300 @ n Pneumatic Medicine. 



Obfervations. This lady, refiding in a country feat, »vhich 

 has a delightful garden, and a good deal of ground attached 

 to it, in an open fituation, could not be fuppofed to want 

 vital air in the blood. Such, however, appeared to be the 

 fa&. Tn fuch cafes I find by the eudiometer, that the blood 

 is in fault, attracting but llovvly into its bofom the vital prin- 

 ciple. But as even the moft apparently incombuftible bodies 

 readily deflagrate in pure oxygen air, as fteel, Sec. the fame 

 phenomenon might be expected in the human frame ; and 

 in the prefent inftariec we fee that this was actually per- 

 formed. The good, however, of a temporary inhalation of 

 a fuper-oxygenated air would have been loft, unlefs the 

 blood had been altered. Steel was therefore enjoined, to- 

 gether with what is ftyled the phlogiftic regimen ; and the 

 event exactly correfponded with my expectations — the radi- 

 cal defect Was obviated, the attractive power in the blood 

 was improved, and the blood, coming into contact with a 

 fupcr-oxvgenatcd atmofphere, readily imbibed a large pro- 

 portion of vital air. The blacknefs under the finger-nails in 

 confequence foon difappearedj the appetite became quick- 

 ened* the {pints were increafed, and the blood freely parting 

 , the centre to the circumference, and from the circum- 

 ference back again to the heart, the phlogiftic particles de- 

 compofing the vital air in the blood in its pafiagc, hence the 

 extremities, and the whole bod 1 ,-, became permanently warm. 

 —As the above cafe mayfeem to fomenot fufficient to argue 

 much in favour of pneumatic medicine, I fliall beg leave to 

 lav before the philofophic world the following extraordinary 



cure : 



A CASE OF MELANCHOLIA. 



Mr. Blumlel, set. 49, a wholefale linen-draper on TIol- 

 born Hill, was fubject to melancholia above thirty years; 

 that is, he had frequent depreftion of fpirits, without any 

 alfignable caufe ; and this lownefs was not cafual, but would 

 remain for months with great languor, and was accom-> 

 uanied frequently with a diftafte of every thing before agree- 

 able. 



