jMedklne. 279 



abfokitely unchangeable in the air. If the bodies have been 

 injected before being immerfed, they even retain the colour 

 and freflmefs of life, and confequently form mummies much 

 more perfecl than thofe of Egypt, which, as has been faid, 

 only eternifed the image of death. C. Chaufiier has no 

 doubt that this was the method employed by Ruifch, and 

 which anatomifts in vain attempted to difcover. 



C. Vauquelin and C. Buniva have analyfed the liquor of 

 the amnios of woman and that of the cow, together with the 

 fubftance found on the bodies of new-born children. 7"he 

 Hquor of the amnios of woman contains albumen, foda, mu- 

 liat of foda, and phofphat of lime. The cruft on the body 

 of the foetus is a degreneration of the albuminous fubftance, 

 which begins to pafs to the ftate of a fat body. The liquor 

 of the amnios of the cow exhibited a peculiar animal matter, 

 a new acid, and fulphat of foda. 



Medicine has produced four important memoirs. Tlie 

 epidemic difeafe which broke out at Nice and Grenoble 

 alarmed the public, and a report was even fpread that it 

 was aftually tlic plague. C. Dcfefl'art, however, after col- 

 lecting every information on the fubjeft, has fhown that it 

 was only that difeafe long known under the nameof the jai/ 

 fever, which too often attacks armies and other bodies of 

 men when crowded together. 



Children are born fometimes with a portion of the vifcera 

 ancovered, and having a tumor which by medical men is 

 called an umbilical hernia. C. Lafliis has (hown that the 

 caufe of this defeft is, that the liver, receiving a larger quan- 

 tity of blood than it ought by the umbilical vein, dilates it- 

 felf more than ufual, feparates the mufcles of the abdomen 

 which kept it in its place, dilates and renders thin the ten- 

 dinous fubftance that feparates them, and makes its way 

 through the fame opening of the fkin through which the 

 umbilical cord paffes. This diforganifation fometimes pro- 

 ceeds fo far that the intellines, and even the heart and lungs,, 

 are alfo uncovered. This vicious conformation proves almofl; 

 always mortal ; and C. Laffus announces this circumftance, 

 that furgeons may fave themfelves the trouble of performing 

 operations, which may caufe the parents to be accufed of 

 9 ignorance 



