.. The fubject treated in the fucceeding, divifion of the volume is the cancer feroti, a disease which we do not recollect to h have ever feen mentioned by any former writer. It is faid to be peculiar to chimney-fweepers, by whom it is called the footwart. Its first attack, we are informed, is always in the inferior part of the fcrotum, where it produces a fuperficial, painful, ragged, ill looking fore, with callous and protuberant edges. Our author never obferved it in any perfon under the age of puberty, which he fuppofes to be the reafon why it is. generally taken, both by patient and, furgeon,, for, venereal. Inconfequence of this idea of its nature, it is treated with mercurials, by which it is much exafperated. This cancer gradually penetrates the fcrotum, and advancing upwards into the abdomen, affects fome of the vifcera, producing at length a painful, and fatal catastrophe. Mr. Pott is of opinion, that the only cure for this malady is extirpation, which ought be performed before the virus has feized the tefticle, and the habit become tainted.

The fate of thefe people, he justly remarks, feems fingu larly hard in their early infancy, they are most frequently treated with great brutality, and almoft ftarved with cold and hunger; they are thruft up narrow, and fometimes hot chin nies, where they are bruifed, burned, and almoft fuffocated; and when they get to puberty, become peculiarly liable to moft noifome, painful, and fatal difeafe."

We are next prefented with obfervations and cafes relative to the different kinds of Ruptures, defigned as an appendix to the author's former treatise on that subject..,

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The latter part of the volume contains obfervations on the Mortification of the Toes and Feet. In this diforder, which is frequently attended with fatal confequences, the author affirms that he has generally found the Peruvian bark upfuccessful, but has experienced opium to be productive of good effects. He difapproves of the fpirituous and ftimulating applications commonly ufed in fuch cafes, and recommends fomentation, with warm milk as the beft topical remedy, on account of the quality it poffeffes of alleviating the painThe whole of the obfervations here published, cannot fail of being acceptable, and even ufeful, to thofe of the profeffion.

XI. Elements of Anatomy and the Animal Oeconomy. From the French of M. Perfon. Corrected and confiderably augmented: with Notes. By Samuel Foart Simmons. 8vo. 55. in boards. Wilkie.

THE HE original of this work was entitled Elemens d'Anatomie, and was written by M.Perfon, a French phyfician, with the view of conveying an idea of the ftructure of the human

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body, and the principal functions of the animal oeconomy, to gentlemen who were defirous of ftudying thefe fubjects as a Branch of natural philofophy. WCTW To render the work $ Imore ufeful to thofe of the profeffion, Mr. Simmons has not only tranflated it into English, but likewife greatly enlarged it, and made confiderable alterations; fometimes new modelling the text, and at other times giving his remarks at the bottom of the page. Notwithstanding all the freedom, which Mr. Símmons acknowledges he has ufed with his author, he has in fome places declined the office of emendation, where, in conformity to his plan, he ought to have exercifed it. For inftance, in the thirteenth fection, which is entitled, Of Di geftion, the arrangement of the fubject is confufed." He firlt defcribes the mouth, tongue, pharynx, &c. After which he makes a tranfition to Hunger, and Thirft; and then returns to Maffication and Deglutition. With refpect to the illuf tration of the fubject, however, we find nothing that merits reprehenfion. The following extract from the chapter which we have mentioned may ferve as a fpecimen of the work.

It has been obferved that the aliment undergoes föme preparation in the mouth before it paffes into the ftomach; and this preparation is the effect of maftication.In treating of the upper and lower jaws, mention was made of the num ber and arrangement of the teeth. The upper jaw was defcribed as being immoveable; but the lawer jaw was spoken of as being capable of elevation and depreffion, and of a grinding motion. The aliment when firft carried into the mouth, is preffed between the teeth of the two jaws by a very strong and frequent motion of the lower jaw; and the tongue and the cheeks affifting in this procefs, continue to replace the food between the teeth till it is perfectly divided, and reduced to the confiftence of pulp.The incifores and canini divide it firft into Imaller pieces, but it is between the furfaces of the dentes molares by the grinding motion of the jaw that the maftication is completed.

During this procefs, the falival glands being gently com preffed by the contraction of the mufcles that move the lower jaw, and fomewhat ftimulated by the faline particles of the aliment, pour out their faliva, which helps to divide and break down the food, which at length becomes a kind of pulp, and is then carried over the basis of the tongue into the fauces. But to effect this paffage into the oefophagus, it is neceffary that the other openings which were mentioned as having a communication with the mouth as well as the pharynx, fhould be closed; that none of the aliment, whether folid or liquid, may pass into them, whilft the pharynx alone is dilated to re

ceive it fuch a difpofition actually takes place in a manner we will endeavour to defcribe..

The trachea arteria, or windpipe, through which the air is conveyed to the lungs, is placed before the oefophagus-in the act of swallowing, then, if the larynx is not clofed, (for fo the upper part of the trachea is called,) the aliment will pals into it in its way to the oefophagus, But this is prevented by a fmall and very elaftic cartilage, called epiglottis, which is attached only to the forepart of the larynx, fo that the food in its paffage to the oefophagus, preffes down this cartilage which then covers the glottis or opening of the larynx; and at the fame time the velum palati being capable of fome degree of motion, is drawn backwards by its mufcles, and clofes the openings into the nofe and the Euftachian tubes this however is not all. The larynx, which being compofed of cartilaginous rings, cannot fail in its ordinary ftate to compress the membranous canal of the oefophagus, is in the act of deglutition, carried forwards and upwards by mufcles deftined for that purpose; and confequently drawing the forepart of the pharynx with it, that opening is fully dilated. When the aliment has reached the pharynx, its descent is promoted by its own proper weight and by the mufcular fibres of the oefophagus, which continue to contract from above downwards, until the aliment has reached the ftomach. That these fibres have no inconfiderable fhare in deglutition, any perfon may experience by fwallowing with his head downwards, when the defcent of the aliment cannot poffibly be effected by its weight.

