440 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



Humbug's Cathartic pills, and be 

 discharged." 



In thisplan, I humbly presume, it 

 is very obvious that various persons 

 would be gratified. Men of science 

 would be undoubtedly pleased with 

 so extensive a range of experimen- 

 tal practice; and I trust there is 

 enough in the scheme to satisfy 

 those who think that our punish- 

 ments are in general too lenient. 

 Executioners and jailors may be 

 bribed, and there are various ways 

 of softeningpunishmentsorderedby 

 the law ; but the gentleman to be 

 employed upon my plan would have 

 too much interest in its success to 

 be swayed by any considerations 

 of another kind, or to be prevailed 

 upon to lay down the knife or the 

 lancet before law and justice had 

 been fully satisfied. Besides, should 

 a greater degree of severity be con- 

 tended for in the case of certain 

 crimes, than an expert operator 

 might inflict, we have bungling 

 surgeons and blundering apothe- 

 caries enough, whose handy work 

 and prescriptions would amount to 

 the full rigour of the law ; or the 

 numerous tribe of advertising doc- 

 tors might be employed, and I hope 

 none will say that the punishment 

 in that case would not be perfectly 

 adequate to the crime. 



Having suggested these hints, 

 Mr. Editor, I leave them and the 

 whole scheme to the consideration 

 of your readers ; I trust they will 

 weigh it with impartiality, and 

 determine whether it is or is not 

 entitled to a preference over the 

 present system. 



I am, sir, your most obedient, 

 A friend to justice and surgery. 



P. S. I have this moment read 

 that the divorce bill has been 



thrown out of the house of com- 

 mons. I am sorry for it. I think 

 I could have recommended, in my 

 plan, a trifling operation or two, 

 which would have efiectually pre- 

 vented the increase of divorces. 

 Sublata causa, iollitur effectus. 

 June 13, 1800. 



Inquiry into the Origiti of the 

 Nerves : from, the same. 



Sir, 



AS you are frequently consulted 

 by your correspondents respec- 

 ting points of antiquary learning, 

 such as the origin of names,customs, 

 proverbs, &c. I have taken the 

 liberty to send you this short re- 

 quisition on a subject which has 

 long perplexed many of my friends 

 as well as your humble servant, and 

 which yet we talk about as glibly 

 and freely as if we understood it. 

 I have, indeed, offen remarked that 

 certain people will talk so long 

 about certain things without know- 

 ing the meaning of what they say, 

 that, when the inquiry comes, it is 

 found extremely difficult to find any 

 meaning al all. But to proceed : 



It is probably well known to you 

 that of late years all bodily and 

 many mental complaints have been 

 termed nervous, and that most in- 

 dispositions, from the most serious 

 of the bed- ridden class, down to the 

 common tea-table dont-know-how- 

 ishness,\\3,ve been resolved into cer- 

 tain operations of the nerves. Now, 

 sir, what I want to know is the 

 origin of these nerves. Where did 

 they first appear? Are they indi- 

 genous, or were they imported.'' 

 Are they aborigines or strangers.!* 

 If indigenous, when were they first 

 visible.'' Are they innate ideas, or 



