VOL. XXXII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 579 



Account of an Imposthumation in the Stomach. By Mr. Atkinson^ Surgeon 



in Whitechapel. N°371, p. 80. 



I had a patient who had a large tumour on the upper part of her belly. 

 It was hard and painful, but did not alter the natural colour of the skin, and 

 had been three months in coming. I applied a warm gum plaster to it, which 

 in about 2 weeks brought it to a suppuration. I then applied a caustic, about 

 the size of a shilling; and when the eschar fell off, I saw a solid kind of sub- 

 stance appear in the orifice ; I laid hold of it with my forceps, and pulled it 

 gently towards me, on which there thrust forcibly out a quantity of it, that 

 nearly filled my hand; so I dressed it. Next dressing, the same substance ap- 

 peared again, which on her straining, forced out near twice as much as before. 

 I concluded this was the omentum, in which opinion I was confirmed by 

 some other surgeons I showed it to. I was still in doubt whether the stomach 

 was concerned in this case, till the next removal of the dressings, when there 

 spurted out above half a pint of ale in a full stream, being part of a pint she 

 had drank a little before. I now concluded the case mortal; however I or- 

 dered her to keep her bed, to lie constantly on her back, and feed on things ot 

 easy digestion. The greatest part of what she eat or drank came through 

 the ulcer for 8 or 10 days, so that I had no hopes of ever curing it; yet, con- 

 trary to my expectation; in about 6 weeks she was perfectly cured. 



An Account of the Quantity of Resin in the Cortex Eleutherice. By Mr. John 

 Brown, Chymist, F.R.S. N° 371, p. 81. 



Dr. Douglas having given account (from the history of the Royal Academy 

 at Paris) of the cortex eleutheriae; and among other things having said of it, 

 that M. Boulduc had, from one ounce of the bark, by means of spirit of wine, 

 obtained 5 drachms of resinous extract, there remaining 3 drachms of faeces; 

 and that gentleman's account of some of the properties of this bark being 

 founded on the quantity of resin supposed to be contained in it, I proposed to 

 Dr. Douglas, and some other gentlemen of the society, (who agreed with me 

 in believing that scarcely any part of any plant whatever would yield that quan- 

 tity of resinous extract) to try the experiment, which was performed in the 

 following manner. 



I took 2 oz. of picked bark, and digested it in rectified spirit of wine, 

 which was often decanted and fresh put on, till the bark would yield no more 

 tincture. The impregnated spirit being evaporated by a very gentle heat ; 



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