indifpofition, confequently arifing from the trouble and fatigue of this breaft, he was otherwise in pretty good health, tho' the had had no appearance of her menfes for three months past.

I paffed my probe near two inches into feveral parts of the fungous mafs, without giving her much pain; but the blood immediately followed the withdrawing the probe, to the quantity of an ounce or

two.

From thefe circumstances I was appre henfive the breaft was become cancerous;

henfive of a return of the difeafe, owing, as I fuppofed, to fome affected part being left behind, which thould have been extirpated.

I attempted reducing this excrefcence with red mercury præcipitate; but this did not agree; it feemed to harden the exA crefcence, although it cropt the top of it, while the bafis daily encreased, and the other parts of the wound began to discharge a very thin matter.

and, although I concealed my fentiments B from her concerning it, I judged there could be no cure, unless the breast was amputated.

However, being defirous to see what 1 could do with it, before I propofed the extirpation; I bled and purged her, twice in a week, with argent. viv. gr. xij. pilul. ex eolocynthide cum aloe gr. xv. made into pills; C directed cooling lotions to the imflamed integuments; applied ung. nutrit. cum pulver. gall. to the fungus; and, laftly, covered the whole breaft with a mercurial fatusnine cerate. I likewife prefcribed her a fuitable diet.

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Five weeks were spent in attempting to refolve the induration of the breaft, with this fuccefs, that the hardness dispersed, and it became very moveable on the ribs; but the tumour and fungus remained much as ufual; daily difcharging a thin watery ichor, but lefs foetid.-I then endeavour'd to destroy the fungus with fome præcipitate, but by this means the diforder was greatly itritated; the tumour, in a few days, enlarged; the whole breast swelled, and grew again very painful. Upon this, I immediately defifted from any farther ufe of the præcipitate; applied ung. nutrit. ut Antea, continuing the application of the faturnine cerate; repeated bleeding and purging as before.-In little better than a week's time, the fwelling was again fubfided, and the pains almoft gone, fo zhat I could feel diftinctly the tumour, which was, indeed, harder than usual, as well as the fungous flesh.--In a few days after this, the breast coming to its natural foftness, I then, with my patient's confent, was determined to diffect out the knot and fungus together; which accordingly I did.--Five days after the opera tion, the wound began to digeft, and G feemed to go on as well as we could wish; but in the fpace of a week more, at the bottom of the wound, I difcovered a hardith fungous excrefcence arifing, atended with fome pain.

This greatly alarmed me, being appre

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I endeavoured to excite a gentle falivation after the operation, according to the directions in my effay, but in vain, the mercury always ran through her.-The methods proving unfuccefsful, I applied the following cataplafm, and made her drink daily five pints of the deco£t. lign guaiac. as directed in the medical effays. By Rafur. lign. guaiac. †ss, flor, chamæmel. m. vj. M. coq. ex aq. funt. q. so ad colat. iv. p. foru.

B bujufque colatur. ft. farin. fem. lin.

iv. coq. ad confiftent, cataplafm.

After a week's use of thefe things, I found they would answer neither mine, nor my patient's expectations; for althe the fweat confiderably, and part of the breaft continued in good order, yet the fungous excrefcence encreafed, and the fore daily grew more crude.

I then covered the whole fore, with thin pledgets of lint fpread with the unguent of the cataputia before defcribed; over this I applied the cataplafm, and continued the decoction as before.-The fecond day after the application of the cataputia, the lips of the fore grew turgid and inflamed; and the affected nde of the breast, on the third day, was fomewhat tumified, but attended with no great degree of pain.-In fhort, in about ten days, there followed several small fuppurations in the lips of the fore, the fungous fubftance daily wafted, and was caft off, and in fifteen days after the ufe of the cataputia, the ulcer became well digefted, and appeared in a healing state.-I then ordered her to drink lefs of the decoction, and left off the use of ointment of the carap tia. I dreffed the ulcer with fuch ordinary applications, as are commonly used to wounds in an incarning state; but continued the ufe of the cataplafm to the end of the cure; which was compleated in two months after the application of the cataputia.

Two months after her cure, her menfes returned, and continued their regular periods; and fince that she is grown healthy and ftrong, having no fymptom of her fermer complaint.

There

$753.

M. VOLTAIRE'S LETTER to his NIECE.

There being fome Things very remarkable in M. Voltaire's Letter to his Niece, we hall first give the Original, and then an English Translation, for the fake of thofe of our Readers who do not understand the French.

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ne devoient pas jetter tant d'amertume fur la fin de ma vie. Il a pris confeil de fa colére, il le prendra de fa raison et de fa bonié; mais que fera-t-il pour reparer l'outrage abominable. qu'on vous a fait en fon nom? My lord marefball fera fans doute chargé de vous faire oublier, s'il eft poffible, les borreurs où un. Freytag

Lettre de Monfieur VOLTAIRE à Madame A vous a plongée.
DENIS.

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De Mayence, le 9me Juillet, 1753. Ly avoit trois ou quatre ans que je n'avais pleuré, et je comptois bien que mes Prunelles ne connoitreient plus cette foibleffe jfquá à ce qu'elles fe fermaffent pour jamais!

