&.'A Reirofpe€t of American Literature, — Medicine, i^cl . 



lications, and the fuppnrt and patronage 

 which they conftantly receive. 



From Dr. Water house, Profefior 

 cf the Theory and Praflice of Phylic, 

 -.ml Teacher of Natural Hifiory in the 

 Univerlity of Camh: i,lc;c- (State of MafTa- 

 chufetts), the public have received a v?.- 

 liiahle publicati n, which he intiiles 

 •' Cautions to Yoiii;e; Perfons concerning 

 Health." Theobjsft of this performance 

 is to exhibit the general doctrine of chro- 

 nic difeafes, to (hew the evil tendency of 

 the ufe of tobacco up''n younj; perfons, 

 and more elj-eciaily the pernicious tlTefls 

 of Imokins^ fegais, and to offer obferva- 

 tiiins on ihc ufe r,f artlent and vinous fpi- 

 riti in s>e' eral. Thi.s excellent publica- 

 tion I'cem'i to be calculated to do a great 

 deal of eood, by fai htuily ■Aarning yuiing 

 perlons >.f ihe confeqiiences ihcy ought to 

 appiehend fri m the abiilcs and excefl'es 

 tliey daily ccminit in the intf iriperate ufe 

 of to!>;;ccoand intoxicating liquors. 



Dr. RrtNiD, of Koititn, has lately pub- 

 liihtd a Tr-^ft containing " Oblcrvations 

 oil Piitl:ii^s Piilmonalis, and the TJie of 

 Digitalis in the rrcatment of that Dif- 

 eafe ; wi b P;3(5lic<l Remarks on the Ui'e 

 t)f the I'epid Bath." The fubftance of 

 this publication was delivered not Unr; 

 fmce in a Difcourfe to the Medical Society 

 of Miillachur-'is, at their anr.uul meef- 

 ing, and puldiflied by their defire. It is 

 to be ieareil the au'h'. r is too l:inguine in 

 his eftimate oi the vlrtue.s of digitalis.— 

 Mtich ha.s indeed occurred to dimioifii the 

 confidence wliich it was once believed 

 might be pliced in the eflicacy of this ce- 

 lebrated remedy. Dr. Rand, liowever, is 

 well informed on the fiibjsvl, and hns 

 •ione eiioiigh to render this performance 

 exceedingly inft' ii(?iiveand uf-tiil. 



" Tile Mt-dical Repolit.ry, and Re- 

 view of American Publications on Me- 

 dicine, Surgery, and the Auxiliary 

 Blanches of Science," (fill proceeds under 

 the management of Dr. Mitchill a-.d 

 Dr. Mi'lLtR, of New-York, and is now 

 arrived at the coinpleiion of the eighth 

 vohitne. The fanne iJcady and dignified 

 rr>ari-h w-liich diltinpiuiilied tne outlet of 

 this publication, lUll continues to mark 

 its piogrtl's, and to attract more and more 

 of the patronage and lupport of the pub- 

 lic. 



" The Philadelphia Medical Mufeum," 

 cmducted by Dr. CoxE, in the three 

 quarieilv numbtrs of the fiflt volume, 

 110W publiflred, contains many valuable 

 papitrs, and infpirts every reader with 

 confidence in its grovviog ufcfulnefs, and 



with refpefl for the talents and diligence 

 of the editor. 



«' The Philadelphia Medical and fhyfi- 

 ctil Jnurnal," collected and arranged by 

 Proteflor Barton, of the Univerfity of 

 Pennfylvania, has now readied the com- 

 pletion of the firft volume. This publi- 

 cation exhibiis feveral good communica- 

 tions, and will doubtlefs feiveto extend 

 and improve the nicdicai fcitnce ot the 

 United S aes. 



While Europe ccniinues, as at prefcnt, 

 to be viiited with malignant and mortal 

 epidem'cs, ilie coniiot view wiih indiffe- 

 rence the ^rogrels cf medicine in America. 

 J'he ravages of the yellow-ftver in the 

 Weff-Indies, and in North and South 

 America, fo frequently repeated and con- 

 tinued now for lo long a leries of yeais, 

 pnint to the phyficians of thele reglors as 

 the beft qualified, by experience and ob- 

 feivatiiin, to give a clear, praiSfical, and 

 experimental account of thedifeafe. The 

 writing.'! of piaftitiouers in the Britifliand 

 French Weft-Indies have long held a high 

 reputation. Thofe of Noith- America, 

 and particularly of the United Stales, 

 have lately becoine very numeious, and 

 have ril'en to a liigh degree of authority. 

 The (everal queltions concerning the ori- 

 gin, nature, and treatmen', of the yel- 

 low'. fever, have there undergone difcuf- 

 iiins fo animated and enlitjhtened, as to 

 placethe fuhjeci in a very fatisfa<51ory point 

 of view. The quelfions of its origin and 

 c^ntaj/ioufnefs have been agitated with an 

 efpecial degree of zeal anJ fcituiny. A 

 very finguhr Itate of the public opinion 

 feems to be the refult of thefe inquiries. 

 Certainly, nineteen phyficiansof twenty in 

 the United States, and probably a much 

 larger prop ution, allcrt the donieitic ori- 

 gin and non-contagit/uln. f'i of the yellow- 

 fever ; viviiile pernaus one- half of the 

 merchants, and undoubtedly a majority 

 of the populace, in the commercial cities, 

 believe in the importation of it from 

 abioad. Unfortunately for the opinion of 

 foreign derivation, the few phyficians 

 who Ifili profefs to believe that doilrine 

 have be;n fo tar overpowered and filenced 

 by iheir ooponents, as f')r feveral years 

 pad to have entirely relinquiflied the de- 

 fence of it. No medical man of anydefcrip- 

 tion has undertaken for a long courfe of 

 time to write in favour of the foreign ori- 

 gin, while the other fide of the quei<ion is 

 fteadilv maintained by a groupe of diftin- 

 guiibed writers, who arc every day fan- 

 porting by new argument* or illultrations 

 what ihcy confider as the ellablilhcd doc- 

 trine. 



