tive and unprejudiced eye, the operations of this fingular man, employed labourers to dig for a fpring at Montmorenci in confequence of BLETON's indication. The indication was, that the fpring lay 30 feet deep, was in a certain direction, and of a certain breadth, which he specified; and all thefe circumftances were found to be precifely as he had reprefented them.:

Our Memorialift makes many judicious obfervations on the opes of this natural talent, who have learned to play tricks with the divining rod. Even fhould art arrive at a certain imitation of nature, this is no proof that nature does not speak, or that she speaks falfely. But, after all, it is not in the revolutions of the rad that the fingularity of the phenomenon confifts; but in this, that its motion never takes place unless over water; that it is strong over currents, very weak over ftagnant pools, and is always ftronger or weaker, in proportion as the velocity or abundance of the water is greater or lefs. This no art can imitate. Befides, Bleton can perform his operations without the divining rod. When his impreffions are strong and uniform, his indications are certain; but when he heftates, feels feebly, and not in the fame tenour, his reports are uncertain. Many more rules to judge of his imprefions are laid down by our Memorialist. Let the curious feek for further information, and judge for themfelves. We only relate, but do not pretend to decide.

Hiftoire de la Societé Royale de Medicine à Paris, &c. i. e. The History of the Royal Society of Medicine at Paris, for the Years 1777 and 1778; together with the Medical and Philofophical Memoirs of the fame Year. Publifhed from the Registers of the Society. Vol. II. In 4:0. Paris. 1780.

T

HERE are many objects of medical curiofity in this volume, which we cannot take into confideration, nor even enumerate, through abundance of matter, and want of space; fuch are the prize queftions propofed by the society,-the precautions they ufe in examining the remedies that are prefented to them,-the books published during the years 1777 and 1778 by the members of the Society, meteorological obfervations and medical topography. We shall only, for the prefent, make more or lefs known to the medical reader fone of the most interelling pieces contained in this volume.

At the head of the Eulogies, confecrated to the memory of deceased Academicians, we find that of the celebrated LINNAEUS, who has received the fame literary honours from many other Academies, and who is too well known, to render it neceffary that we should enter upon a long enumeration of his admired labours in the advancement of botanical fcience. He was carried by a ftrong innate propensity to the cultivation of this ufuful branch of human knowledge. The only pleafures of his youth confifted in rural excurfions, and collecting plants; and, as he tells us himself, he had no other ambition, than to acquire fuch a portion of knowledge, as would procure him the place of Ifpector over the only confiderable botanical garden in Sweden at that time, which was that of Mr. Rudbeck. In 1727, he was acquainted with all the vegetable productions of feveral provinces, without any other means of information than what he derived from

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from the Book of Nature; and no fooner were his capacity and induttry known to Mr. Rudbeck, than this aged profeffor refigned, in his favour, the botanical chair, which he had long filled with great reputation at Upfal. Linnæus was at this time in his twenty-third year. After having given a courfe of botanical lectures, during two years, he defired and obtained, from the Royal Society of Upfal, permiffion to travel. No danger nor hardship could difcourage him: he went through the provinces of Smaland and Scania in 1728. In 1732 he herborized in the wilds of Lapland, at the particular defire of the Society of Upfal, and vifited the mines of Sweden. In 1734 he made a voyage into Dalecartia, at the carneft requeft of the governor of that province, and continuing from thence his courfe through fteep mountains and devious wilds, untrod before, he found himself in Norway. He afterwards travelled through Denmark, Germany, the Auftrian Netherlands, and the United Provinces, and took up his refidence, for feveral years, at the house of Mr. Clifford, at whofe country feat, called Hartecamp, in the neighbourhood of Haarlem, he had occafion to purfue his favourite ftudy in an excel-' lent botanical garden, of which He published an interefting defcription. While he refided there, the reputation he had acquired, by feveral productions, was greatly increafed, by the publication of his Reflections on the Syftem of Nature. It was alfo, in this rural retreat, that be formed and brought, partly, into execution, the ideas and plans that immortalized his fame, and introduced fuch a remarkable revolution in the science of botany. He afterwards travelled into England and France, where he formed connections with the most celebrated botanifts; and on his return to Stockholm, was appointed Phyfician to the Admiralty, Prefident of the Academy of which he had given the plan, Profeffor of Botany, and First Physician to the King.

Befides the labours of this great man in botany, and all the branches of natural hiftory, he employed much care and industry in reforming and improving the Materia Medica, and made above two thousand experiments, in order to come at the knowledge of thofe plants that are agreeable, useful, or noxious to the different kinds of animals. In 1759 he published interefting remarks upon the colouring particles of of vegetables, that might be employed with fuccefs by dyers. In fhort, he drew from the ftudy of botany not only utility, but pleasure and entertainment, of which we have an agreeable example in the indication he gave of the manner of arranging a parterre, fo as to ren der it a kind of botanical clock; this indication was founded upon his knowing, nearly, the time of the day at which different flowers open during a certain feafon of the year.

