Xi INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS. 



priving them of fome organs which feem mod im- 

 portant in executing the vital functions. Whe? 

 ther life is in thefe fituations extinguifhed by 

 the fame means, or whether it is extinguifh- 

 ed in every cafe, by exciting a^caufe'that will 

 impair exifling irritability, is left to greater 

 phyfiologifts. But until the principle of life is dif- 

 covered, vrhich, according to fome, is the union 

 and reciprocal adion of the parts in refilling 

 diifolution ; or confifts in the blood 5 in a particu- 

 lar aura, like the imaginary aura feminalis ; in 

 fomething refembUng electricity ; in irritability, 

 or the exiftence of nerves ; all reafoning on what 

 affefts its creation, prefcrvation, or deflruQion, 

 mufl be unfatisfaclory. One thing is certain, 

 that the death of one part is often the neceffary 

 confequence of that of another ; that the death of 

 the heart may occafion the death of the brain j 

 and the lungs will die when the heart is dead. 



Mankind can ill fupport the privation of food. 

 It is true there are fome wonderful itories of abfli- 

 nence, in the records handed down to our own 

 time ; hovi^ever, thefe in general may be rather af- 

 cribed to the loveof impofture, and that anxiety to 

 deal in ttie marvellous, which fo eminently charac- 

 terifed the darker ages. Still, abiding by authentic 

 information, and trufting to veracious accounts of 

 modern date, men have fubfifted on a quantity of 

 food fmall beyond belief j and have even exifte4 



incredibly 



