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impostors. Of these, I shall mention that of Janet M'Leod, who after four years abstinence had, her features clear and not disfigured or sunk; her breast round and prominent like those of a healthy young woman; her legs, arms, and thighs, not at all emaciated." Her cure was uncommonly sudden and complete; for, "all at once she cried out for a drink, and drank a pint of water at one draught." That also of " a young and beautifu woman who fasted 34 days, and soon after 54 days, without having lost much of her flesh." That also of an abstinence of 54 years from the Edinburgh Med. Essays, where the patient, "only voided fœces once a year, and that always in the month of March." These cases bear internal marks of their being void of truth, and as such, require no observation.

I think Mr. Granger has erred in taking them all for granted, without considering whether the great authors, who have detailed them, might not as well have been deceived by a cunning woman and her accomplices, as many of the too credulous people in the neighbourhood of Ann Moore,

Birmingham, August 7, 1809.

RICHARD. THOMPSON.

Remarks on DR. ROBERTON'S Opinions respecting Stricture in the Urethra, &c.

DR. Roberton seems a man of strong natural powers of

mind, both of these precious qualifications, are from other circumstances, quite lost in him; or rather, perverted and vitiated. A feeling mind cannot witness such a wreck, without sensations of pain and regret, for ability misapplied, is even worse than ignoble indolence, or complete idleness, the first being capable of leading myriads astray, whereas the latter can in general only be prejudicial in a great degree, to the individual himself.

We promised ourselves but little information, and less instruction a considerable time since, on seeing Dr. Roberton's principles announced, respecting stricture in the urethra; and the result of his inquiries, have not disappointed us. His mode

of treating the subject, is so different from what we wished to hear, and what every rational being had a right to expect, that we are absolutely astonished, that he, or any other person, could have written so much as he has done, on the subject, in your Journal, and elsewhere, for several years past, without acci(No. 140.)

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dentally stumbling upon one valuable remark, or rational thought which might be applicable to any useful purpose; in short he must have shut his eyes, obscured judgment, and ren dered his every sense torpid in the extreme, to the nature of his subject, merely for the purpose of bewildering his readers, and putting a mountain in labour, to bring forth a mouse; he must have robbed his reasoning faculties in an impregnable coat of mail, through which, from without, conviction, common sense, and acknowledged matter of fact, could never penetrate, while he himself possessed the unlimited power of deluging the world with his odd and unaccountable whims. He seems to have acted the part of the master of a puppet-shew, who sees all from within, outwards, while the gazers on, are only attracted, and 'put off their guard, by a little of his professional dexterity, which pleases the eye, but can never bring conviction to the mind.

We still hope, however, for his own sake, that Dr. Roberton's speculations respecting stricture, are, although they have seemingly taken some years to grow, only the first thoughts which he has bestowed on that universally prevailing, and most important complaint; and that he will soon become a convert to the only true and generally understood opinion entertained perhaps by every medical practitioner but himself, that permanent stricture in the urethra, is, by general consent, and in general practice, known to be a disease of very common occur rence. We have, in support of our opinions, common sense on our side, when we remark that it is more likely, in Dr. Roberton's speculations respecting stricture, that he is wrong, than that all the world except himself, should be burning strictures in the urethra, osophagus, &c. where they do not exist, and where one cause of disease, or of obstruction in these canals, is perpetually mistaken for another, by every one but himself. I say it is not likely, that in these points in particular, Dr. Roberton should be right, while we are all playing at blind man's buff, a groping in the dark, without knowing what we are about, unless we stumble on the right path by mere accident. pable of altering the established opinions of a whole world upon any very important point, but seldom in the present age appear among us. We admit, however, that when they do come in our way, they meet with great, and often unjust and merciless opposition, from the opposite party having acquired habits of thinking and acting, which they can only abandon with their own interest, and against their feelings of conviction. Thus they have usually much to strive with, before they ultimately succeed in establishing their views; but our opposition to Dr. Roberton's ideas of stricture, can scarcely be conceived to be

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of this nature, or to arise from such a flattering idea of the business as this would be to Dr. Roberton. We wish to do him every justice, but the oddness of his notions, the gross absurdity and perverted stuff which we meet with in every paragraph of his writings, compel us rather to adhere to former, and, as he styles them, absurd, barbarous, and cruel doctrines and practices, than to acquiese in improbable, and I would almost say, impossible doctrines.