It is neceffary that the noftrils and the lungs fhould communicate with the mouth, for the purposes of fpeech and rebfpiration; but if the most minute part of our food happens to be introduced into the trachea, it never fails to produce violent cough, and fometimes the moft alarming fymptomsthis is liable to happen when we laugh or fpeak in the act of deglutition the food is then faid to have paffed the wrong way; and indeed this is not improperly expreffed, for death would foon follow, if the quantity of aliment introduced into the trachea fhould be fufficient to obftruct the refpiration only during a very short time; or if the irritating particles of food fhould not foon be thrown up again by means of the cough, which in thefe cafes very feafonably increafes in proportion to the degree of irritation,

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If the velum palati did not c clofe the paffage to th trils, deglutition would be performed with difficulty, and perhaps not at all, for the aliment would return through the moje, as is fometimes the cafe in drinking. Children, from a

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deficiency in this velum palati, have been feen to die a few hours after birth; and they who from difeafe or any other causes have not this part perfect, fwallow with difficulty.'

The improvement which Mr. Simmons has made on this work renders it greatly fuperior to the original; and as it contains the modern discoveries which have not hitherto been received into any compendium of anatomy, it cannot fail of proving useful to medical ftudents.

XII. Remarks on the principal Acts of the Thirteenth Parliament of Great Britain. Vol. 1. Containing Remarks on the As relating to the Colonies. With a Plan of Reconciliation. 8vo. 55.. boards. T. Payne.

THE

'HE Letters concerning the Prefent State of Poland fo clearly evinced the abilities of this refpectable author, that it affords us pleasure to find him exercifing his political difcernment on the interefting fubject of the unhappy difpute between Great Britain and her American colonies. In reviewing the various publications relative to this important controversy, we have often had occafion to obferve, that it was not by vague and arbitrary opinions the claims of either fide could be determined, but by an appeal to the fundamental principles of government, and the genius of the British conflitution. The author whofe work now lies before us has profecuted this method of investigation in the moft fatisfactory and convincing manner, by exhibiting a full view of all the charters and acts of parliament which relate to the subject, and by his own judicious and acute remarks in the course of the enquiry.

The work is divided into three parts, the firft of which is an enquiry into the matter of right; the fecond, into the matter of fact; and the third is an examination of the acts paffed by the thirteenth parliament of Great Britain relating to the colonies.

The author begins with examining, what is the power with which the conftitution invefts the crown over countries conquered or otherwife acquired? And this power he proves to be that of making capitulations and treaties of peace, and prefcribing forms of government to the founders of new settlements. He next enquires, whether the operations of the whole body of the legislature can be restrained by any act of the crown? For determining this queftion, he takes a diftinct view of the feveral capacities in which the king may be confidered as acting; and these he divides into the following: 1. his fupreme legiflative capacity, in which he gives affent to a bill propofed to him by the two houfes of parliament. 2. The

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capacity of fubordinate legiflation, in which the king iffues a proclamation. 3. The capacity in which the king grants a capitulation, or makes a treaty, which the author fhews to be different from either of the two former, and diftinguishes by the title of a procuratorial capacity.

When the king acts in his procuratorial capacity, fays the author, when he grants a capitulation, or makes a treaty, there is no conflict between different and contending branches of the fovereignty. It is not the executive power that binds the legiflative; nor a part of the legislative that binds the whole. But the legislature is bound by its own conftitutional agent and reprefentative.

A capitulation is granted at the beginning of a war. It is ftipulated, that till a definitive treaty of peace, the laws of the conquered country fhall in all points continue in full force, The war lats twenty years. Will any man pretend that the parliament has a conflitutional right of infringing this ftipulation? Of changing, during this interval, the laws of the conquered country? Surely not. For no one difputes but that all the articles of a capitulation are to be religioufly observed.

A definitive treaty is figned. The country is yielded to Great Britain. One article of the treaty is, that the laws of defcent and fucceffion fhall remain inviolate, fuch as they were before the conqueft. Will any man fay that the parliament can infringe this article? Surely not. For all the articles of a peace are to be religiously obferved.

Another article of the treaty is, that the mode of government, which obtained before the conqueft in the conquered country, fhall fill obtain after the conqueft. In confequence of this agreement all alterations in the old laws, all additions to them, are to be made by the chief executive magistrate, with the advice of his council. Is the parliament bound by this article Certainly it is. This too is its own act, for it is the act of its own avowed conftitutional agent.'

The author afterwards clearly evinces, that when the king grants a charter he likewife acts in his procuratorial capacity, and that the faith of the whole nation is thereby plighted for the fecurity of the compact. He obferves, that the unconftitutional maxims adopted by the Stuart family, threw no small obfcurity on this question. That it was ufual to confider all conquered or acquired countries as belonging to the king alone, in the fame manner as Gafcony or Normandy was formerly poffeffed by the English crown. That after the restoration, this idea was, in part at leaft, abandoned, and the acquired countries began to be confidered as parts of the realm. The line, however, between refpective powers of the king and parliament over them, were far, as he juftly remarks, from being precifely drawn; and it was not ftrictly afcertained, in

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