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vacillatory motion of the burning glass. The action of fire, or the actual cautery, has been long, and almoft generally, employed as an effectual method of curing certain ulcers of a malignant kind, which refift the influence of all other remedies; but it is only of late, that the heat of the fun has been fubftituted in the place of red-hot metals, burning hards, and other cauftics of that nature. M. LA PEYEKE communicated to the fociety, four obfervations of bad ulcers speedily and happily healed by letting the focus of a burning glass fall upon the parts of thefe ulcers, which, he thought, required it. M. LE COMTE, furgeon at Arcueil, had (fo early as the year 1759) performed an excellent cure by the fame means, which is publifhed here for the first time, at the end of the obfervations of M. LE PEYERE, under the title of Obfervations concerning a Cancer in the under Lip, cured in the space of three Weeks, by the actual Cautery of the Solar Fire.

It is, indeed, easily to be conceived, that the focus of a burning-glafs, being nothing but the re-union of the particles of the pureft fire, muft have great advantages over the ordinary fire, proceeding from any bodies whatever in a state of ignition. The action of the former is abfolutely in our power, and we can modify it as we think proper; but this, as the two learned phyficians obferve, is, by no means, the cafe with the latter, as it acts not only on the part to which it is applied, but alfo on those that are near it; and this both augments the pain of the patient, and retards the cure. Befides, the emanations from bodies in a state of ignition may be unfavourable to the ulcer, more especially if it be of a cancerous nature; and the continual diminution of the heat of the bodies, or inftruments employed, prevents our difcerning their effect, or regulating their action with precifion. These inconveniences have, no doubt, engaged the generality of practitioners, at least in Europe, to abandon the ufe of the actual cautery. The focus of the burning-glafs is entirely exempt from thefe inconveniences; it has, on the contrary, the advantage of preferving its heat always in the fame degree, or of increafing or diminishing its action, as the operator thinks proper to render the rays more or less concentrated; and thus it may furnish the art of healing with new fuccours, of which the obfervations of Meffrs. Le Comte and La Peyere give us promifing hopes.

The Memoirs in this Volume are both numerous and elaborate. Some of them form complete differtations on the moft important fubjects, both in the theory and practice of phyfic. Among these a diftinguished rank is due to M. LafJonne's account of the accidents occafioned by the miafmas, or peftilential effluvia of animals in putrefaction, Andry's refearches concerning madness, and the manner of treating it, and

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Jaubert's

Faubert's Memoir, which obtained the academical prize on the following question: What are the circumftances in exanthematous fevers, in which the cool regimen is preferable to the warm, and in what cafes is a contrary method to be employed?

The Memoir of M. BUCQUET, concerning the manner in which animals are affected by different aërial mephitic Auids, and the means of remedying the effects of these fluids, contains a circumftantial account of a great number of experiments made on above two hundred animals, fuch as quadrupedes, birds, frogs, and others. These experiments were made in the calcareous acid gas, in air, rendered deadly by the burning of charcoal, and in the inflammable gas, in order to examine the fymptoms, which appear in different kinds of animals, from the moment they are plunged in the mephitic fluid, till that of their death;-to obferve in their diffected carcafes the ftate of the different vifcera, and particularly of thofe by whofe concurrence the circulation of the blood and refpiration are carried on; - to see how far an animal may fuffer, without all hope being removed of its being reftorable to life; and finally, to determine, what are the most speedy and efficacious means of reftoring fenfation and motion that have been fufpended.The refult of all these experiments, which feem almost to have exhaufted the fubject, is, that all ftimulants, acrid, and pungent remedies, volatile acids, or alkalis, may be employed with equal fuccefs in the greatest part of these cases; that it acts as a stimulant or irritating agent (and not as an absorbent of acids), that the volatile fluor alkali produces good effects in certain circumftances, and that this cauftic deferves no pre-ference beyond other ftimulants; nay, that it is only proper in the fecond degree of the afphyxies, that is, when the patient can draw in the odours which are placed under his noftrils: and though, in this cafe, fays M. BUCQUET, the volatile alkali may fucceed, it often happens, that it is lefs efficacious than the radical vinegar, because the violent fhock, which the volatile fpirit of fal ammoniac produces, is always followed by weaknefs, while the tmell of vinegar, though often lefs active, yet is a greater fupporter of ftrength and fpirits.