Hier le fecretaire du comte de Stadian me rouva fondant en larmes ; je pleurois vôtre depart et votre fejour. L'atrocité de ce que vous avez fouffert perdois de fon borreur quand vous étiez avec moi; vôtre patience et stre courage m'en donnoient ; mais aprés vôtre départ je n'ai plus été foutenu. Je crois que, (c'eft un reve) je crois que tout cela s'eft pale du tems de Dennis de Siracufe. Je me demande, s'il est bien vrai qu'une dame de Paris, voyageant avec un passport du roi fon maitre, et été trainée dans les rues de Francfert par des foldats, conduite en prifon fans aucune forme de procés, fans femme de chambre, fans domestique, ayant a fa porte quatre foldats la bayonette au bout du fufil, et contrainte de fouffrir qu'un commis de ce Freytag, un fcelerat de la plus ile efpecé, paffe feul la nuit dans fa chambre? Quand la Brinviliers fut arretéé le boreau ne fut jamais feul avec elle: Il n'y a point d'exemple d'une indécence fi barbare; et quel étoit vôtre crime ? D'arucir couru 200 lieues pour venir conduire aux eaux de Plombieres un oncle mourant, que vousregardez comme vêtre pere. left trifle fans doute pour le roi de Pruffe, qu'il n'ait pas encore réparé une pareille indignité comise en fon nom par un bomme qui fe dit fon miniftre.

Paffe encore pour moi; il m'avoit fait ar. reter pour r'avoir fon livre imprime de poësies, dont il m'avoit gratifié, et auquel j'avois quelque droit. Il me l'avoit laiffé comme un gage de fes bontés, et comme la recompenfe de mes fuins; il a voulu reprendre ce bienfait ; il n'avoit qu'a dire un mot, ce n'etoit pas la peine de faire emprisonner un vieillard qui va prendre les eaux; il auroit pû fe fouvenir que depuis plus de 15 ans il m'avoit prevenu par fes bontés feduifantes; qu'il m'avoit dans ma vicillele tiré de ma patrie; que j'avois trawaillé avec lui deux ans de fuite à perfectioner Jes talens; que je l'ai bien fervi, et ne lui ai manqué en rien qu'enfin il eft bien au dessous de fon rang et de fa gloire, de prendre parti dans une querelle academique, et de finir, pour tout recompenfe, en me faifant demander fes pofies par des foldats. Fespere qu'il connoitra tot ou tard qu'il a été trop loin; que mon ennemi l'a trompé, et que ni l'auteur ni le roi

On vient de m'envoyer ici des lettres pour il y en a une de madame Fontaine qui n'eft pas confolante; on pretend toujours que j'ai été Pruffie, fi on entend par là que j'ai repondu par de l'attachement, et de l'entor fiofme aux avances fingulieres que le roi de Pruje m'a faites 15 ans de fuite on a grande raifon; mais on entend que j'ai été non fujet, et que j'ai cessé un seul moment d'étre François, en se trompe: Le roi de Pruffe ne l'a jamais propoje, il ne m'a donné la clef de chambellan que comme une marque de bonté que lui-même appelle frivole dans les vers qu'il fit pour moi en me dennant cette clef et cette croix que j'ai remifes d fes pieds; cela n'exigeoit ni ferment, ni finction, ni naturalization. On n'eft point fujet d'un roi pour porter fon ordre. Monfieur D'Ecoville, qui eft en Normandic, a encore la clef de chambellan du roi de Pruffe, qu'il porte avec la croix de St. Louis. Il y auroit bien de l^injuftice á ne me pas regarder comme François, pendant que j'ai toujours confervé ma maifon a Paris, et que j'ai payé la capitation. Pent on pretendre ferieufement que l'auteur du Siecle de Louis XIV. L'oferoit-on dire devant les ftatues de Henri IV? ajouterois de LeuD is XV. puis que je fuis le feul accaderdelen qui fit fon panegirique quand il nous denna la paix, et que lui-même a ce panegerique traduit en fix langues. Ilfe peut faire que fa majefté Pruffienne, trompée par mun ennemi et far un mouvement de colore, ait irrité le roi men mai-, tre contre moi; mais tout cede à fa justice et a fa grandeur d'ame ; il fera le premier à demander au roi mon maitre qu'en me laiffe finir mes jours da ma patrie; il se souviendra qu'il a té mon difciple, et que je n'emporte rien d'auprés de lui, que l'honneur de l'aucir mis en état d'écrire mieux que moi; il fe contentera de cette fuperiorité, et ne voudra pas fe fervir de celle que lui donne ja place pour accabler un atranger, qui l'a enfeigné quelquefois, qui l'a cheri et respecté toujours. Je ne faurois lui imputer les lettres qui courent contre moi fous fon nom; il eft trop elové et trop grand prur outrager un particulier dans fes lettres; il jait trop comment un roi doit écrire, et il conn.it le prix des bienséances ; il est né fur tout for faire connoitre celui de la bonté et de la clemence. C'etoit le caractere de nêtre bon roi Henri IV. il étoit promt et colere, mais il rovenoit, l'kumeur n'avoit chez lui que des memens, et l'bumanite l'infpira toute fa vie.

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Voila, ma cbere enfant, ce qu'un crcle, ou plûtôt un pere malade, dite pur fa file z je jersis un peu confolè fi vous arrivez en benne Hhha

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