tunately is not discovered. One would think that after the head of the bone, say the thigh or arm bone was thrown out of its socket on the adjoining surface, with rupture of the capsula and other ligaments, and injury and displacements of those vital pullies, the muscles, that the result would be disastrous and irremediable. But not so; nature wonderfully accommodates herself to the unnatural position; the limb regains most of its movements and powers, the muscles lengthen or shorten to adjust themselves to the new state of the limb, a new capsule is formed with all the qualities of the proper one, and like it secreting the synovia or lubricating joint oil, other ligamentous bands strengthen the newly formed joint, and if the head of the bone is thrown on the shoulder blade or hip bone, a new bony socket or cup is formed upon it, strengthened all around with a raised osseous wall. Or in case a portion of the osseous system becomes, from accident or otherwise, useless, it is removed by the absorbents. Baron Larry relates a very striking case in point in his "Military Surgery," where the head of the humerus was driven between the ribs into the cavity of the chest and could not be returned; some years afterwards the patient died, and on examining the bone, all that portion which had penetrated the chest had disappeared.

Again has a bone, say the large leg bone, received a violent shock or injury, enough to destroy its vitality, or produce necrosis, inflammation is set up, the old bone dies, the periosteum inflames and throws out bony matter in great quantities, which encases the old bone; abscesses are formed, and the old shaft, called the sequestrum, makes its escape, or is extracted by the surgeon, through some opening formed by ulceration in the new bone. After this happy extrusion the hollow fills up, the rude limb contracts, the bone becomes symmetrical, and the sinuses heal. Afterwards, could the bone be examined, it would be found so restored by nature to its proper proportions, that it could not be distinguished from the other.

Has a joint been so inflamed and ulcerated, or altered in

structure, that it is impossible for motion to be continued (for in that case the altered parts could not possibly bear the friction), what does nature effect in this dilemma? She brings about anchylosis-the bones of the joint, say of the knee, grow together and firmly unite, though they lose the power of flexion and extension; but if the limb has been kept in a proper position it remains useful-the best cure under such circumstances.

Absorption is a vital act, without which no physician could take a step. By encouraging it, he cures a multitude of diseases, removes dropsies, the apoplectic clot, and other morbid deposits. It is of equal interest to the surgeon. It assists him in numberless instances; cataract is one. In that disease the little lenticular body, situated within the eye at the anterior third, and behind the curtain of the pupil, has lost its beautiful transparency and become impervious to the rays of light. Its use being simply to converge these rays, could the cataract be removed, sight would be unaffected, at least by supplying another lens in front of the eye in the shape of the glass of the spectacles. How does the surgeon get rid of it? He avails himself of the power of absorption which the eye, like the other parts of the body, possesses. He passes his couching needle into the lens, pierces it, and endeavours to break it up. This accomplished, absorption very soon commences upon and lessens it, and eventually the pupil is left quite clear and unclouded.

The last instance we shall give of nature assisting the surgeon, is that of the disease called aneurism. This is a dilatation of the external coats of a large artery, from the impulse of the blood, into a tumour containing that fluid. It appears that no structure of the vessel is competent to resist the continuous impulse of the heart's action but its middle elastic coat; if this has become diseased, or if the vessel has been wounded, and at first closed externally by cellular tissue, the pulsatory tumour called aneurism is

formed, and constantly increases from the impulse of the heart, as neither ligament, nor cartilage, nor bone, is able to confine it, for it breaks through these by absorption and constant pressure; certain death is the result when the sac gives way. The cure may be brought about in several ways each one showing beautifully the resources of nature. Can the circulation in the tumour be but a little decreased by constant pressure above on the artery, the blood will often have a tendency to coagulate from being more at rest, and, if this occurs completely, a cure will be accomplished; a hard and diminished tumour being felt instead of a pulsatory one, the artery becoming impervious, and eventually the absorbents will remove the swelling as completely as any other useless and low organized substance. This practice has been lately re-introduced, principally by the Dublin surgeons, and with the most brilliant success. But the cure is effected in another way, by the simple operation (the invention of John Hunter) of tying the artery at a distance above the tumour. The artery in this case is obliterated by the same process as is mentioned in amputation, the adhesive inflammation. Sometimes this coagulation and solidification in the sac, takes place spontaneously, or has been encouraged by galvanism, punctures, injections, manipulations, or some other mechanical promoter of it; sometimes the tumour itself has produced compression of the vessel above, and so obliterated it; sometimes, but rarely however, Valsalva's method of bleeding and starvation has so weakened the power of the heart, that coagulation has taken place. But in all cases when a cure is brought about by obliteration of the vessel, mortification would necessarily follow to the limb, if there had been no provision in nature to continue the circulation by what is called anastamosis. In the trunk of the body, as well as in the limbs, so numerous are the vessels, and so much do they ramify into one another, upwards and downwards, that in every part nature has made a provision in these branches for the continuation of the

circulation, even when the main trunk of the body is obliterated; and if the smaller arteries are not of a calibre sufficient to effect this, they soon become so. If such a system had not been benevolently provided in the system, no mode of cure for this important disease could have been successful.

CHAPTER VIII.

Examination of the principles of Phrenology, Mesmerism, and Hydropathy, &c.-The " Organon" of Hahnemann, and Homœopathy-True animal electricity.

Ir has been observed that "no medical testimony is sufficient to establish a fact, which is itself incredible, and this previous incredulity can only be ascertained by an extensive and accurate knowledge of the functions and properties of the living body." A sentiment which may be applied to the subjects of this concluding chapter.

Having taken what we hope is a candid view of the prin