“482. Mifcellancous Obfervations on 
proved fuccefsful, but failed in the other. Dr 
Shadwell attributes its failure in the cafe of the 
the boy, to the difficulty he experienced in fwal- 
lowing it, joined to an extreme repugnance to 
make the attempt; fo that only a very ‘fmall 
portion (in comparifon with what the man took) 
could be forced down. As this difficulty of 
{wallowing fluids, and confequent averfion ‘to 
them, arifes from the morbid irritability of thé 
fauces, and mufcles fubfervient to deglutition, 
I conceive, that the impediment to the ufe of 
oil, (as wellas other fluids,) might be overcome, 
by adopting the fame mode of adminiftering it, 
as was practifed by the late Mr. John Hunter,* 
to convey food into the ftomach of a patient, 
who 
#¢¢ The inftrument made ufe of was a freth eel fkin of 
¢ rather a fmall fize, drawn over a probang, and tied up at 
&¢ the end where it covered the {ponge, and tied again clofe 
*‘ to the fponge where it is faftened to the whale bone, 
¢ and a {mall longitudinal flit was made into it juft above 
*¢this upper ligature. To the other end of the eel fkin 
* was fixed a bladder and weoden pipe, fimilar to what is 
‘* ufed in giving a glyfter, only the pipe large enough to 
& let the end of the probang pafs into the bladder without 
% filling up the paflage. The probang thus covered was 
* introduced into the ftomach, and the food and medicines 
6¢ were put into the bladder, and fqueezed down through 
&the eel {kin But as cafes of the kind may occur 
*‘ where eels cannot be procured, a portion ot the gut of 
“any fmall animal, asa cat or a lamb, will make a very 
“ good {ubftitute.” Hiftory of a cafe of Paralyfis, &c, im 
«he Tranfactions already quoted, 
