I'jS Account of George Vearfon^ M.D. F. R. S» 



ftrated by his analyfis of fpecimens of antient metals, fur-' 

 nidictl by the pri fident of the Royal Society the right honour- 

 able Sir Jofeph Banks. 



In 1797 the Philofophical Tranfaftions contain Dr. Pear- 

 fon's communication of experiments on the jras produced by 

 paffing the eleftric fpark through water; which he determines 

 to be the mixture of oxvgen and hydrogen gas, as demon- 

 ftrated by firft feparating the oxvgen by nitrous gas to pro- 

 duce nitrous acid, and then inflaming the refidue after adding 

 oxvgen, and thus compofing water. 



In the Philofophical Tranfaftions for 1798 ispiiblifhed the 

 Author's paper on urinary calculi of man and brute animals; 

 in which he fliows that the fublimed acid of Scheele and the 

 precipitate examined by the French chemifts are not tht 

 fame fubflance ; and that the latter does not poflefs acid pro- 

 perties, but thofe of an oxide, for which he propofes the de- 

 nomination uric oxide, a name fince generally adopted. 



In 1794 Dr. Pearfon publi(hed the new French Chemical 

 Nomenclature, with explanations fuited to the Englifli reader, 

 and additions according to fubfequent improvements in che- 

 mical philofophy. In a fecond edition of this work the au- 

 thor has made very confiderable additions, by giving new 

 tables of affinities, and tables of double and fingle eleftive 

 attraftions. 



Among the medical diflTertations and papers of the author, 

 the prominent ones are thofe on the Coiv-pock. The firft of 

 thefe, in 1798, contains a great collection of fa6ls of thisdif- 

 cafe ; and it immediately fuccceded the work of Dr. Jenner, 

 the firft prnfefled promulgator of this difeafe. This is neithet 

 the fit place nor time for a comparifon of what has been ef- 

 fctSled by thefe two gentlemen ; and if it were fo, it would 

 not be advifable to interfere. We honour and refpeft both 

 of them as public benefactors. We have already fet forth 

 Dr. Jenner's merits in our Journal, vol. xiii., and we have 

 given an abridged accownt of Dr. Pearfon's late work, in 

 1802, in the fame volume. The work entitled The Report 

 of the Cow-Pock Inoculation from the Pradlice at tht Vac- 

 cine Inflitution in 1800, 1801, and 1802, as read at a ge- 

 neral meeting of the fubfcribcrs February 7lh laft, which we 

 had the plcsfure to hear read, will give the beft account of 

 the merit of Dr. PearfoUjin conjnnclion with the other phy- 

 ficians, in cltablifliing that inftitution, and carrying on the 

 invelligation of the new dil'eaCe, occupied as he is in cxtenfive 

 practice as a phvfician, as a teacher on the different branches 

 of phvfic, and as phvfician to a large London hofpital. But 

 afur all it muii be referved tor poftcrity to aflign the due place 



of 



