SECT. XXX. i. 3. OP THE LIVER. 273 



ver , and had taken emetics, cathartics, mercurials, bitters, 

 chalybeates, eflential oil, and scther, without apparent advan- 

 tage. On a fuppofition that the obftruction of the bile might 

 be owing to the paralyiis, or torpid action of the common bile- 

 duft, and the (limulants taken into the (lomach feeming to have 

 no efFecl, I direfted halt a fcore fmart eleclric (liocks from a 

 coared bottle, which lield about a quart, to be pa (fed through 

 the liver, and along the courfe of the common gall-duel, as near 

 as could be guefled, and on that very day the {tools became yel- 

 low ; he continued the eleclric (hocks a few days more, and 

 his (kin gradually became clear. 



3. The bilious vomiting and purging, that affecls fome peo- 

 ple by intervals of a few weeks, is a lefs degree of this difeafe; 

 the bile-duel: is lefs irritable than natural, and hence the bile 

 becomes accumulated in the gall-bladder, and hepatic duels, 

 till by its quantity, acrimony or vifcidity, a greater degree of 

 irritation is produced, and it is fuddenly evacuated, or laftly 

 from the abforption of the more liquid parts of the bile, the re- 

 mainder becomes infpilTated, and cryftallizcs into mafles too 

 large to pafs, and forms another kind of jaundice, where the 

 bile-duel is not quite paralytic, or has regained its irritability. 



This difeafe is attended with much pain, which at firft is felt 

 at the pit of the (tomach, exactly in the centre of the body, 

 where the bile-duel enters the duodenum ; afterwards, when 

 the fize of the bile- (tones increafe it is alfo felt on the Tight 

 fide, where the gall-bladder is (ituated. The former pain at the 

 pit of the (tomach recurs by intervals, as the bile-done is pufh- 

 ed againft the neck of the duel ; like the paroxyfms of the (lone 

 in the urinary bladder, the other is a more dull and conilant pain. 



Where thefe bile-ftones are too large to pafs, and the bile- 

 duels poffefs their fenfibility, this becomes a very painful and 

 hopelefs difeafe. I made the following experiments with a view 

 to their chemical folution. 



Some fragments of the fame bile- (tone, were put into the wealc 

 fpirit of marine fait, which is fold in the (hops ; and into folu- 

 tion of mild alkali ; and into a folution of cauftic alkali ; and 

 into oil of turpentine ; without their being diflblved. All thefe 

 mixtures were after fome time put into a heat of boiling water, 

 and then the oil of turpentine diflblved its fragments of bile- 

 (tone, but no alteration was produced upon thofe in the other 

 liquids except fome change of their colour. 



Some fragments of the fame bile- (lone were put into vitriolic 

 aether, and were quickly difiblved without additional heat. 

 Might not sether mixed with yolk of egg or with honey be given 

 <*dvantageou(ly in bilious concretions ? 



VOL. I. MM I have 