To the other rewards that crowned the ufeful labours and eminent merit of this great Naturalift, marks of high diftinction were added. Medals were ftruck to honour his memory. The Royal Order of the Polar Star, which had not been granted before to any of a learned profethon, was conferred upon him in 1753; and Adolphus Frederic ranked him among the Swedish nobility in 1761: We cannot help mentioning here an anecdote, which, we think, does honour to the good talte of the late King of France, who fent a prefent to Linnæus of a paper of rare feeds, gathered at Trianon, and fent it,— by whom by the prefent King of Sweden, who was then at Ver

failles.

failles. We are almoft tempted to fay, that there is fomething fublime in the fimplicity of this prefent, and the manner of its conveyance;— and Linnæus appears to us much greater, in the moment he received this paper of feeds, than in that in which he was decorated with the Polar Star.

This eminent man, after having defcribed nature, described himfelf, and drew his own picture with the pencil of Simplicity and Truth, died the 10th of January 1778, at the age of feventyone, after having paffed the last ten years in a state of decline, in confequence of a light fit of the apoplexy.

The Eulogy of Linnæus is followed by thofe of Meffrs. Arnauld, de Nobleville, Macbride of Dublin, and Barbeu Dubourg.

MEMOIR S.

M. BONAFOS, phyfician at Perpignan, fent to the Society the Defcription of an epidemical diforder, which reigned, in the year 1774, among the foldiers of that garrifon, without extending either to the inhabitants of the town or the poor-hofpital. It was a putrid fever, owing to the warmth of the climate, to which the troops were not accustomed, to the food with which they were nourished, to the quantity of the wine of Roufillon that they drink, which is fpirituous and tartarous, and to the repeated exercifes and reviews of the foldiers during the violent heats of the fummer.

Refearches concerning the Difeafes of the Cattle in Poitou. By Mers. PAULET and TESSIER,-concerning those that reign among the Sheep in Sologne. By Meffrs. DAUBEUTON, VIC. D'AZYR, and TESSIER.

An impartial Examination of the Advantages which bave refulted from Inoculating the Epidemical Difeafe of the Cattle in Holland and Germany, and of the Benefit that may be expected from this Method in France. By. M. VIC D'AZYR, Not worthy of him.

An Account of the Cefarian Operation, performed with the greatest Success. By M. Chabrol, Surgeon major of the Artillery at Mazieres. This account was fent to the Society by M. HENNEQUIN, physician at Charleville; and it is defigned to mitigate the clamours, raised by the partizans of the section of the fymphifis of the os pubis, against the Cefarian operation, as barbarous, and deftructive to the mother.

A Defcription of Two Majes of Hair, found in the Stomach and Bowels of a Boy Sixteen Years of Age. By M. BAUDAMANT, Surgeon at Verdun. This lad, from his infancy, difcovered a voracious appetite for hair. He tore and devoured his own, and that of others, when he could come at it with impunity. This unnatural propenfity increased as he grew up. An oval mafs of hair, which was perceived by the touch, was formed in his ftomach, and produced sharp pains, together with a fever, which carried off the patient.

Obfervations on a Bone, which, during Calcination, being in Contac with the Afbes of Oak, which were dry and charged with fixed Alcali, acquired a beautiful Sea green Colour, fimilar to that of a Turquoife. By M. LE COMTE. This phenomenon is not rare: it is often feen in kitchens by cooks; but it is the province of chemifts to explain it. Obfervations on potable Waters. By M. THOUVENEL. Their excellence depends, according to him, on their having a certain quantity of pure air. We believe fo too.

Obfervations on the Effects of Darnel mixed with Corn in Bread, communicated to the Society by M. DE LA MAZIERE of Poitiers. An

avaritious

avaritious farmer, having a field of wheat, in which there was a large quantity of darnel or tares, feparated the latter from the wheat, not to burn it, but to increase his provifion both for use and fale. After having threshed and winnowed the darnel, which amounted to five bufhels, he added to this quantity one bushel of wheat, fent it to the mill, and had bread made of this mixture. He, together with his wife and a fervant, began to eat of this bread on the Thursday; the two latter were feized with vomiting and purging, and were fo much indisposed, that they refufed to eat any more of this bread. The farmer continued to use it the three days following, and on Sunday evening was taken ill. The family propofed to fend for a physician; buc he rejected the propofal, in hopes that his ailment would ceafe of itfelf, and he died on Monday, after having fuffered the most violent cholic pains. He was perfectly healthy before the ufe of this bread, which may therefore juftly be confidered as the caufe of his fudden death. Why the body was not opened we cannot conceive.

An Account of the Effects produced by Rye, of a bad Quality, in the District of Auch. By M. LE BRUN. Some inftructive facts, and ufeful remarks, appear in this relation. Among other things, we are confirmed by our author's obfervations in the opinion, that rye, ufed before it is deprived of certain noxious qualities, by keeping, or heat, produces pernicious effects.

