pearances, we will not indeed contend that it must be true; but, for our own parts, we would not exchange the truth for it. If Dr. Reid will refle&t, he will find that Des Cartes' Vortices are by no means equally fatisfactory. One part of his objections we shall not touch on, for we speak only of the mode of communication to the brain; all beyond is doubt and uncertainty: it is only clear, that the impreffion made muft refemble, in its obvious properties, the manner in which it is made.

Philofophers have accounted, in fome degree, for our various fenfations of found, by the vibrations of elaftic air. But it is to be observed, firft, that we know that fuch vibrations do really exift and, fecondly, that they tally exactly with the molt remarkable phænomena of found. We cannot, indeed, fhow how any vibration fhould produce the fenfation of found. This must be refolved into the will of God, or into fome caufe altogether unknown. But we know, that as the vibration is trong or weak, the found is loud or low. We know, that as the vibration is quick or flow, the found is acute or grave. We can point out that relation of fynchronous vibrations which produces harmony or difcord, and that relation of fucceffive vibrations which produces melody and all this is not conjectured, but proved by a fufficient induction. This account of founds, therefore, is philofophical; although, perhaps, there may be many things relating to found that we cannot account for, and of which the caufes remain latent. The connections defcribed in this branch of philofophy are the work of God, and not the fancy of men.

If any thing fimilar to this could be fhown in accounting for all our fenfations by vibrations in the medullary fubitance of the nerves and brain, it would deferve a place in found philofophy. But, when we are told of vibrations in a fubftance, which no man could ever prove to have vibrations, or to be ca pable of them; when fuch imaginary vibrations are brought to account for all our fenfations, though we can perceive no correfpondence in their variety of kind and degree to the va riety of fenfations, the connections defcribed in fuch a fyftem are the creatures of human imagination, not the work of God.

The rays of light make an impreffion upon the optic nerves; but they make none upon the auditory or olfactory. The vibrations of the air make an impreffion upon the auditory nerves; but none upon the optic or the olfactory. The effluvia of bodies make an impreffion upon the olfactory nerves; but make none upon the optic or auditory. No man has been able to give a fhadow of reafon for this. While this is the cafe, is

it not better to confefs our ignorance of the nature of thofe impreffions made upon the nerves and brain in perception, than o flatter our pride with the conceit of knowlege which we have

R 4

have not, and to adulterate philofophy with the spurious brood of hypothefes?'

We have quoted this paffage merely to notice two defects : the one, that the author overlooks what he had before mentioned of the vibrations not being in the nerves themselves, but in the medium connected with them: the other, to remind him that the organs of fense are exprefsly formed to produce the peculiar impreffion on each. The organ of hearing, for inftance, cannot be affected by the visual rays while it is lodged in a cavity in the skull. But thefe little errors do not materially affect the work itfelf, which is, in general, entitled to our approbation.

An Account of the Foxglove, and fome of its Medical Ufes: with Practical Remarks on Dropfy, and other Difeafes. By William Withering, M. D. Phyfician to the General Hospital at Birmingham. 8vo. 5s. in Beards. Robinfon.

WE

E cannot be too eager to diffeminate useful knowlege; and if those practitioners who daily lament the diftressful and unreftrained ravages of dropfy, should catch a ray of information from our account of this work, we would re. commend to them not to be contented with an uncertain light, but to receive a greater illumination from the essay itself. They will find many valuable obfervations which we cannot abridge. We felected, in our fifty-feventh Volume, an extract from an ingenious work on the utility of Botanical Analogy,' which contained fome remarks on digitalis. The author, from the nature of its companions in a natural clafs, conjectured that it was fedative and diuretic. We felected it, at that time, because we suspected that this judicious conjecture would be verified; and Dr. Withering's practice, with the obfervations of his correfpondents, are the ftrongest teftimony in its favour.

We have great reafon to fuppofe that the foxglove may be a valuable remedy. It is powerfully diuretic, in a dofe which does not excite that diftreffing nausea, infeparable from the beneficial effects of fome other narcotic remedies. Our author employs the leaf, gathered when the flowers are expanding; and, after rejecting the leaf-stalk and mid-rib of the leaves, dries and powders them. From one to three grains of this powder is a dofe for adults. If a liquid medicine be preferred, a drachm of the leaves is to be infufed in half a pint of boiling water, adding to the ftrained liquor an ounce of any fpirituous water. An ounce of this infufion is a mean dofe • The

for an adult.

The foxglove when given in very large and quickly-repeated dofes, occafions ficknefs, vomiting, purging, giddinefs, confused vifion, objects appearing green or yellow; increafed fecretion of urine, with frequent motions to part with it, and fometimes inability to retain it; flow pulfe, even as flow as 35 in a minute, cold fweats, convulfions, fyncope, death.

When given in a lefs violent manner, it produces most of thefe effects in a lower degree; and it is curious to obferve, that the fickness, with a certain dofe of the medicine, does not take place for many hours after its exhibition has been difcontinued; that the flow of urine will often precede, sometimes accompany, frequently follow, the fickness at the distance of fome days, and not unfrequently be checked by it. The fickness thus excited, is extremely different from that occa fioned by any other medicine; it is peculiarly ditreffing to the patient; it ceafes, it recurs again as violent as before; and thus it will continue to recur for three or four days, at diflant and more diftant intervals.'

But this feverity is unneceffary; in the milder dofes which we have described, it acts with little pain or diftrefs, and the patient's appetite grows better.

