ACCOUNT OF A NEW MEDICINE FOR THE GOVT. 
with a view to strengthen his former ar- 
guments. He does not, however, appear 
to have placed the question in a new 
_ light, or to make it necessary to add any 
thing to what we have remarked upon 
this subject in our last volume. 
We approve of the author’s plan in 
753 
thus publishing, in separate parts, the re- 
sults of his experfence in a numerous 
and important class of diseases ; but-at 
the same time we cannot forbear ob-« 
serving, that the style of publication is 
very unnecessarily expensive. 
Arr. XXVII. Observations on the Origin and Treatment of internal and external Diseases 
and Management of Children. By Mr. Hume, one of his Majesty’s State Surgeons, and 
Senior Attendant of Mercer’s Hospital. 8vo. pp. 290. 
THE author informs us, that the 
work which we are now to notice is the 
result of an extensive practice and long 
experience in. medicine and. surgery. 
Whatever, therefore, may be the opinions 
entertained of its merit, the medical world 
must feel itself obliged to an individual, 
who, at a late period of life, conquers 
his disinclination to appear before the 
public, from the hope of rendering some 
degree of service to his profession. We 
are sorry that we have not been able to 
discover, either in the theoretica: or prace 
tical discussions of this work, much that 
is likely to improve the medical practi- 
tioner, and likewise regret that we are 
obliged to notice the very great inac- 
curacy of the composition, which is every 
where apparent. 
Arr. XXVIII. An Account of the Discovery and Operation of a new Medicine for the 
Gout. 
THE annunciation, by an anonymous 
writer, of a concealed remedy for a dis- 
ease which has hitherto been an oppro- 
- brium to the regular practitioner, and 
‘has long afforded numberless opportu- 
“nities to the empiric, of imposing upon 
credulity, comes with so suspicious an 
aspect, as to require all the care and 
precautions of the author, to give it any 
claim to professional consideration. Va- 
rious circumstances, we are informed, 
prevent it from being thought proper, 
either to publish the name of the author, 
or of the medicine here recommended ; 
but in order to ascertain fully its parti- 
cular effects, before an ultimate decision 
_ is made upon the best means of commu- 
 nicating it to the world, it has been plac- 
_ ed at the disposal of Drs. Beddoes and 
_ Bradley, whose reports, contained in the 
_ present work, afford a confirmation of 
its, efficacy, and a sanction to its em- 
J ployment. If the trials of this medicine 
still continue, we may soon expect to 
have additional evidence on the subject 
_ from various professional quarters; but 
we cannot help expressing our fears, 
that, as has been by no means unusual in 
imilar cases, experience will not be found 
to warrant the flattering expectations at 
present formed of it. It is hardly ne- 
cessary to give any particulars of its suc- 
- cess from the cases given, either by the 
author or his friends. It will be suffi- 
Ann. Rav. Vou, I. 
8vo. pp. 194. 
cient to state the circumstances which 
led to its employment. The author in- 
forms us, that he had a very early apti- 
tide at determining by the eye the qua- 
lities of vegetable substances, as whether 
such or such a tree bore sweet or sour 
apples by the configuration of the leaf 
or the twig. Hence he frequently felt a 
very urgent desire to taste the fruit, the 
leaf, or the bark, of any new untried plant 
that he chanced to meet with. About 
fourteen years ago, during the affliction 
cf an acute rheumatism, he first tasted 
the fruit, whose juice affords the medi- 
cine afterwards applied to the use of 
gout. He found relief by it, and was 
induced to repeat it until a cure was 
effected. Some time afterwards, on 2 
return of the same complaint, the same 
medicine was resorted to, and with si- 
milar good effects, The author has been 
for some years subject to the gout, but 
in 1798 he had a fit of extreme severity,, 
which recalled to his mind the good ef- 
fects which he experienced by the use of 
the fruit abovementioned when affected 
with rheumatism. He was hence in- 
duced to try it, and was agreeably sur- 
prised to find the first dose followed by 
the production of sleep, and the per- 
manent removal of pain. The use of 
the medicine produced a gradual recés« 
sion of the swelling, in a few days en- 
abled him to ride and walk, and in 
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