VOL. VIII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 83 



whose leg was to be cut off, because of a malignant ulcer, not suffering her to 

 sleep day or night. The other was a seaman, whose leg was also to be cut off, 

 because of a wound accompanied with a fracture made by a cannon-ball in the 

 last sea fight. 



The first experiment was made July 3, the King having sent some of his phy- 

 sicians and chirurgeons to the hospital, to be present at the operation, and faith- 

 fully to report to his Majesty what should pass there. The leg of the woman 

 being cut off, immediately the arteries were dressed with some linen pledgets 

 dipped in the astringent liquor, with a compress upon it, and a bandage keeping 

 all close against the arteries. The success was, that the blood was staunched 

 without any other dressing; and instead of complaining, as those are wont 

 to do who have a limb cut off, and the mouths of the arteries burnt with a hot 

 iron, or a caustic to stop the blood, this patient looked very cheerful, and was 

 free from pain, and slept two hours after, and also the night following ; and from 

 that time has found herself still better and better, without an) return of bleeding, 

 or any ill accident. 



The 4th of July the leg of the seaman was cut off, and after the part was 

 dressed as above, with linen dipped in the essence, the blood was stopped in 

 less than half a quarter of an hour. There was made a bandage, that pressed 

 the linen against the cut arteries; and without any other thing the patient found 

 himself so eased of the pains he felt before, that he slept two or three hours 

 after, and all the night following. 



Next morning the dressings of the woman, as well as of the man, w^re taken 

 off in the presence of the same persons, and all the physicians and chirurgeons 

 there present acknowledged, that no wounds could look more fair and ruddy ; 

 there appearing no eschar at all, nor any more blood than if there had never 

 been any veins or arteries opened in that part. These two patients have found 

 themselves very well ever since the operation ; and forasmuch as no ill accident 

 has befallen them since, they have served to convince the most incredulous of 

 the goodness of this remedy. 



The King easily concluding, from these and the former experiments, how 

 useful this medicine would be in his armies and fleets, and understanding that 

 those who before opposed it did now highly praise it, gave order that M. Denis 

 should be desired to communicate the secret of it, which being done, his Ma- 

 jesty commanded a quantity of it to be made in his own laboratory, of which 

 trials were made on three calves in Whitehall, the 12th of July ; a leg of each 

 of them having been cut off, as high as was possible, and the blood of them 

 stopped with this new liquor, to the admiration of all the spectators. For this 

 water having been prepared with more exactness than ever, the effect of it was 