Let the medicine, therefore, be given in the dofes, and at the intervals mentioned above :-let it be continued until it either acts on the kidneys, the ftomach, the pulfe, or the bowels; let it be topped upon the firit appearance of any one of these effects, and I will maintain that the patient will not fuffer from its exhibition, nor the practitioner be difappointed in any reasonable expectation.

If it purges, it feldom fucceeds well.

The patients fhould be enjoined to drink very freely during its operation. I mean, they thould drink whatever they prefer, and in as great quantity as their appetite for drink demands. This direction is the more neceffary, as they are very generally prepoffeffed with an idea of drying up a dropfy, by abftinence from liquids, and fear to add to the difcafe, by indulging their inclination to drink,'

We must add a little more, in the words of our attentive author.

It feldom fucceeds in men of great natural ftrength, of tenfe fibre, of warm fkin, of florid complexion, or in those with a tight and cordy pulfe.

If the belly in afcites be tenfe, hard, and circumfcribed, or the limbs in anafarca folid and refifting, we have but little to hope.

On the contrary, if the pulfe be feeble or intermitting, the countenance pale, the lips vivid, the fkin cold, the fwoln belly foft and fluctuating, or the anafarcous limbs readily pitting. under the preffure of the finger, we may expect the diuretic effects to follow in a kindly manner.

In cafes which foil every attempt at relief, I have been aiming, for fome time paft, to make fuch a change in the confitution of the patient, as might give a chance of fuccess to the digitalis.

By blood-letting, by neutral falts, by chryftals of tartar, fquills, and occafional purging, I have fucceeded, though imperfectly. Next to the ufe of the lancet, I think nothing lowers the tone of the fyftem more effectually than the fquill, and confequently it will always be proper, in fuch cafes, to use the fquill; for if that fail in its defired effect, it is one of the best preparatives to the adoption of the digitalis.'

A paralytic affection, or a calculus, are not increafed by its ufe, though a fedative and diuretic.

The work, in general, contains a description of the cafes in which the foxglove was used by our author, with its effects; and to these are added the obfervations of his correfpondents. We cannot abridge them; nor is abridgement neceffary, fince we have already mentioned their results: we muft, however, add, that the feveral cafes contain many useful practical remarks, and afford many inftances of decifive and judicious conduct.

This volume is concluded by obfervations on anafarca, and the different fpecies of dropfy, with its feveral combinations; on afthma, epilepy, and infanity, fo far as they depend on water effufed; on hydrocephalus and phthifis.

On hydrocephalus Dr. Withering fuggefts, that the watery effufion is probably an effect rather than the cause of disease. It was, we believe, a remark of the late amiable and judicious Dr. Gregory, that the apparent cause of the disease was not in any proportion to the fymptoms; but he did not fuggeft any other foundation for it. Dr Withering fuppofes an inflammation previous to the effufion; yet, from a full confideration of the circumftances, we think it tcarely probable. The fever is apparently remittent; a form of fever not the attendant of inflammation. The fymptoms are thofe of irritation without coma, as reftleffnefs, picking the nose, &c. which we do not perceive, when any part of the brain is affected by inflammation. We know not that the ftate of the brain has been accurately examined; but, from the fymptoms, the nature of the patients ufually affected, its being peculiar to families, we fhould fufpect fome constantly irritating power; perhaps, if we may judge from the confequences, the abforb. ent fyftem of the brain, which we may now, probably, speak of with confidence, is difeafed, and the glands may be enlarged. This view of the difeafe will explain the operation of repeated topical bleedings, vomits, and purges, which are

cer

certainly fometimes fuccefsful in the early ftates. We can add our teftimony to that of Dr. Withering, that the disease may Occur without the ufual diagnostics. We faw an instance where the cause was afcertained by diffection, in which none of the common fymptoms were obferved. It was very difficult to purge the child' but no paralyfis or dilatation of the pupil was obferved. About two days before the death of the child the face fwelled, and appeared like that of an anafarcous leucophlegmatic perfon,

Dr. Withering thinks the phthifis pulmonalis is certainly infectious; the foxglove was once thougt ferviceable in it; but it is now useless. From this, and other circumstances, he supposes the disease was then more easily curable than it is at prefent.'

A print of the foxglove is prefixed. It is taken from Mr. Curtis's Flora Londinenfis, drawn with his usual accuracy, and coloured under his infpection.

The Tafk, a Poem, in Six Books. By William Couper, Efg. 8vo. 4s. in Boards. Johnfon.

THE author informs us that a lady, fond of blank verfe, demanded a poem of that kind from the author, and gave him the Sofa for a subject. He obeyed; and having much leifure, connected another fubject with it; and pursuing the train of thought to which his fituation and turn of mind led him, brought forth at length, instead of the trifle which he at firit intended, a serious affair—a volume.'

In the name of the public we pay our acknowledgments to this lady, as the primary caufe of a publication which, though not free from defects, for originality of thought, ftrength of argun.ent, and poignancy of fatire, we fpeak in general, is fuperio to any that has iately fallen into our hands. We here meet with no affected prettinefs of ftyle, no glaring epithets, which modern writers to induftriously accumulate; and reverfing Homer's exhibition of his hero in rags, convey the image of a beggar, clothed in purple and fine linen.' This poem is divided into fix books; to the first of them, though but a fmall part has ary thing allufive to it, the Sofa gives name. The author begins with tracing, in a humorous manner, the progrefs of refinement in what may be called fedentary luxury; from the joint-flool on which

Immortal Alfred

Sway'd the fceptre of his infant realms,'

to the invention of the accomplished fofa.' He proceeds in expreffing his wishes to live eftranged from the indulgencies it yields.

• The