ferent animals, in order that those of our readers who have not yet had an opportunity of consulting them, might the better understand the account we are to give of his observations on the structure and uses of the spleen. And, for the like reason, we shall subjoin Mr. Home's general conclusions, drawn from the series of the facts and observations detailed in those papers.

"The solvent liquor is secreted from glands of a somewhat similar structure in all animals, but much larger and more conspicuous in some than in others." "These glands are always situated near the orifice of the cavity whose contents are exposed to their secretion.

"The viscid substance found on the internal membrane of all the stomachs, that were examined recently after death, is reduced to that state by a secretion from the whole surface of the stomach which coagulates albumen. This appears to be proved by every part of the fourth cavity of the calf's stomach having the property of coagulating milk.

"This property, in the general secretion of the stomach, leads to an opinion, that the coagulation of fluid substances is necessary for their being acted on by the solvent liquor; and a practical observation of the late Mr. Hunter, that weak stomachs can only digest solid food, is in confirmation of it.

"In converting animal and vegetable substances into chyle, the food is first intimately mixed with the general secretions of the stomach; and, after it has been acted on by them, the solvent liquor is poured upon it, by which the nutritious part is dissolved. This solution is afterwards conveyed into the pyloric portion, where it is mixed with the secretions peculiar to that cavity, and converted into chyle." See Philos. Transac. part 2d, 1807.

Believing, then, that the cardiac and pyloric portions of the stomach are separated from each other by a permanent or muscular contraction, and that they perform different and distinct functions during digestion, Mr. Home, in the paper now before us, endeavours to show, that there is between the cardiac portion of the stomach, and the circulation of the blood, a communication through the medium of the spleen; and that

the use of this organ is to carry off the fluids from the cardiac portion.

First, He observes that the fluids are chiefly found in the cardiac portion, while the contents of the pyloric are commonly of uniform consistence. It seemed, therefore, probable, that the fluids beyond what are necessary for digestion are carried out of the stomach, without ever reaching so far as the pylorus.

Secondly, He made the following experiment. The pylorus of a dog was firmly secured by ligature, and five ounces of water, colored with indigo, were injected into the stomach; at the end of half an hour, two ounces of nearly colorless fluid were rejected by vomiting. The dog was now killed. Though the pylorus was completely closed by the ligature, the pyloric portion of the stomach was empty and contracted. "The cardiac portion contained about two ounces of solid contents, enveloped in a gelatinous substance, and one ounce of water with little or no color, the indigo being completely separated from it, and spread over the surface of the internal membrane."

Two ounces of fluid had therefore escaped from the stomach in half an hour. No absorbents could be seen; but " the spleen was turgid, unusually large, and its external surface very irregular. When cut into, small cells were every where met with, containing a watery fluid, and occupying a considerable portion of its surface."

These cells he finds to be the glands of Malpighi, and corpuscles of Cuvier. These cells are only distinct, and seen to contain a fluid, when examined immediately after the stomach had received an unusual quantity of liquids. The fluid escapes when the cells are punctured. The cells are membranous, and have numerous arterial branches and plexus of veins ramifying on their coats.

The trunk of the splenic vein compared with that of the artery, Mr. Home found to be in point of size as 5 to 1.

Mr. Home repeated his first experiment, making use of an infusion of madder, instead of a solution of indigo, in hopes that the coloring matter might be detected in the spleen. The result, however, did not correspond to his expectation.

At last, on the suggestion of Mr. Brande, he made use of

rhubarb, which speedily passes into the blood, and tinges the urine very soon after being received into the stomach, and very small portions of which can be detected by means of the caustic alkali, used as a test. “Five drops of tincture of rhubarb, added to three ounces of water, are found to strike an orange tint, when the test is added.”

By means of this test, the rhubarb was detected in the urine of different persons, in seventeen and twenty minutes after the tincture had been swallowed. These circumstances being ascertained, Mr. Home performed the following experiment.

"On November 17th, 1807, at thirty-five minutes past eleven o'clock, five drachms of a mixture of tincture of rhubarb and water, in the proportion of a drachm to an ounce, were injected into the stomach of a dog, whose pylorus was secured. At twenty minutes past one, two ounces of fluid were brought up by vomiting; ten minutes afterwards, another ounce of the mixture was injected, as were nine drachms more at half past four o'clock.

"The two last portions were retained, and at eight o'clock in the evening the dog was killed.

"On examining the parts after death, the pylorus was found to be completely secured; the stomach contained about two ounces of fluid; none of the absorbent vessels passing from its great curvature were in a distended state, so as to be rendered visible. The spleen was turgid as in the former experiment, and the urinary bladder full of urine.

