VOL. XXII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. GOQ 



body were stung with an infinite number of wasps, or gad-bees, for such exactly 

 are the effects produced by this varnish. 



The great difference between this and all things else, and the ingredients of 

 which it is made being absolutely unknown, render it impossible to penetrate 

 into the cause of the above-mentioned effects. Yet it may be proposed as a pro- 

 bable conjecture, that this varnish contains some ingredient, which when hot 

 sends into the body a subtile vapour, which only affects the skin, leaving the 

 other parts of the body untouched ; after the same manner, cantharides, not 

 only taken inwardly, but also outwardly applied, communicate a venomous 

 quality of a particular nature, affecting only the kidneys, bladder, and urinary 

 passages, causing sensible pains and excoriations, without in the least affecting 

 the other viscera. Some physicians are of opinion, that this particular disagree- 

 ment of cantharides with the urinary ducts, arises from the salt and nitre con- 

 tained in the urine, which gives vigour to the poison of the cantharides. So 

 after the same manner, it may be said, that the noxious fumes of the varnish 

 become hurtful to the skin, because they mix there with some juice they meet 

 with in the skin itself, especially in the miliary glands, of which the whole skin 

 is full. It is certain that this varnish exerts all its malignancy against the skin, 

 the viscera and blood being untouched : besides, I observed that the maid (at 

 the same time that almost her whole skin was hard, inflamed, swelled, and full of 

 pustules) had yet no fever, no pain in the head, nor any inward illness ; and as 

 to what disorders Signior Ignatio or she felt in their eyes, this was a swelling 

 affecting the eye-lids only, which may be reckoned but as skins : but possibly 

 the ill effects of the varnish were more sensible and troublesome in that part, 

 because the skin there is thinner than on the rest of the body. This varnish 

 therefore is only an enemy to the skin ; and that this mischief should attend it, 

 it is not necessary that the varnish should be heated ; for when cold it emits the 

 same steams which insinuate themselves into the body, especially when touched 

 and handled. 



I have several times spread a great deal of this varnish hot upon the naked 

 skin of poultry, and they never received any hurt from it, either internal or 

 external. I have caused other fowls to swallow crumbs of bread sopped in the 

 varnish, and they seemed to like it very well. Others I have pricked in their 

 breast till the blood came, and then anointed it all over with varnish, which 

 instead of hurting them proved a balsam to heal them. It is possible this varnish 

 on the very thin skin of fowls does not produce the same effects, as on that of 

 men, because they are very different from each other, both in their structure 

 and in the quality of the humours contained in them. And to say something of 

 its substance ; I have observed that this varnish is in a great part composed of a 



VOL. IV. 4 I 