With refpect to the internal ufe of volatile alkali, M. BucQUET thinks that this remedy cannot be administered with too much circumfpection and caution, as it has a tendency to occafion heavings of the ftomach, troublesome hiccoughs, nay, even fometimes convulfive motions in perfons of weak nerves, and feeble conftitutions. This is true; but it is not the whole truth for too strong a dofe of this dangerous remedy occafions excruciating pains, a violent inflammation, the gangrene, and death.

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The two Memoirs of M. MAUDUIT, relative to the efficacy of electricity in the cure of the palfy, and other diseases, deferve the attention of phyficians and philofophers in a particular manner. This acute and laborious obferver of nature, animated by the countenance of government, and of the Royal Society of Medicine, has illuftrated this important fubject, by the most ample series of obfervations and experiments that have yet been made. These two Memoirs, which will be followed by feveral more, fhew already to what the researches of the learned academician will amount; they may even prove, that, in certain cases, electricity is an effectual method of curing the palfy, and other diforders of a like nature, and that, in other cafes, it proves ufelefs, and even prejudicial. What he has already published is fufficient to determine the kinds of thefe diforders, and the particular circumftances and cafes in which it is expedient to have recourse to electricity, and where its application would be pernicious;-to fhew the effects it produces, in general, on the animal œconomy, the inconveniencies that may refult from it, and the means of preventing or removing them; in a word, to point out the method of adminiftering this new remedy upon right principles.

M. DE LASSONNE has, in a very judicious Memoir, propofed a method of improving and rendering entirely uniform, the tartar emetic, or flibiated tartar. This difcovery is a matter of no fmall confequence, as there have been hitherto great variations in the method of preparing this important remedy, and a great diversity in the degree of its ftrength and efficacy. The moft eminent medical chymifts are agreed, that these variations, and this diverfity of ftrength and efficacy, may be entirely removed, and the remedy, under confideration, brought to the highest degree of perfection, by fubftituting in the place of glass of antimony, which is the ordinary bafis of ftibiated tartar, another emetic preparation of antimony, which must be invariable, when well made, and which is called powder of algaroth. This is alfo the opinion of M. DE LASSONNE. But this eminent phyfician has difcovered a ftill farther improvement of this remedy, viz. the means of preventing this falt from falling, in form of precipitate, on the fides of the veffel, when the tibiated tartar is diffolved in water.-This he prevents by incorporating with the tartar a quantity of fal ammoniac, equal to it in weight. The development and theory of this remarkable effect must be interefting to the lovers of chymical pharmacy, and with this theory M. LASSONNE promises to gratify their curiofity, on another occafion.

ART.

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Voyage Pittorefque de la Grece. Chap. V.-Travels through the dif ferent Parts of Greece, reprefented in a Series of Engravings. Large Folio. No. V. Paris. 1780.

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LATES XLIII. and XLIV. of this elegant work contain, 1. A plan, or map, of part of the island of Metelin ; 2. A beautiful view of the city of that name and its northern harbour, of which the drawing was made by Count DE CHOISEUL-GOUTTIER himself. His account of the island, which is the ancient Lefbos, could neither be particular nor inftructive, as he was there but two days. He tells us, however, that the city of Mytilene, on whofe ruins Metelin was built, is yet to be known by the descriptions of Strabo, Longus, and other ancient writers +. The multiplicity and magnificence of its ruins agree perfectly with their accounts. The name of Lefbos recals to our Author the celebrated names of Sappho, Arion, and Terpander; and the harbour of Metelin renews the remembrance of one of the moft fignal events of the Peloponnefian war. Our Author is never at a lofs to entertain his Reader, one way or another; and ancient hiftory is laid under contribution, where modern obfervation has been either wanting, through precipitation and hurry, or unsuccessful through defect of materials.