"The urine, tested by the alkali, received a deeper tinge of rhubarb than the human urine, after rhubarb had been taken three hours by the mouth, and in other respects resembled it.

"When the spleen was cut into, the cells were particularly large and distinct. A portion of it was then macerated in two drachms of water, for ten minutes in a glass phial. All the parts were exposed to the water by its being divided in all directions. The water thus impregnated, was strained off and tested by the alkali, and immediately the redish brown color was produced in the centre, and no where else; but in less than a minute it began to diffuse itself, and extended over the whole. "A similar portion of the liver was treated in the same way, VOL. I.

2 U

and the alkali was added to the strained liquor; but no change took place in it whatever. In this experiment, the rhubarb was detected in the juices of the spleen, as well as in the urine; and as there was no appearance of it in the liver, it could not have arrived there through the medium of the common absorbents, carrying it into the thoracic duct, and afterwards into the circulation of the blood."

Mr. Home here concludes, observing, "The discovery of this fact I consider to be of sufficient importance to be announced to the society, that when it is thus made public, I may be at liberty more openly, and on a more extensive scale of experiment, to prosecute the inquiry."

A Dissertation on Retroversion of the Womb, including some Observations on Extra-Uterine Gestation. By Samuel Merriman, M. D. 8vo. Lond. 1810. pp. viii-80.

From the London Medical and Physical Journal, for November, 1810.

THE substance of this dissertation originally appeared in the volumes of this journal. In its present dilated and improved form, it is intended to establish two points of importance in the theory of pregnancy, and the practice of obstetrics.

Retroversion of the uterus, as a fact occurring at one period of uterine gestation, is well known; the extension of this displaced position of the womb to the last term of pregnancy is not, however, so fully ascertained; neither has it hitherto been subjected to much investigation. Dr. Merriman adduces several cases to prove the existence of this state of the uterus in the latter months of gestation, and that it also gives rise to another fact in the history of pregnancy, commonly denominated extra-uterine gestation; but which has, from its discordance with established physiological principles, remained doubtful, obscure, or "incomprehensible."

That retroversion of the uterus must have occurred at all periods cannot be doubted; but that its real phenomena have only lately been understood occasions more regret than surprise. Neither Mauriceau, Lamotte, nor Deventer, who attended particularly to a state of the womb, which we denomi

nated its obliquity,* had any precise knowledge of this altered position of the uterus, nor of the effect it produced on the bladder and rectum; deranging the functions, and obstructing the operations of these organs. "The first person, who enter"tained any correct idea of this accident, was M. Gregoire, an "accoucheur of considerable reputation at Paris, about the "middle of the last century, and a lecturer on the practice of "midwifery. M. Gregoire's lectures were attended by many "students, who afterward became celebrated accoucheurs; and among others our countryman Smellie: yet his doctrine "this subject seems to have been recollected by only two of "his pupils, the French accoucheur M. Levret, and Mr. "Wall; and from the latter the accoucheurs of England first gained information on this subject."

upon

"The lectures which Gregoire delivered were never printed; "and therefore it is impossible to know exactly what opinion "he had formed of this accident; but that he was aware, of the "fundus uteri being thrown down between the vagina and "rectum, is evident from the directions which he gave for re"placing it. In the year 1754, Mr. Wall, who had settled in "London, was called to attend a woman labouring under a "suppression of urine, from a retroversion of the uterus; and "being convinced that it was a case of the kind described by "Gregoire, he endeavoured to relieve his patient by the "method taught by that lecturer; but failing in his object, he "called in the assistance of the late Dr. William Hunter. Their "united endeavours in various ways were unavailing, and the "woman died! Dr. Hunter, with the most laudable desire to "disseminate knowledge, having obtained leave to open the "body, invited a number of gentlemen of the faculty of me"dicine to a public lecture, which he read for the purpose of "making the disease generally known. Drawings were taken

* Rien ne lui fit plus d'honneur, says his biographer, que d'avoir prouve que l'obliquité de la matrice est une des premières causes des accouchemens dificiles, & d'avoir indiqué la manœuvre que demandent les accouchemens de cette espece.

†M. Gregoire instructed his pupils, that with one finger in the vagina and another in the rectum, an attempt should be made to raise the fundus and to replace the uterus. This was advised to be done while the woman was lying on her back, an unfavourable position for the purpose: for, should this manœuvre ever be deemed necessary, the objects of it may be accomplished with more facility while the patient is resting on her elbows and knees.