Sect, v.] Maleria Mcdka, 11 



number and usefulness, may be ranked among the 

 distinguishing honours of the period under consi- 

 deration. They have been greatly multiplied du- 

 ring this period in every civilised part of the 

 Avorld, have made many important publications, 

 and eminently contributed to the advancement of 

 the healing art. To recount the number of these 

 established within the last lumdred years, or to 

 juake the most general estimate of the services 

 which they have rendered to the science of medi- 

 cine, w^ould fill many pages. 



Next in importance to Medical Schools and 'So- 

 cieties, are the Medical Journals, and other peri- 

 odical publications, intended to promote the sci- 

 eace of medicine, which distinguished the last age. 

 It is believed that the honour of giving birth to 

 this species of publication belongs to the century 

 under review. At an early period of it, the Trans- 

 actions of medical societies, and the collections of 

 Observations and Inquiries on the various branches 

 'of the healing art, began to make their appearance, 

 and to awaken the minds of practitioners. Among 

 the regular Journals in the English language, ex- 

 clusively devoted to this department of knowledge, 

 the Medical Commentaries of Dr. Duncan, of Edin- 

 burgh, liold the first place, both with respect to 

 time and merit. This work was succeeded by the 

 Annals of Medicine, by the same gentleman, assist- 

 ed by his son. Within the ^ew last years of the 

 century, works of this kind have greatly multiplied, 

 not only in Great Britain, but also in many other 

 parts of the learned world. The great utihty of 

 these publications is unquestionable. The number 

 pf important hints which they liave proposed, of 



