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Medical Reports of the Effects of Tobacco.

ART. VI. Medical Reports of the Effects of Tobacco, principally with regard to its diuretic quality in the Cure of Dropfies and Dyfuries, &c. By Thomas Fowler, M. D, Phyfician to the General Infirmary of the County of Stafford. 8vo. 2s. Johnson.

VERY medical man deferves well of the public, who from practice and experience, adds to the ftore of medical knowledge any new fubftance the properties of which have not been properly afcertained, and which may procure relief in fome obftinate cafes, which too frequently refift the powers of every ordinary medicine. This is the cafe with the author of this pamphlet, who from experiment and fact, has made us acquainted with the medicinal effects of to, bacco.

After a preface, ftating the inefficacy and uncertainty of every known diuretic, Doctor Fowler, in his first chapter, relates the effects of tobacco in dropfical complaints, illuftrated by a number of cafes in which he administered it with various fuccefs, Thefe cafes, feem to be detailed with accuracy and fairness; and the refult is, that out of thirty-one trials, four cafes of general anafarca, two of confirmed afcites, and twelve of dropfical fwellings in the legs, in all eighteen, have been cured; a confirmed anafarca in a fcrophulous habit, and confirmed afcites of twenty years ftanding. In a woman of feventy-two years of age, and eight cafes of dropfical legs, in all ten, have been relieved; and a confirmed anafarca, an afcites, and another complicated with anafarca, in all three, have not experienced any relief from this medicine.

The fecond chapter treats of the effects of tobacco in cafes of dyfury. The refult is, that of eighteen cafes of dyfury, ten have been cured, feven relieved, and one was not relieved, by an infufion of tobacco given in drops internally.

The third chapter gives obfervations on the ufe of clyfters of tobacco in the treatment of the cholic; from which I fhall take a fhort extract in the author's own words,

'I believe an ounce of the infufion will be found a medium doze in a clyfter for an adult of an ordinary conftitution; but I have not yet had a fufficient number of these cafes, to enable me to afcertain this point with fo much accuracy as I could with. The general rule, however, which I have laid down for myfelf, is this. Suppofing common clyfter to have been administered without effect, I would order one of an ounce of the infufion, (agreeable to the preceding obfervation) in half a pint of milk, or common gruel, to be imme diately injected. If this procured no relieving ftool, or excited no giddinefs, or naufea, continuing for the fpace of thirty, forty, or fixty minutes, (thefe laft effects, in obftinate conftipations, molt fre

quently

quently preceding its laxative operation) then I would gradually increafe the ftrength of the future injections, till one or other of thele effects fhould take place.'

The fourth chapter contains the feveral formulæ according to which the medicines mentioned in the forgoing cafes have been prefcribed. Of thefe I fhall felect only the preparation of the infufion of tobacco, because that is the chief formula with which the trials have been made. This infufion is made by pouring a pint of boiling water upon one ounce of the dried leaves of Virginia tobacco; macerate the liquor in a clofe ftopped veffel, placed in balnes maria, for an hour, after which fourteen ounces of this infufion are to be expreffed, and when the liquor is ftrained off, two ounces of rectified fpirit of wine are to be added, in order the better to preserve it.

The fifth and laft chapter contains general observations on the effects of tobacco, and practical rules and cautions for the internal administration of the infufion.

The Doctor began with adminiftering fifteen drops in the morning, twenty-two in the afternoon, and thirty going to bed-He increafed the drops till fome of his patients took a hundred drops, fome one hundred and fifty, and others two hundred twice a day in a cordial julep, or any other vehicle. The doze is to be varied according to the difference of sexes, the ftrength or weakness of constitution. Upon the whole, to infure the efficacy of the medicine the author advises to increase the dozes, till a vertigo, or naufea be excited, for the fpace of fifteen, thirty, or forty minutes.

The average doze, according to the author, for an adult, is eighty drops; or from fixty to one hundred twice a day.

We recommend to our medical readers, an attention to this pamphlet; as introducing another valuable medicine into the materia medica.

