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those diseases which takes place Avith us: a praclical ob- 

 servation, that cannot be too generally known. But to 

 return to my subject. On the slightest appearance of gra- 

 velly symptoms, unconnected Avith fever, or intlanimatory 

 tendency of the urinary system, our patients have recourse 

 to an alkaline medicine, the gravelly pills, (as they term 

 iheni;) which consist of desiccated soda, in the most con- 

 venient form for hospital practice, as well as most suited 

 to gouty stomachs. Of. this, (as first advised by Beddoes,) 

 one drachm, with the addition of a few grains of capsi- 

 cum, or drops of essential oil, and the necessaiy quantity 

 of hard soap, or extract, is made into twenty pills. Of 

 these, from three to six, or more, are taken in the twenty- 

 four hours; and are found sufficient, not only to alleviate 

 or remove these complaints, but even to render the inter- 

 ference of the physician but seldom necessary. We have 

 had also occasion to remark, that several of our patients, 

 induced by their marked beneficial effects, carried these 

 pills about them, so as to have occasional recourse to 

 them, without much attention to either dose or number. 



To this practice, then, we would be disposed to attri- 

 bute,, the very pleasing and interesting consideration, that, 

 among so many gravelly patients, there has not occurred^ 

 in the course of ten years, a single operation of lithotomy ; 

 nor has the catheter, even in the hands of our expert and 

 able surgeon, Mr. Macklin, been able to discover the 

 smallest occasion for it. We could therefore, have no 



opportunity 



