360 Twelfih Communication from Dr. Thornton, 



of" the lower part of the neck : 5th, By the pKimes of the 

 whole lower part of the body, which are very short, and 

 not long and unravelled as in the oricou. 



The rest of the plumage is of a very dark colour ; the bill 

 and feet are yellow. 



The individual from which the annexed engraving was 

 taken (Plate X.) is now in the National Museum at Paris, 

 and was found in India by Masse, the naturalist. The de- 

 scription published by Sonnerat is completely applicable 

 to the individual found by Masse ; but the figure is so in- 

 correct that Mauduyt did not venture to mention the ca- 

 runcles of the neck m his Diciionnaire Ornithologique. 



LXVII. Tivelfth Communication from Dr. Thornton, or\ 



Pneumatic Medicine. 



To Mr. Tilloch. 

 SIR No. I, Hinde-street, 



Manchester-square. 



X AM happy to inform the philosophic world that the pneu- 

 matic practice is at this time advancing. 1 am credibly inform- 

 ed that Dr. Bailhe and Dr. Reynolds, physicians equally dis- 

 tinguished for science and humanity, have each ordered the 

 administration of the vital air. Several other practicioners 

 are following the same liberal course j and it is probable that 

 this century will see the completion of my ardent wishes ; 

 namely, the establishment of the virtues of the aerial re- 

 medies. 



The First Case of the application of Vital Air. 

 To Dr. Thornton. 



bJEi^R SIB, Conduit-Street, Jan. ii, 1804. 



In compliance with your request, I sit down to state to 



ybu the case of Mrs. L , the lady of L , Esq. 



living^near Guildford. This lady laboured under a decline, 

 at a time when her husband was attending a course of Dr. 

 Priestley's discoveries, nearly thirty years ago, at my lec- 

 ture-rooms, then in George-Street, Hanover-Square, soon 

 sifter those discoveries were made. The atrophv kept on 

 increasing for some time after, till her state made an emi- 

 nent physician of Guildford desire Mr. L " to prepare 



for the worst." This alarm induced him to ask his physi- 

 tian, " if some of those newly discovered airs might not 

 be usefully employed in her case." His answer was : 

 *' Any thing might be tried, but he feared all would be to 



no 



