Of the other remedies for lues venerea, Mr. Hunter fpeaks most favourably of the guaiacum and mezereon. The farfaparilla, he thinks, has little power in curing the difeafe, and opium none.

The variety of fubjects treated of in this volume, their delicate and, mifcellaneous nature, with the frequent novelties, which we could not comprefs, have occafioned us to pats very lightly over fome important parts. We have aimed at giving

a general view of this peculiar work, to point out its difcriminating features, without veiling its faults, or exaggerating its merits. If there is fomewhat to blame, there is much to praise and the man who forfakes the road, may fometimes be perplexed by the devious windings of the foreft, or be nearly loft in a treacherous bog. Even the errors of fuch a man are refpectable, for the genius which occafionally miffeads, enables him, other times, to direct as by a nearer and a better path,

a

Medical Sketches in Two Parts. By John Moore, M. D. 8vo. DTOW YOGI 65. Cadell.

10 109

AS we have travelled through France, Italy, and Germany,

with this ingenious and entertaining author, we undertook, with much pleafure, to follow him in his tour through the frequently inexplicable labyrinth of the human conftitution. We there found him equally chearful; occafionally farcaftic and fevere, but always clear and intelligent. He kept too clofely perhaps to the beaten path, and was unwilling to leave the Kigh road; while we thought that he might, at leaft, have collected flowers, and even fruit, in a different path. But be ♪ tells us, in the beginning, that his object was to inftruct

a

hear

relation in a difficult fituation; and this account of his prefent travels, to continue the metaphor, is one of the moft ufeful books of poft-roads that we have feen.-We must now drop the 2traveller and examine the phyfician.

stoIn the Introduction, which is written with his ufual fpirit, he examines the general effects of remedies, and the general modes of practice, in his lively defuitory manner. His examples are pointed and acute; for instance,

There is a kind of quackery which fame people feem to invite; they cannot be fully convinced of their phyfician's kill and attention without it. Proofs of this are to be met with

every where in a certain city the continent I happened to call upon a lady, who, on account of a pain and fight fwelling in her ancle, had confulted a well known phyfician, who, al

Ee3

though

though he is accufed by his brethren of much charlatanical parade in his practice, commands the admiration of his patients in a more fupreme degree than any doctor I was ever acquainted with. He had juft left her when I entered: he told me he had ordered a poultice of bread and milk to be applied to the part, and then giving her watch to her maid, the defired her to take particular care that the poultice fhould be boiled ex actly four minutes and a half, for fuch were the express or ders of monfieur le docteur. On my expreffing fome furprise at the minuteness of thefe orders, the exclaimed, "Mon Dieu, quelle precision! il calcule comme un angol to bind sinslo̟n»

We find more to approve in this Introduction than what is fit to felect. As the doctor has, however, told history, he: shall now be allowed toogive his opinion on a fubject of more importance.

It requires more natural penetration and attention than many people poffefs, or are willing to bestow, to determine the genuine effect of particular regimens or courfes of medicine, Befides natural acuteness and fagacity, it requires the exact weighing of every concomitant and collateral circumftances which can promote, retard, or prevent the effect of the medi cine at the time it is administered. It is proper to make re-, peated trials, and on people of various conftitutions. It is abfolutely requifite to have no favourable hypothefis, to be divefted of all partiality for, or prejudice againft, the medicine and in fhort, to have no view but the difcovery of truth. But when fuch investigations are begun by people already biaffed to one fide or the other, or when carried on carelessly, we need not be furprised to find that the inferences are different, though all are faid to be equally drawn from obfervation,ad of 1090

But, as hafty and fuperficial obfervation often contributes to raise the reputation of very foolish prefcriptions, fo it: fometimes tends to injure thofe of real utility. For the fame ftrength of understanding which imputes falutary effects to the former because they do not always kill, will impute pernicious ones to the latter because they do not always cure,q sds roleq doidw

His phyfiological inftructions are on Digeftion, the Circu-d lation of the Blood, Secretion, Abforption, Refpiration, and the Nervous Syftem. His account of the feveral opinions on thefe fubjects, is enlivened with much pleasantry, The greatest deficiency which we have remarked, relates to animal heat He does not give a proper view of the opinion attributed to Dr. Crawford, which the author feems to have abandoned, merely because the machinery requires a little alteration: Tthe fprings and principal parts are, we believe, to be depended on; but fome of the more ufeful appendages ought to be changed,

A little

44

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A little error, which Dr. Moore feems to have fallen into in his reasoning on the nervous fyftem, arifes from his not having perceived fully, the connection between the nervous power and the organization of the fubftance through which it is conducted. Many experiments show this connection, and many diseases are influenced im their events by it at the same time, we must acknowledge, that feveral noxious powers act only on the nervous fyftem; as containing a finid of peculiar properties. Our author, from his having neglected this dis ftinction, does not perceive how foft pulpy fubftances can retain1® an elaftic fluid, or how a ligature could check its course. 19 Perhaps we may add, that Dr. Moore feems to ftoop too low, by explaining, in the margin, very common words. We t are averfe only to the general diffufion of medical knowledge, because, as the furface is more extenfive, the depth is neceffar rily lefs. Could mankind decide on these fubjects with clearness and propriety, medicine fhould no longer be profeffed as a diftinct science; but, when the experiment has been made, they have become too wife to be governed, and not wife enough to govern themselves. It is at leasts pretty certain, that the gentleman, for whom these Sketches were written, wanted no such explanations.elig abs at

inast

50

The diseases treated of in this volume are fevers in general; particularly the inflammatory, the remittent or mixed fever, and the nervous fever. The theories of fever are examined in a lively, popular manner indeed, in every part of his work, courts popularity with an anxious attention, In explaining the caufes of the great influence of Boerhaave's theory, he has forgotten one circumstance which particularly contributed to it, viz. its being fo general a compilation : few could object to the whole without combating, in fome measure, their former opinions.

