ROWELLING. 273 



All opinions have not only agreed, but 

 experience has established the fact, that the 

 matter discharged from the rowels, is, as 

 Bracken has first observed, *' as certainly 

 blood as that in the veins, barring the 

 colour." This is re-asserted by every suc- 

 ceeding author, and can admit of no con- 

 trariety of opinion tending to cavil or con- 

 troversy ; being a matter professionally fixed 

 beyond the possibihty of either. What in- 

 ference then is consequently to be drawn 

 from this admission ? Why, that every part- 

 of the circulation, both in quantity and 

 quality, contributes equally to that very^ 

 discharge so ridiculously supposed to consist 

 of the diseased portion only ; when the inser- 

 tion has been as erroneously fixed upon or 

 near to some particular part, to be inten- 

 tionally relieved by the partial power of such 

 artificial evacuation ; constituting a second 

 blunder upon the palpable foundation of the 

 former. For it must prove a disgraceful 

 prostitution of even common comprehension^ 

 to indulge the least idea, that a larger por- 

 tion of crassamentum or serum can indi- 

 vidually undergo a greater change or recti- 



VOL. II. T 



