VOL. XXVI.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 455 



substance than the epiphyses, the noise, which their rubbing produced, was 

 less than that of those bones which rubbed against the epiphyses. All these 

 last are dead, except one young man, whose ribs were visibly re-united to the 

 cartilages ; for after his cure, we heard no more of this noise. 



All those, in whose breasts any matter or serosity was found, had their ribs 

 separated from their cartilages, and the bony part of the ribs, which were over 

 against the sternum, was carious or rotten for 4 fingers length ; which shows, 

 that the lympha of these bodies was exceedingly caustic. Most of those bodies 

 which were opened, had their bones black and carious. 



Most of the patients went staggering, as usual in scorbutic cases ; the reason 

 of which is, that the support of the joints is owing to the force and spring of 

 the ligaments, which bind the bones close to each other; and as the ligaments 

 of these patients, were corroded by a sharp lympha, and loosened, the bones 

 were separated from each other. All the young persons under 18, had in some 

 degree their epiphyses separated from the body of their bones, and by the least 

 force we separated them entirely. The reason of it is this, that young persons 

 have not yet their epiphyses so strongly fastened to the bones; so that when 

 they are ever so little soaked with that corrosive lympha which is in the joints, 

 that caustic liquor may easily separate them entirely. All the bones thus se- 

 parated from their epiphyses, were more than twice as large than in a natural 

 state, because well soaked with a water which had penetrated into their very 

 substance and made it swell. 



The bones of such as recovered, or were recovering, remained swelled, 

 without giving them any pain : they might become less in time, as it happens 

 to children troubled with the rickets, vv'hose bones gradually dry as they grow 

 up. All those who had any difficulty in breathing, or their breasts stuffed or 

 stopped up, had there a great deal of lympha, or matter. And some patients 

 were so oppressed, that they died suddenly, though no serum was found either 

 in their breasts or lungs : but the pericardium entirely adhered to the lungs, as 

 did the lungs to the pleura and diaphragma ; and all the parts were so blended 

 together, that they all made up but one confused mass or lump. Now as the 

 lungs were compressed together amidst this mass, they were deprived of their 

 motion, and the patient was choked for want of breath. The close ad- 

 hesion and confusion of these parts one with another, was owing to their being 

 ulcerated. 



Common scorbutic patients have the glands of the mesentery much ob- 

 structed, and swelled ; those we treat of, have theirs corrupted, and impost- 

 humes in its substance. In the liver of some few, the matter or pus was 

 hardened, and as it were petrified ; the spleen was three times larger than 



