ROWELLING. 259 



estimation, by those advocates for ancient 

 practice, who can communicate no scientific 

 or professional description of its operative 

 effect upon the constitution ; or by what phy- 

 sical means the improvement is to be ob- 

 tained, that they so confidently and cort" 

 scientiously recommend upon every possible 

 Qccasion. , 



The very few lines introduced under this 

 head, by even the most prolific authors, 

 possess not the least ray of novelty or in- 

 struction, but are direct imitations of what 

 proceeded from Bracken^; beginning with 

 the customary remark, '' that rowels are in 

 general use, but little understood ;'' " that 

 they are artificial vents between the skin 

 and the flesh;'' '' that they act by revulsion 

 and derivation ;" carrying off the redun- 

 dant HUMOURS from the vessels by depk^ 

 tion . 



These few passages contain in purport 

 the whole that has been at all communi- 

 cated through the medium of the press, 

 upon an operation so indiscriminately re- 

 commended in almost every disease without 

 • s2. 