When such difficulty occurs to great and enlightened men, in the establishment of any important point, it is only because there is a seeming consistency in what they advance, but which yet cannot be properly comprehended and acted upon by the generality of people, at least for a length of time after the author has developed it. In other words, when a point is not ascertained to a demonstration, wherever different men are likely to view it in more ways than the right way, there opposition and clamour will be raised against it, which its intrinsic value alone can, and will ultimately silence. But a perusal of Dr. Roberton's notions, on the diseases of the generative organs of both sexes, will at once demonstrate that they possess no leading unextinguishable principle, which can, in spite of opposition, still blaze the brighter, and even at length make its most violent opponents become its warmest supporters. We shall, on the contrary, find that apparent plausability stands with him for matter of fact, and wrong principles and erronious doctrines are given us, instead of energetic, convincing, and self-evident demonstration, which at once strikes the mind. It is the blazing midnight faggot enticing us to it; but, in our passage, we unexpectedly find rocks and precipices to obstruct our progress; or it is the torch of Ariel leading us into Prospera's mire. It is the impracticable speculations of the dreamer, which only convince while we are deprived of the exercise of our faculties, but which dissolve into air when our reason returns, and when we consider the absurdity of supposing one individual right, and the whole world in error.

To conclude, Dr. Roberton's reasoning is so far from being like any thing we ever thought of, so different from that which we think likely to succeed, that we have no hesitation in pronouncing it the quintessence of extravagant folly, and the monster of an over-heated and hobbyhorsically vitiated imagi

nation.

We cannot avoid expressing our wish, and we have little doubt that it will be the case, that the whole profession should concentrate their force in preventing an attempt at an overthrow of established opinions, and established doctrines-doctrines too, which we assert are successful in practice, by the extrava

gant,

gant, absurd, and preposterous attempts of one who may em ploy his time more profitably for himself, gain and preserve more friends and supporters by his exertions, and be more successfully and beneficially employed in the alleviation of the distresses of human nature.

We hope these remarks will meet Dr. Roberton's eye before he advances farther, as author and instructor of the medical world. He informs us that he will soon publish a work on various diseases of the organs of generation, and we hope that on the principles of that particular part of it which we have now taken notice of, he will shape his doctrines more like acknowledged probability and the fashion of the day, and like the well-tried opinions of his professional contemporary brethren, than by at once, if I may be allowed the clumsy expression, attaching artificial wings to an 'ox, in expectation that that alone is necessary to make him fly.

Oct. 1809.

J.T. WILLIAMSON.

A

Notice, respecting an Artificial Stony Substance.

By F. R. CUREAUDEAU.

From the Journal de Physique.

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REMARKABLE example of the great degree of solidity which water may acquire in certain combinations, is that which artificial stones present to us,

The stones into the composition of which water enters and forms more than half the weight, are composed of one part of acid and of sulphur, and of two parts of baked clay, reduced to powder."

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Simply mixing these three substances does not give a solution of sulphate of clay, but it favours the reciprocal action of these three substances on each other, and produces much igneous fluid, the emission of which is sometimes so considerable that the matter appears to be even at a white heat.

This beautiful phenomenon continues more than one hour, if it be operated on by a mixture of 25 or 30 quintals; but what is the most remarkable is, that if sufficient water is not added at first, and the remainder afterwards added, the moment the defect appears, and the re-action of the substances on one another be the most energetic, then the mass becomes again a liquid; but it acquires all at once a great degree of solidity; the

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heat which it produces is even augmented to a high intensity, and the matter passes almost to a state of insolubility.

This last property, by which a mixture usually producing soluble salts, shews the penetration and union of water and acid with the earth to be so great, as to form a stony substance, possessing all the properties of stones except insolubility.

I have considered of what importance a factitious stony substance of these particular properties can be made. Could it not be employed with much advantage to form cements to join statues, to model vases, and many other purposes which experience will shew? It is true that it is necessary to preserve the bodies that are to compose this artificial stony cement from the influence of water and moisture.

Another consideration which makes me think this composition will appear with some interest, is the theory of its formation, and its analogy with the stones of solfaterra, and inclines me to have recourse to the hypotheses of subterraneous fires mixed with combustible matter, to explain volcanic eruptions. In effect, since pure water passing instantaneously from a liquid to a solid state, may produce the development of considerable heat, may it not be the immediate cause of volcanic eruptions?

Queries proposed to those medical gentlemen, who have opportunities of observing the Epidemical Ophthalmia which has long prevailed in the British army. By GEORGE JOSEPH BEER, M. D. Imperial Oculist to the University and Institutions for the Relief of the Poor of the City of Vienna, Member of the Royal Society of Sciences of Gottingen, and Honorary Member of the Bohemian Humane Society of Prague.

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HE various reports which begin to circulate upon the continent relative to an epidemical ophthalmia which has committed such dreadful ravages among the British soldiers, cannot but make a deep impression upon a person who, from his vocation as physician exclusively employed in the treatment of the diseases of the eyes in a populous town like Vienna, is peculiarly situated to appreciate the advantages of sight, and who is daily under the necessity of undertaking the painful task of declaring a number of unfortunate victims blind without possibility of relief. This consideration alone will justify me in venturing to propose some important questions to the Bri

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