PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 319 



the parts difabled and in pain, came to one. . 

 of the Phyficians, and told him, that the 

 poor man's thigh was diflocated ; that the 

 head of the bone was ftruck quite out of 

 the acetabulmn^ and lay fairly in the groin. 

 The Phyfician having, in his younger days, 

 attended Boerhaave (who, furely, underflood 

 phyfic and furgery as well as any man ever 

 did), and knowing that, from the prodigious 

 ftrength of the hgaments, and depth of the 

 focket in that articulation, this learned Profef- 

 for was of opinion, that the thigh-bone was 

 never diflocated by external violence, but fre- 

 quently broken near the head : which was the 

 true reafon why fuch accidents were feldom, 

 or never, cured : the Phyfician, I fay, perfua- 

 ded, that his preceptor was in the right, 

 obferved to the Surgeon, that there mufl be 

 a miflake fomewhere, and that there was no 

 inflance on record, which could be depend- 

 ed upon, of fuch a luxation as he defcribed : 

 to which the Surgeon replied, " Sir, if you 

 " will not believe me, you will believe your 

 *' own eyes and fingers prefently." 



The novelty of the cafe brought all the 

 Phyficians and Surgeons to the Infirmary. 

 A Skeleton was fetched, and great care ta- 

 ken 