ART. VII. Rhetorical Grammar, or Course of Leffons in Elocution. By J. Walker. 8vo. 38. boards, Robinfon."

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HIS performance is chiefly defigned for the use of schools; and the exprefs purpose of it is to afford to the young of both fexes an idea of the principles of reading and fpeaking. Upon this fubject, the experience of the author as a teacher has been of great advantage to him; and his leffons are certainly calculated to facilitate in a very confiderable degree the advances of young ftudents. As an elementary work, his performance deferyes high praife. But it appears to us, that he

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is not profoundly verfant in the fcience of grammar. It is a fcience, indeed, in which few even of the learned have been able to obtain any accurate knowledge; and it would not be difficult to point to writers of an extenfive literary reputation, who must have written more from the ear, than from any skill in the art of grammar,

As a fpecimen of the abilities of this writer, we fhall extract his tenth leffon which he intitles a practical system of rhetorical punctuation.'

Before we give fuch directions for paufing, or dividing a fentence, as will, in fome measure, enable us to avoid the errors of common punctuation, it will be neceffary to enquire into the nature of a fentence, and to diftinguish it into its different kinds. Sentences afe of two kinds: a period, or compact fentence, and a loose fentence. A period, or compact fentence, is an affemblage of fuch words, or members, as do not form fenfe independent of each other; or if they do, the former modify the latter, or inverfely. A loofe fentence is an affemblage of fuch words, or members, as do form fenfe, independent of thofe that follow, and at the fame time, are not modified by them a period, or compact fentence, therefore, is divifible into two kinds; the firft, where the former words and members. depend for feufe on the latter, as in the following fentence: As we cannot difcern the fhadow moving along the dial-plate, fo the ad wances we make in learning are only perceived by the distance gone over. Here we find, no fenfe formed till the laft word is pronounced; and this fentence, for diftinction's fake, we may call a direct period; the fecond kind of period. or compact fentence, is that, where, though the first part forms fenfe without the latter, it is nevertheless modified by it; as in the following fentence: There are feveral arts which all men are in fome measure mafters of, without being at the pains of Learning them. Here, if we ftop at masters of, we find complete fenfe formed, but not the whole fenfe; becaufe what follows modifies or alters the meaning of it: for it is not 'faid fimply, that there are feveral arts, which all men are in fome measure mafters of, but with this qualification or change in the fenfe, without being at the pains of learning them, which reduces the general to a particular meaning and this fentence we may call an inverted period, The loose fentence has its first members forming fenfe, without being modified by the latter; as in the following fentence, Perfons of good talle expect to be pleafed at the fame time they are informed; and think that the beft fenfe always deferve the best language. In which example, we find the larter member adding fomething to the former, but not modifying or altering it.

This difference of connection between the members of fentences, and confequently the different paufes to be annexed to them, will be better underfood by attending to the different influence of the reiatives that and which in the following paffage:

A man fhould endeavour to make the fphere of his innocent plea fures as wide as poffible, that he may retire into them with fafety, and find in them fuch a fatisfaction as a wife man would not blush to take.

take. Of this nature are thofe of the imagination, which do not require fuch a bent of thought as is neceflary to our more ferious employments, nor at the fame time fuffer the mind to fink into that negligence and remiffness, which are apt to accompany our more fenfual delights. SPECTATOR, No. 411.

In the first of these sentences, we find the conjunction that modifies or reftrains the meaning of the preceding member; for it is not afferted in general, and without limitation, that a man fhould make the fphere of his innocent pleafures as wide as poffible, but that he fhould do fo for the purpose of retiring into himself: thefe two members, therefore, are neceffarily connected, and might have formed a period, or compact fentence, had they not been followed by the lat member; but as that only adds to the fenfe of the preceding members, and does not qualify them, the whole affemblage of members, taken together, form but one loofe fentence.

