M O N 



657 



M O N 



Our Professor, in the midst of big other numerous la. 

 i hours, did not neglect to attend to his duties as secretary 

 of the Philosophical Society, whose essays he continued 

 to publish during the flourishing period when Lord 

 Kunes was president, and Sir George Clerk, Mr. John 

 Clerk, Drs. Cullen, Home, Hope, Black, Young, Dun- 

 caii, Button, &c. were members. An excellent paper of 

 bis, concerning the etfects produced by narcotics and 

 stimulants on the nervous system, in the 3d and last 

 volume of this work, throws considerable light on the 

 use of this important part of the animal economy. The 

 same volume also contains some valuable remarks on po- 

 lypous tumors in the pharynx and oesophagus, and on 

 the use of mercury in convulsive diseases. In conse- 

 quence of the proposal of Principal Robertson and 

 Professor Dalzell, the Philosophical Society was incor- 

 porated by charter in the year 1782 into the Royal 

 Society of Edinburgh/and Dr. Monro resigned the of. 

 fice of secretary : he still, however, continued an active 

 and useful member, and enriched their transactions 

 with some excellent communications on animal elec- 

 tricity and galvanism, and on the effects of the oblique 

 insertion of muscular fibres. 



Or. Monro was not so tall as his father, but had the 

 nine amiable mildness of countenance, and manifested 

 the tame benevolent pleasure in promoting the happi- 

 ness, or alleviating uie wants and distresses of his fel- 

 low, men. 



He pursued the study of polite literature with his 

 usual ardour, and introduced into his lectures, in a 

 very appropriate and judicious manner, the stores he 

 had acquired. He neglected no opportunity of extend- 

 ing hi* acquaintance with every department of know- 

 ledge, as far as these studies did not interfere with his 

 professional, civil, or social duties. His character as 

 husband, father, friend, and landlord, was distinguished 

 for affection, tenderness, kindness, and generosity. In 

 his temper he was cheerful and candid, lively in con- 

 venation, pleating in his manners, and conciliating in 

 his disposition. 



At last, after devoting more than 60 years to the ser- 

 vice of mankind, he was attacked by a slow and painful 

 disease, which terminated an active and valuable life, 

 in the 85th year of his age. Under long confinement, 

 increasing feebleness, and the prospect of greater af- 

 fliction, bis patience and resignation were most exem- 

 plary, and together with great thankfulness for past 

 blessings, be displayed a humble confidence in the mer- 

 cy of Him by whom his sufferings were inflicted. 



In 173 L)r. Monro published observations on the 

 structure and functions of the nervous system, and 

 ISM traced, farther than any of his predecessors, the 

 olfactory nerve, the nasal twig of the opthalmic branch 

 of the 5th pair, and the vidian branch of the superior 

 maxillary nerve. By ascertaining that these nerves 

 are distributed on the same membrane, he contribu- 

 ted to the discovery of the sense of smell residing in 

 more nerve* than former anatomists acknowledg- 

 ed. He has also extended our acquaintance with the 

 Mlhr branches of the auditory nerve and the nerves 

 of tbe teeth. 



hi 1785, he published an excellent work on the 

 structure and physiology of fishes, shewing that the 



His pathological and surgical observations in this Mom, 



work are extremely valuable, and point out the com* 



munication between the lateral ventricles of the Montaigne. 



brain, the seat of the water in Hydrencephalus ; and > *""Y"' 



that the changes in tbe texture of the brain are proved 



to be the result of absorption. In his treatise on 



the Eye, he has described the muscular structure of 



the iris, the nature and course of the retina, con. 



cerning which Morgagni, Winslow, Haller, and his fa- 



ther, held different opinions, and has endeavoured to 



establish by experiments, that the oblique muscles of 



the eye-ball, and the orbicular muscle of the eye. 



lids, are the means by which the eye is adapted to ob- 



jects at different distances. In his Treatise on the Ear, 



he has published the most full and accurate descrip- 



tion of the human cochlea, of the smaller branches of 



nerves distributed upon its several component parts, 



and supplied many new facts respecting the ear of the 



whale, skate, tortoise, and angel fish. In 1788 he 



published a work on the Bursa; Muco&e, which adds 



to his character as a good anatomist, and profound pa. 



thologist. 



Such were tbe lives of the two Monros, who contri- 

 buted to extend the. boundaries of medical science by 

 promoting the advancement of valuable discovery and 

 improvement to divide at first the honour of medical 

 degrees between Leyden and Edinburgh, and finally, 

 to raise the metropolis of Scotland to the highest cele- 

 brity as a school of medicine. 



See An Account of the Life, Writings, and Character 

 of the late Dr. Alexander Monro, secundus, by Dr. Dun- 

 can, senior. 



MONS (MoNTES HANNOXI.B), a town in the king. 

 dom of the Netherlands, and the chief place of the 

 province of Hainault, is situated partly on a hill, up- 

 on the river Trouide, which traverses it. The town 

 is well built, and contains several good squares and 

 streets. The principal public buildings and institu- 

 tions are, the Hotel de Ville, a large old building, with 

 a fine steeple, erected in 1 7 1 0', and situated in a square ; 

 the Government house, situated in a spacious market 

 place ; the Chateau and its gardens ; the ci-devant Ab- 

 bey of Wantru ; a large hospital, originally construct- 

 ed by Vauban ; a commodious foundling hospital ; a 

 gymnasium, with a good library. The churches are 

 well built. The great church is a fine building, the 

 side altar and chapel being formed of pure marble. 

 That of St. Elizabeth occupies the site of an ancient 

 castle demolished in 1618, and said to have been erect- 

 ed by Julius Czsar. The town is surrounded by an 

 earthen mound and ditches; and, since 1818, iu forti- 

 fications have been increased. The manufactures of 

 Mons are, woollen, cotton, linen, and lace. It possess- 

 es also iron foundries, and works for salt, pottery, oil, 

 and soap, which, from its command of coal, and its 

 communication with Paris by the canal of St. Quintin, 

 it carries on to great advantage. Population, 20,000. 

 East Long. 3 67' 15" ; and North Lat. 50* 27' 2". 

 MONSOONS. See WIND. 

 MONSTER. See PHYBIOWOY. 

 MONTAIGNE (Michel de) a celebrated French 

 writer, was born at the Chateau de Montaigne, near 

 Bergerac, upon the Dordogne, on the 28th of Febru- 



absorbent functions of the lymphatic system exist ry, 1533. He was the third son of Pierre Eyquera, a 



._ii_ i i /- i _ * i -i \ * A i i -. i _ i:_ 



equally in birds, fishes, and amphibious animals, as 

 in men and quadrupeds. He has demonstrated, in hit 

 Treatise on the Brain, the existence of lymphatics in 

 that organ by filling them with coloured injection. 

 VOL xiv. PART u. 



, . 



man of rank and probity, who appears to have dis- 

 charged the paternal duties with extraordinary care. 

 Young Michel was awakened every morning by soft 

 music, lett sudden excitation might injure his health ; 



4 O 