Memoir concerning the Disorder among the Cattle at Champsaur. By M. VILLAR. Among the particularities contained in this Memoir, we select one which is worthy of attention. The mortality, fays M. VILLAR, has increafed in our fields, fince the augmentation of the price of falt has obliged the farmers to give it more sparingly to the cattle. In the diftrict of Champ/aur, and the adjacent countries, we are accustomed to give to every ox and cow four ounces of falt every eight days, and about an ounce to every fheep and goat at the fame intervals. When this practice is neglected, the animals eat lefs; they lose their spirits; their hair rifes; they go licking in the ftalls the bottom of the walls where the faltpetre is formed; they grow lean, become barren, and difeafe enfues. Salt is alfo ufeful, though not fo neceffary, to horses.

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Memoir concerning the Action or Effect of certain Medicines, and ticularly on that of Opium. By Dr. LORRY. This eminent and juttly celebrated physician gives here a full proof, that, at least, with refpect to him, medical practice is far from being a conjectural bufinefs, as fome fceptical crit cs pretend. Dr. Lorry communicates the clearest and most diftinct notions of the efficacy and operation of medicines, considered as refuiting both from their intrinfic nature, and the concurrence of fecondary caules. He then proceeds, taking opium for an example, to enquire into its medicinal principles, in order to ascertain their nature, and to difcover the changes and alterations they may be made to undergo. There are very curious difquifitions in this Memoir.

Concerning the Cure or Prevention of the fatal Effects proceeding from the Bite of a mad Animal By M. ANDRY. Among the many remedies mentioned in these well directed refearches, M. ANDRY attri butes a very great efficacy to the Anagallis Mas, or red flowered Pim. pernel; and, on this occafion, relates the following fact:-A citizen of Lyons, and two of his children, were bit by a mad dog. The man 8 cohabited

cohabited with his wife the fame night, and though fhe had not beerf bit, fhe was feized with madnefs: mercury was adminiftred to the husband, who died raging mad at the end of ten days: the woman and the children were cured by the powder of the Anagallis.

On the Efficacy of Vinegar in the Hydrophobia. By M. BRUDON, Surgeon. There is a very fingular and curious inftance of this effi cacy ina cafe related by this dextrous practitioner, which we shall here abridge, as it may prove ufeful. A mad dog had bitten a fow, which was to farrow in about three weeks, and wounded her grievously in the thigh: he afterwards attacked a fmall lap-dog, wounded him in the neck, tore off the half of his ear, and then made his escape. The mafter of the family, where this accident happened, gave orders that the fow and the little dog fhould be killed; but M. BEUDON prevailed upon him to change his mind, and to shut them up in a place where he might try fome experiments upon them. He fhut up the fow in a ftable, and made a hole in the wall, through which he observed her every day with the most careful attention, and he conveyed food to her by means of a ftone trough, which paffed from the yard into the ftable. During five days the animal fed as ufual; the fixth it was found fanding with its head leaning on its food, and in this poftare it remained three days. The tenth it was feized with a raging fit of madness: its eyes fparkled: it foamed at the mouth: wandered backwards and forewards in the ftable, and, from time to time, knocked its head against one of the planks. The fit continued feven hours, after which the creature grew calm and lay down. M. BEUDON feized this inftant to employ his remedy. He let down, through the hole into the ftable, a caldron, in which he had warmed four pots of frong vinegar: after which he flopped the holes in the ftable, to prevent all communication with the outer air. In about an hour, his fervant, who liftened at the door to the motions of the animal, heard a noile which refembled drinking; and, upon examination, the fow was obferved flanding and drinking the vinegar with the greatest avidity. Upon this M. BEUDON placed in the trough a quantity of bran, moistened with vinegar, of which the day following nothing remained: he continued to moiften the food of the animal with vinegar, and to give it for drink an equal mixture of vinegar and water, with a fmall quantity of barley flower, until it had farrowed. Dering the firft days after this, he gave the patient barleyflower, moistened with equal portions of water and vinegar, and the whole fweetned with a little honey. The fow and her pigs were kept a month in their confinement; and when M. BEUDON faw that there was no appearance of a returning fit, he turned them out into an inclofure, where they were alone, in a family way; the young were educated by the mother as ufual, and afterwards brought to the market, and the latter farrowed again.-A fimilar treatment, here alfo circumftantially related, cured the little dog; and the great one, who had been the beginner of the mifchief, and had returned home after three days abfence. In fhort, fow and dogs are well and hearty. and feem to have recovered perfectly their foberfenfes.-Among other fuccefful remedies against the hydrophobia, our author mentions, in his lift, a powder made of the leaves of the palm tree. We have feen, in the Bibliotheca Chirurgicalis of M. RICHTER, an interefting account of the efficacy of the powder of the root of the Solanum (Night Shade) in this cafe, and a defcription of the manner of employing it.