Euftathius is the only writer who makes mention of the ancient city of Lefbos. The ifle of Metelin would ftill, fays our Author, be a noble poffeffion, if so many centuries of calamities had not almoft ruined its population. Thefe calamities, produ-ced at firft by the anarchy of the Grecian empire, and prolonged afterwards by the tyranny and oppreffion of the Turks and Venetians, have fpread defolation in a fcene, which a mild climate, and the fairest marks of Nature's bounty, feemed to point out for the well-being of its inhabitants.

Plate XLV. exhibits a view of the harbour of Scio, or Chio, which is frequented by all the fhips that go from Egypt to Conftantinople. This is the hand fomeft city of the Levant: Its houses, built by Genoefe and Venetians, difplay marks of elegance, convenience, and amenity, which are rarely found in the Archipelago. "The island is interfected by several chains of "barren mountains; but the vallies, watered by a multitude "of ftreams, are full of pomegranates, of orange-trees,, and "citrons, and exhibit, on all fides, the moft delightful pro"spects. The vineyards of Scio have always been famous: they

See our account of No. IV. in the Appendix to vol. LXI. p. 1. The preceding Numbers were mentioned in former Reviews. + See Vitruv. 1. 1. c. 6.-Cicero de Lege Agraria.

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"still conftitute the principal riches of the island; and the "delicious wines, which Virgil calls the Arvifian nectar, main"tain, at this day, their ancient reputation." The manufactures of gold and filver brocades in this island are still numerous, though lefs fo than they were fome years ago: the culture of the Lentifcus, which produces the Maftic, forms a confiderable and very profitable branch of the commerce of Scio. The Turkish and Grecian ladies make great ufe of this detergent, ftomachic refin, which they chew in order to give to their breath an aromatic perfume, though it has a very noxious effect on the beauty of their teeth. Our Author gives (after Mr. Galard) a particular account of the manner of preparing the Maftic, defcribes the four different trees that produce it, and the medicinal and other ufes to which it is fuccefsfully applied.

We have in plate XLVI. a view of the fountain of Scio; and in the XLVIIth, a view of the rock, which is called The School of Homer. Dr. Richard Pococke gave a drawing of this rock merely from his own imagination, which has been cenfured in Dr. Chandler's Travels. This latter ingenious Author looks upon the pretended School of Homer as nothing more than the remains of an ancient temple of Cybele, and Count de Choifeul is of the fame opinion. Plates XLVIII. and XLIX. represent the women of Scio in their ufual drefs, and alfo one of the gardens of that ifland; and here we begin to perceive, that our Noble Author is fometimes more liberal of his engravings and defcriptions than the fubjects deferve. For the reft,-the women of Scio, whom Nature has rendered beautiful and pleafing, disfigure their natural charms and graces by the awkwardnefs and abfurdity of their drefs. Their liberty is great, their affability ftill greater, and, nevertheless, their virtue does not fuffer by either:-for no where, fays the Count DE CHOISEUL, are the women fo free and fo wife.

Plates L. and LI. reprefent a plan and a perfpective view of the harbour of Tchefme, known, in ancient times, by the name pf Gyfus. It was in this harbour that the Romans defeated the fleet of Antiochus in the year 191 before Chrift, and that the Ruffians destroyed the naval force of the Turks in 1770, and might have made, or rather granted peace under the walls of the Seraglio, had they known the wretched ftate of the Dardanelles at that time, and availed themfelves of the variety of circumstances which united to favour their enterprise.

At the end of this Number, in a noble tail-piece, we have beautiful engravings of three medals, ftruck in the isle of Lef bos. The first reprefents, on one fide, an helmet inclosed in a square with the name of the Lesbians. The fame name appears on the reverfe, together with a woman carried off by a Centaur. This fquare and the form of the letters prove this

medal

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