mouths of the abforbents, leads Mr. Cruikshank to enquire how the fluids, found in the feveral cavities, are there depofited. The opinion of Albinus, Haller, Mekel, and other eminent anatomifts, who think the fluids, or the finer and thinner parts of them at least, foak or tranfude through the coats of the arteries and the integuments inclofing them, is not admitted by our Author, who maintains that all parts of the living body are impervious but by veffels.' This is mere logomachy;-for a fluid, paffing through the fide of an extreme artery into an adjoining cell, or cavity, may be faid to pafs through a veffel whofe length equals the invifible thickness of the fine coat of the fmall artery; this very fhort veffel may furely, without any impropriety, be called pore, and Mr. C.'s opinion will be found to be the fame with that of the gentlemen above mentioned, there being no other difference between them than the terms in which they have expreffed their ideas. Our Author's firft argument againsttranfudation is, "If fluids get out of veffels by tranfudation, they may get into them by the fame means; and the first step, at least, in abforption might thus depend on animal porofity.' The fallacy of this reasoning is evident from the fuppofition that the pores are valvular, and Mr. C. has not proved that they are not fo-the objection is equally valid against the Author's opinion of evacuation through veffels; if fluids get out of cavities by paffing through veffels, they may get into them by the fame means. After a few general arguments, he proceeds to particulars : The fweat, or fluid found on the furface of the body, and which comes more immediately under our obfervation, is found in greater quantities at one time than another. This increafe of quantity is evidently connected with the greater force in the heart and arteries propelling the fluids, as we fee after violent exercife. Now these facts correfpond better with the theory which fuppofes organized orifices, or that the mouths of the exhalent arteries terminate on furfaces; for as the force is greater which propels the fluids, thefe orifices must be in proportion diftended; and the fluid being also propelled with greater velocity, we can easily conceive how the fecretion fhould be increased.' This is ftill no argument against pores. With refpe& to the tranfudation of fecreted fluids, as the bile, urine, &c. through the coats of their respective receptacles or bladders, we perfectly agree with Mr. Cruikshank, not on account of the arguments he ufes in fupport of his affertions, but because, as he himself juftly obferves, appearances in living animals, or those lately dead, moft clearly evince, that, in a found ftate of those membranes, no tranfudation ever takes place. The appearances, in bodies long (fuppofe two or three days) dead, are deceitful, because the parts are then in a state of putrefaction, and the folids, approaching to difflution, are permeable by the contained fluids. That there is no tranfudation,' fays Mr. C. through the the cuticle, I am perfectly certain. Vefecations from burns or blifters afford us an opportunity of being convinced of this fact.' We cannot allow this argument to be a juft one, because the action of the fire, or a corrofive, as cantharides, deftroys the natural structure of the fkin, and no conclufion can be drawn from the appearance, fince it is the confequence of an injury, or violence, offered to the found parts. Having determined against all tranfudation, Mr. Cruikshank proceeds to the hiftory of the fubject in which he is engaged. He fhews what opinions the ancients maintained about abforption; and though they univerfally taught all abforption to be performed by veffels, yet they thought thefe veffels no other than the arteries and veins. He then relates the experiments made by feveral anatomifts to prove the truth of the doctrine of venous abforption, as delivered by Hippocrates and his commentator Galen. Mr. Cruikshank, however, points out the fallacy of their experiments, and juftly refutes their arguments, both by reafoning, and by a number of curious experiments, clearly demonftrating that the red veins do not abforb. Having proved this fact, he determines that the lacteals and lymphatics, to which he gives the general name of abforbent veflels, are the only veffels that do absorb. We next meet with defcriptions of the different methods which anatomifts have used for difcovering the lymphatics and lacteals. With these we fuppofe most of our anatomical readers to be fufficiently acquainted; and as we do not observe that they are materially different from the practice of fome of the best anatomical fchools in Europe, we fhall proceed to our Author's chapter on the lymphatic glands. Anatomifts are divided in their opinions about the structure of the fubftance of the glands; fome affirm them to be made up of convolutions of the vafa inferentia, while others ftrenuously contend that they are a congeries of cells totally diftinct from the lymphatic veffels. Mr. C. after reviewing the arguments ⚫ on each fide of the queftion, concludes: From what has been faid, it will appear, that it is no eafy matter to unravel the structure of the lymphatic glands. I fhall faithfully relate what has occurred to me, having been very much occu→ pied in injecting thefe glands with quickfilver. If the glands are completely injected, and then examined in the microscope, it is certainly true, as Profeffor Mekel hath obferved, that nothing but convolutions of lymphatic veffels are to be feen in many inftances; but it is as true, that after the most fuccefsful injections of these glands, the cells have been feen perfectly diftinct. I have injected many glands where there was not the leaft appearance of a convoluted veffel, and where the radiated branches of the inferens and efferens, with intermediate cells only, were to be