The last member of the last fentence is neceffarily connected with what precedes, because it modifies or reftrains the meaning of it: for it is not meant, that the pleafures of the imagination do not fuffer the mind to fink into negligence and remiffnefs in general, but into that particular negligence and remiffness which is apt to accompany our more fenfual delights. The first member of this fentence affords an opportunity of explaining this by its oppofite: for here it is not meant, that thofe pleafures of the imagination only are of this innocent nature which do not require fuch a bent of thought as is neceffary to our more ferious employments; but that, of this nature are the pleafures of the imagination in general; and it is by alking the question whether a preceding member affirms any thing in general, or only affirms fomething as limited or qualified by what follows, that we fhall difcover whether thefe members are either immediately or remotely connected; and, confequently, whether they form a loose or a compact fentence: as the former member, therefore, of the laft fentence is not neceffarily connected with thofe that fucceed, the fentence may be pronounced to be a loofe fentence.

Sentences thus defined and diftinguished into their feveral kinds, we fhall be better enabled to give fuch rules for dividing them by paufes, as will reduce punctuation to fome rational and teady principles. Previous, however, to these rules it will be neceflary to obferve, that as the times of the paufes are exceedingly indefinite, the fewer distinctions we make between them, the lefs we shall embarrafs the reader: I fhall beg leave, therefore, to reduce the number of paufes to three, namely, the fmaller paufe, anfwering to the comma; the greater paufe, anfwering to the femicolon, and colon; and the greateft paufe, anfwering to the period. knew nothing of the femicolon; and if we confider practice, and real utility, I believe it will be found, that the three distinctions of the ancients anfwer every ufeful purpofe in writing and reading."

The ancients

The practical nature of this performance conftitutes its chief value. For the exhibition of rules which can be followed in education with fuccefs is of the laft importance. General fpeculations on grammar have, doubtlefs, their va

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lue:

Jue; and may be the refult of profound thinking and genius. But while philofophers, are intitled to a full admiration, it is not proper to neglect the humble labours of the teacher. We must not defpife the road that conducts to excellence. The individual who has an infinite contempt of commas and points, and who attends not to the minutiae of language, will never speak with propriety, or compose with elegance.

ART. VIII. A Candid and Impartial Sketch of the Life and Government of Pope Clement XIV. Containing many interesting Anecdotes during that Period of Church Hiftory. In a feries of Letters from Rome. Dublin printed for the Author. 12mo. 2s. 6d. fewed, 1785.

THE author of these letters, having given a general view of

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the first institution and early government of the fociety of Jefuits, proceeds to give an account of the life and reign of Clement the Fourteenth by whom it was destroyed. He deduces his defcent from his grand-father, a man who earned his living by felling fkins. Even through the cloud of prejudice, which evidently involves the account given by the letter writer, of this Pope, we can difcern, that John Vincent Ganganelli, was a man of good parts, and endowed particularly with a strong and happy memory. His temper was eafy, open, and affable; and in his younger years, he was not averfe to pleasure and amufements. His converfation was agreeably tinctured with wit and humour, and he poffeffed talents for political intrigue and bufinefs. He was

particularly ftudious of fecrecy in all that he faid and did. Pafquin faid, that if Clement had expected to die, he would have taken down the clapper of the great bell of the capital, to prevent its tolling to publish his decease.

But the most striking part of Ganganelli's character, was a fingular afcendency, which he affumed over perfons of all ranks, who approached him, and which he maintained by a furprising affability. Thofe who were moft intimately acquainted with him, confider this as the chief fource and fpring of his fortune and elevation. Certain it is, that his affability was on many occafions of the utmost fervice to him. For as his air of diffimulation was very obfervable on one hand, and as the impreffion of his extraordinary afcendency was felt on the other, thofe who converfed with him, would naturally have put themselves upon their guard, if his great affability had not removed all miftruit, and counteracted the effects of both. The state, and the air of importance, which he well knew when to affume, was perfectly irrefiftible, and made feveral judicious perfons fay: "That Friar will become a great man." Other predictions of his future grandeur might appear to be grounded on the fame foundation, if they were not too particular, too exact, to be attributed to mere conjecture. The biflop of Forli, feeing fome

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