Philosophical Society of London. 463 



nauseous substitute of the volatile tincture of valerian, and 

 the acrid stimulus of the tincture of gum guaiacum, to in- 

 cite the insidious pleasure of intoxicaiion. One night in 

 this state he rolled out of his bed, which was approximate 

 to a fire, the flames of which extended to his saturated 

 body, and reduced it to a cinder, without materiHtly injuring 

 (he bed furniture. (A case not less extraordinary is to be 

 found in the Ixivth volume of the Philosophical Transactions 

 for 1774, by Dr. Wiimer of Coventry). 



From these curious occurrences Dr. Lettsom passed on 

 to the most infuriate state of madness from intoxication, 

 which is excited by the use of bang combined with opium, 

 and producing that fatal practice of running a muck, a 

 practice that has prevailed time immen)orial in Batavia, oa 

 the Malabar and Coromandel coasts, and throuohout most 

 parts of India, v\herever the Malays have extended their 

 settlements. Addicted to gaming, thev indulge this passion 

 to the greatest extent, until they have lost every thing they 

 possessed, even to their wives and children; and thus lost 

 to every possession, to drown misery, they are impelled to 

 smoke a plant cal'ed bang with opium, till thev are excited 

 by intoxicaiion to the highest degree of fury and madness. 

 In this infuriate stale thev rush into the street, armed with 

 a poisoned creuse or dagger, and kill every man, woman 

 and child they encounter, till they themselves are killed or 

 taken bv the populace. 



The degrees of mischief arising from diluted liquors, less 

 active in their effects, but eventually not less painful or 

 dangerous, fell next under the lecturer's consideration : and 

 after relating^ few instances of misery and destruction 

 from the inordinate use of fermented liquors, he proceeded to 

 histories of morbid effects arising therefrom. 'I he lecturer 

 concluded by observing, that <' painful as it has been to 

 present scenes of human infelicity, often incurred by per- 

 sons oi" social and amiable dispositions, with hearts dis- 

 posed to conviviality, and with minds formed for friendly 

 intercourse, who have mistaken the means of rational en- 

 joyment, by the influence of vivid imagination and of 

 unaffected friendship, for noisy familiarity ; I now cheer- 

 fully conclude, with earnestly impressing, that true happi- 

 ness depends upon the oeconomy and just estimate of en- ' 

 joyment. It is the abuse, not the use, of wine I would de- 

 precate. Far be it from me 10 proscribe such conviviality. 

 It expands cordiality ; it knits together friendships; it en- 

 larges the social afl^ections ; it opens the mind; it dissipates 

 care; it animates pleasurable sensations, and urges to pro- 

 mote 



