POLL EVIL. 175 



too ridiculous to excite contempt j but, in 

 compliment to the lefs informed reader^ It is 

 impoffible to pafs it over without branding 

 the very thought v^'ith the epithet it is fo juflly 

 entitled to. 



What are we to think of ^-iQprofeJJionalknoW" 

 ledge or abilities of an author, who could fanc- 

 tion with his Nx\ME the recommendation of 

 a practife fo ii^famotis and detejlable^ that no one 

 rational or confident idea can be produced or 

 pleaded to prove its propriety. Will any advo- 

 cate for fuch INFERNAL PRACTICE, (and in- 

 fernal it certainly is in every meaning of the 

 word) venture to affirm the writer conceived or 

 poffeffed a competent^or even a tolerable know^ 

 ledge of the ftrudure of parts or property of 

 medicine ; that when the membranous fyftem 

 is locally injured, and the lacerated veiTels 

 rendered highly irritable, could venture to pro- 

 mulgate the confiftency of glutting them with 

 the mod powerful poisons, as if he felt feme 

 invincible antipathy Xo the fpecies, and had at- 

 tentively dudied the mod likely means of ef- 

 feding their total extirpation ! For the com- 

 pletion of this bufinefs, led the m.od dedruc- 

 liwc poifons diould prove incffeftual, you are in- 



ftrufled 



