554 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO ISQS. 



der, that it might empty itself of all urine, before he inserted his dilating in- 

 strument, or his speculum viscae as it may be called, with which he extended 

 the urethra as much as possible with safety, and without putting the child to 

 extraordinary pain ; afterwards by help of a directory and forceps, gently thrust 

 into the bladder, he brought away the stone without any manner of incision, in 

 about 3 or 4 minutes time, from the passing in of his first instrument, and put 

 the patient to so little pain during the operation, that when it was over, and 

 she laid quietly a-bed, she slept without any opiate 7 or 8 hours together, as 

 she had not done for many months before, and is now perfectly well and at 

 ease. 



The other instance is a child something older, about 10 years of age, who 

 has been troubled with an involuntary distilling of her urine, and other painful 

 symptoms of the stone, for these 3 or 4 years past; but on June the 12th, 

 1693, was happily relieved by the extraction of a large stone near the size of a 

 pigeon's egg, after the same manner and method as before described, and with 

 as good success, though not altogether with as quick, expedition. The size and 

 shape of it is exhibited in fig. 1 1 . 



From these examples we may reasonably conclude, that those of intermediate 

 years as well as childhood and old age, are capable of undergoing this operation 

 of extraction of the stone with safety: and I apprehend it is the only proper 

 and secure way of freeing the female sex from the stone in the bladder, and 

 that such should never be persuaded to undergo the section on any account; 

 since the stone, if it be not of an immoderate size, may be extracted by only 

 dilating the neck of the bladder. 



jin Account of the Tubera Terrce, or Truffles found at Rushton in Northampton- 

 shire. By Tancred Robinson, M.D. and R. S. S. N° 202, p. 824. 



The tubera terrae,* observed lately at Rushton in Northamptonshire, by 

 Mr. Hatton, are the true French truffles, the Italian tartuffi or tartufFole, and 

 the Spanish turmas de tiera, which are not noted by Mr. Ray to be found in 

 our soil. 1 have seen them thrice as large at Florence, Rome, and Naples, 

 where they eat them as delicious dainties, either fried in slices with butter or 

 oil, salt and pepper; or else out of pickle, and often boiled in their soup. 



These observed in England are all included in a studded bark or coat, the 

 tubercules resembling the capsules or seed-vessels of some mallows and alceas, 

 fig. I, pi. 14, the inward substance is of the consistence of the fleshy part in a 

 young chesnut, of a paste colour, of a rank odour, and unsavoury, streaked 



* Lycoperdon Tuber. Lin. 