found; but I never injected a lymphatic gland, where I did not fee fome cells, particularly if I was attentive to the mercury just as it entered the gland. Accordingly, one of the beft methods of fhewing thefe cells, is stopping the injection after the gland is half filled; the cells are then exceedingly evident. But if the injection goes on, the cells are covered over with ramifications of finer veffels, entering thofe cells, and injected contrary to the valves.' Mr. Cruikshank then proceeds to defcribe the appearances of thefe cells, and their connection with each other, and the veffels opening into them: of this valuable part of the work we can make no extract for the entertainment of our curious reader, on account of the impoffibility of doing it juftice for want of the elegant, and, we think, accurate engravings with which it is accompanied. The first part of the performance concludes with fome general obfervations on the functions and ufes of the lacteals and lymphatics. In this account there is much ingenuity, and fome hypothefis; yet, though we admire the Author as a diligent and quick-fighted anatomift, we have fome difficulty in allowing him the praife of an accurate logician. It requires great abilities, and all the powers of perfuafion, joined with a perfect knowledge of facts, in order to convince old anatomifts that the theory of which they are poffeffed, and which coft them much application and time in acquiring, is a falfe one, and founded on no better bafis than the ipfe dixit of a profeffor. The difficulty is increased when a new theory is to be demonftrated, for befide pulling down the old building, a new one must be erected in its place, liable to the united attacks of the poffeffors of the former. All this we think Mr. Cruikshank's performance has effected; and though we are convinced of the truth of his doctrine in general, and have long been fo, yet many arguments, much more forcible than those which he uses, might have been brought for its fupport. The fecond part of the performance before us contains a defcription of the abforbent glands, with their fituations, number, and form; it alfo defcribes the particular diftribution of the abfurbing veffels throughout the human body, with the methods belt adapted for tracing them in their various ramifications and divifions. This being merely anatomical, cannot be abridged. Great merit is due to the very elegant figure of the whole fyftem of abforbents with which their anatomy is il Juftrated. We shall only add our opinion, that Mr. Cruikshank's labours will ever be efteemed a valuable addition to the libraries of anatomifts. R— m ART. ART. XIII. Poems on various Subjects. By Henry James Pye, Efq. Ornamented with Frontifpieces. 2 Vols. 8vo. 12s. Boards. Stockdale. 1787. MOST OST of the poems in this collection have been published feparately, fome of them with, and others without, the Author's name. The firft volume contains feveral fmall pieces, as Odes, Songs, Elegies, &c.; which are followed by fome larger and more important poems, that were noticed in our Journal at the time of their publication. Among thefe are, The Triumph ́ of Fashion*; Shooting; The Aerophorion ; and A Tranflation of Six of Pindar's Olympic Odes, omitted by Mr. Weft §. The pieces in this volume which are new to us, confirm the opinion we had formerly entertained of Mr. Pye's poetical talents. We fhall entertain our Readers with the following extract from the poem entitled, The Parfonage improved: Here erft a fimple fabric might you fee, By the foft tendrils of the Vine embrac'd And now, as Autumn's ripening beams defcend, The fecond volume contains three poems, namely, Faringdon Hill, of which we gave an account in our Review, vol. 1. * See Rev. vol. xliv. p. 416. See Rev. vol. lxxii. p. 390. 2 + See Rev. vol. Ixii. p. 286. P. 488; The Progress of Refinement, for which fee Review, vol. Ixix. p. 282, and The Art of War, tranflated from the French of the King of Pruffia, which we commended in our fixty-fifth volume, p. 285. The fecond edition of this tranflation was prefented to the King of Pruffia, with the following verfes : IMPERIAL BARD! if while my humble ftrain Tho' FAME has cull'd from PHOEBUS' facred tree This tranfient bloffom with thy laurel leaves.' The Tranflator confeffes, in his Preface, to have deviated frequently from the letter of the royal original; but he has nevertheless faithfully preserved the spirit and fentiments of his AuR_m thor. ART. XIV. The Poems of Mr. Gray with Notes by Gilbert Wakefield, B. A. late Fellow of Jefus College, Cambridge. 8vo. 3s. 6d. Boards. Kearsley. 1786. A Claffical Poet undoubtedly ought to have a claffical Commentator. That Mr. Gray was the former, no one can queftion that Mr. Wakefield is the latter, fufficiently appears from the quotations with which his former Commentary on Matthew, and the prefent work, abound. As far as an intimate acquaintance with the ancients, and a wonderful facility in bringing together parallel paffages, qualify a man to be a critic, few have a better title to the character than the present Editor. We will add too, that in a quick difcernment of beauties and faults, Mr. Wakefield appears by no means deficient; for his works abound with ftrong expreffions of admiration, and of difguft, which feem to be dictated by real feeling. Yet after all, there are feveral particulars in which, according to our judgment, he falls far fhort of the merit of a good critic. Deliberation and coolness in judging, candour in cenfuring, and modefty in afferting (qualities which a critic ought doubtless to poffefs), we look for in vain in this writer. Extravagant commendations, and violent cenfures, make up fo large a part of this publication, that we cannot give our Readers a perfect idea of the kind of entertainment he is to expect from it, without laying before him fome fpecimens of each. REV. June, 1787. |