l88 Upon the Redundancies of NatuvCf May 



edification (as, happily, it may lead to the adoption of imitation) 

 to advert to that moft fage and ufeful pra(£lice, almoft univerfally 

 prevalent amongft: the unadulterated favage children of nature, in 

 whom reafon continues unperverted by the artificial refinements 

 of civilised life — I mean the felicitous invention of fqueezing 

 the bones of the head (by continued comprcfTion betwixt deal 

 boards, from earlicfl infancy) into the fliape of a fquare, or of 

 a fugnr-loaf : The brain being thus no longer fuiTercd to weaken 

 itfelf, by difFufe expanfion through the whole content of a hollow 

 fphere — which every mathematician knows to be the figure of 

 greatcfl; capacity ; but, being condenfed and concentrated, from 

 thz circumfcription of its circumambient enclofure, into figures 

 of lefs extenfive comprehenfion, the inherent intellect, like the 

 fleam of water, is rendered more elaftic and vigorous, through 

 the compreflion ; from whence refults that great fuperiority of 

 5ntelle£lual and a£live energy for which favage nations have 

 been fo highly celebrated in the eloquent rhapfodies of fuch a 

 number of your modern philofophers. To themy indeed, I would 

 mod ferioufly recommend the adoption of the practice, for the 

 benefit of themfelves and families *, as alfo, to all families through 

 which weaknefs of intellect has been accuftomed to defcend by 

 inheritance. 



Numberlefs other inftances might be adduced, both from the 

 vegetable and animal kingdoms. I prefume, however, the above 

 are fufBcient to convince both you and your readers of the julHce 

 of my firft pofition, refpedling rtdu^idancyy ' that Nature is fre- 

 <^uently found peccant, in giving more field for exertion, than the 

 afforded aftive force can occupy to full advantage *, ' and t/jat, 

 both in regard to the powers of fenfibility and of vitality ; pro- 

 ducing, thus, the general bad habit of inanition, together witli all 

 the particular failings of obtufe fenfe, and of difeafes of debility. 

 I conceive, too, that 1 have fufliciently eftabliihed the rationale 

 of my method of cure, both from analogy, and from the lupport 

 of wife eftablifhed pra6lice, viz. the concentration of powers by 

 the circumfcription of their local dijlribution. I (hall not therefore 

 detain you from the main purpoie of my prefent communication, 

 by an enumeration of the numberlefs cures which I have, upon 

 irhis principle, performed in the human fpecies — of atrophy and 

 marafmus ; and of nervous afi-eclions of ladies, languifhing but 

 half alive in the inanition of ennui i by the amputation ot ears 

 and of nofes ; or of legs or arms, in more obftinate cafes : — But 

 Ihall proceed to (late the economical ends whch I have, by this 

 means, fecured to Agriculture; and thefe relate, chiefly, to the 

 procefs of jattening cattle. 



Having, then, had often occafion to obferve a redundancy qf 

 bpHy in the animal propofed to be fattened, difproportioned to 



