Extract of a Letter from a Gentleman in London to his Correspon dent in this City, dated May 31ft. 1804. "LITTLE of novelty has occurred in our medical literature. Mr. Aftley Cooper (lecturer on furgery) has published a splendid work in imperial folio, on the fubject of herniæ, illuftrated with engravings. A tranflation is just announced, from the French, of Dr. P. Afsfalini, of "Observations on the Plague, the Dyfentery, the Ophthalmia of Egypt, and on the means of prevention, with remarks on the Yellow Fever of Cadiz," with a plan of a hospital for receiving patients afflicted with contagious and epidemic difeafes. Galvanifm has excited no fmall degree of public curiofity; in confequence of which Mr. Wilkinfon (a furgeon, who has recently published two volumes of elements of Galvanism) has galvanized the purfes of the curious, by his popular lectures on that phenomenon, in various parts of London. Vaccine inoculation is the order of the day, and is, (in the metropolis at least) almost generally adopted, though not with univerfal fatisfaction. I have feen a few cutaneous eruptions, confequent on the cow-pox; but, from what caufes thefe arofe, I have not had an opportunity to afcertain. There is now in the prefs a pamphlet, the profeffed object of which is, to prove vaccine inoculation not to be a preventive of fmall-pox, by a detail of particular cafes. "Some weeks fince, a caution was addreffed to the public, on the subject of WORM MEDICINES, by a Mr. Clayton, printer, of Hull in Yorkshire. He stated, that he had two children, to whom (being troubled with worms) he administered "Ching's Worm Lozenges." One of them died fhortly after, but his decease was attributed to the worms, with which he had long been afflicted. Within a very short period, the elder survivor became dangerously ill, a complete falivation enfued; the whole mafs of blood was changed. Medical aid was now procured, but too late to relieve the child, who died in great agony, within a few hours. On diffection, a large portion of mercury was found in the inteftines. A coroner's jury was affembled, who, together with the furgeon, gave this verdict: "Died by mercurial poifon, adminiftered in the form of Ching's lozenges," (fuch is the fubftance if not the identical words of the verdict.) The proprietor of this quack medicine, when applied to, perfevered in obftinate filence, and at length actually declined to give any explanation whatsoever to the forrowing parent. Here the matter now rests." It is to be hoped a knowledge of this fact may check in fome measure the propenfity of the inhabitants of the United States, to use those medicines whofe compofition is altogether unknown, except to the proprietor. Do we not daily see our apothecaries and others, advertising "Solomon's Cordial Balm of Gilead”--"Anti-impetigines"--" Hamilton's worm-destroying lozenges, "Elixir and Grand Restorative," with many more too numerous to mention; by whofe extraordinary virtues we might reasonably expect every avenue to death would by this time have been closed. But is this the cafe? Has not every physician to lament occafionally the irreparable lofs of time which has been fuftained, by the use of those compounds, before application for aid, which might probably have proved beneficial? These remedies are taken, either from the recommendation and judgment of some friend, or from a firm reliance on the truth of those positive affurances which are daily promulgated through our newfpapers. If the proprietors of these remedies were alive to any thing but their own intereft, they could not have the impudence to affert the many falfehoods which must be apparent to every medical man. E. Dr. Edward Harrifon has lately published an inquiry into the ROT in sheep, and other animals: he attributes it to the poisonous effluvia which, under certain circumstances, are emitted from marshy foils. He recommends drainage as the only certain preventive. Demmenie has noticed that the folution of copal may easily be effected by expofing it to the vapours of alkohol, or oil of turpentine. For that purpose an alembic may be filled onefourth with either of these fluids, and fome pieces of copal fuffered to be fufpended by threads in it, over the furface of the fluid. After having made the alkohol, or oil of turpentine, boil, the copal becomes liquefied, and is diffolved. This is the best method of preparing copal varnish. Month. Mag. Large quantities of the fulphat of magnefia have been difcovered in a faline state, in caves, in Munro county, Virginia. In one of these caves, the bones of the megalonyx* were found. An account of this discovery was communicated, together with fpecimens of the falt, to the American Philofophical Society. Letter to the Editor of the Lancaster Journal. Bedford, Pennsylvania, December 20, 1803. SIR, Very valuable mineral fprings have lately been discovered in the vicinity of this place, which, from the extraordinary cures they have effected during the last fummer, are beginning to excite very general attention. There are three in number, all iffuing out of Dunning's mountain, about one mile and a quarter fouth of this town;-and they are now known by the names of the Yellow Spring, the Sulphur Spring, and the Mofs Spring. The firft or Yellow Spring, (fo called from the yellow tinge it gives to the substances it passes over,) is considered the most valuable and falutary, and is the only one that has yet been used for medical purposes. It is a bold beautiful stream, bursting *Megalonyx-or Great-Claw-fee an account of the bones, prefented to the the fociety by Thomas Jefferson, Efq. in the 4th vol. of the Transactions, p. 246. |