The true inflammatory fever he allows to exist, but feems to think it rare. The mixed fever, with the circumstances which perplex the practitioner, he has attended to with care; but does not rely on the influence of critical days *. The propriety of taking blood is examined with attention. We! fhalle felect a short specimen from this part of the volume.

9

fin The two circumftances which deferve to have the greatest weight in deciding this question, are the nature of the prevail-ing epidemic, if any prevails, and the conftitution of the pa

*Though swe differ in opinion from the author on this fubject, yet wen do not blame him; every practitioner has a right to give what appears to be the refult of his own obfervations. We with, however, that, in a work which will probably be in the hands of students, o remark had occurred, which might even remotely have encouraged indolence.

Ee 4

tient;

fient; for if the laft is not exceedingly ftrong and plethorie indeed, and the pulfe firong and full in proportion, it will be fafeft to omit bleeding when nervous malignant fevers are fre quent in the neighbourhood. But if the frength of the patient and the fymptoms of inflammation determine us to risk this evacuation, it should be in a much more moderate degree than we might have thought expedient, had no fuch epidemics reigned at the time.

After all the accuracy that can be difplayed in pointing out the proper treatment in this important article, cafes occur that puzzle phyficians of the greatest natural fagacity and moft improved experience and perhaps puzzle thofe of this defeription only for there are to whom no extension of practice can give experience, and to whole felf-fufficiency, no cafe, however complicated with oppofing symptoms, afeems intricate,350 svad Again, with refpect to the bark.i ni vomitomo bas slas

Ceflive weakness, and increase bark earlier

a

9 Tro sussi wer itum W It was obferved above, that we might be determined in fome meafure by the nature of the reigning epidemic, with reTpect to bleeding in the beginning of this fever. The general courfe which the difeafe holds at any particular feafon, may alfo determine us with regard to the period at which we fhould begin to give the bark. For if, when this fever prevails, wè obferye, that while the fymptoms are no way alarming, and while we ufe the common means of promoting more distinct rè, miffions, the patients are apt to be suddenly seized with exconfufion in head; it will then be proper in future cafes, to give the bark earlier, that we may obviate the dangerous debility we have reafon to dread; for having obferved this in feveral cafes, we have caufe to be. Tieve that fuch is the general bent of the fever. Indeed it commonly happens that epidemie difeafes are treated more fuccessfully after having continued for fome time, than when they first appears on this account, because we become acquainted with the various changes of the diseases, and by that means are bfometimes enabled to prevent the effects of the most troublesome fymptoms.' themgboj ai sit of ro We find no great peculiarity in our author's account of the freffects of remedies, except that he finds the columbo.root a gentle laxative. drew leegge I wol yd viragong was bebisug sin The nervous fever is defcribed in pointed and appropriated language: we have not feen a more faithful picture; and the difputes, on the putrefcence of the animal fluids, are detailed with equal fpirit and precision. Much attention is also paid, as a matter of the greatest confequence, to the diftinguishing fymptoms. Bleeding, our author thinks, is very seldom, if ever, admiffible; and he thinks very jully.We may, however, hint, that inflammations of the lungs sometimes occur with putrid fevers, and then do not bear bleeding. Such

epidemies

ment.

16

spidemics are uncommon; but they have existed; they have extended widely, and they may again occur. We fincerely with sthatsthofen who have been converfant with them would inform the world of their symptoms and methods of treat can on mmstub noitammtáni to smotqmył odi bas 15 judicious. We know not His practice is on the whole, why he fhould fear cenfure from the quantity of wine which he mentions, for we are certain that his directions are highly proper and falutary. The bark may have fucceeded in the manner defcribed, in his hands; we can only fay, that it has failed in our's.to sions stasuq zasdrog bas-sonomoaxs byvong vi Dre Moore obferves that blifters are feldom of fervice in nervous fever; owe, believe fo, except when topical congestions have occurred. This is not uncommon in the end of the dif cafe, and fometimes in its progrefs.

We must now leave our entertaining author. We have given the more striking features of his work, and we have done it in a manner which we hope will lea lead our readers to examine it more particularly in many refpects thefe Sketches de Mervel it. dollw to Loung

7

The Perfian Heroine, a Tragedy. By Richard Paul Jodrell, Efq. -xe driw berist FRISI 410. 65. Faulder.

TH

HIS tragedy, though announced as a fecond edition, never DES6made its public appearance till now. It was firft printed in the octavo form, that it might be fubmitted with more facility to the reader than a manufcript allows. The reader or -readers here alluded to, we fuppofe, are the managers of Druryylane and Covent-garden theatres, who refufed to accept it in no very civil manner. Mr. Jodrell inveighs against them with "great leverity, wishes that the legislature would interfere on fuch occafions, and that a board of able critics was appointed to fit in judgment on the performances of theatrical candidates. The public reader, he adds, muft now decide on the merits of this tragedy; and to that tribunal, having first guarded the property by law, I appeal with confidence

Capricious and infolent as our dramatic managers may fomeetimes be, yet are they frequently cenfured very unjustly. Are not authors, proverbially, too partial to their own productions and can it be expected that they will pay implicit credit to their judgment, who are parties concerned? Mr. Jodrell appears very converfant with the writers of antiquity; but is his performance, therefore, calculated for representation? He feems well acquainted with the manners of ancient Perfia;

It is entered in Stationers-Hall.

and