VOL. L.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. J {> 1 



than lime-water : which the ingenious Dr. Langrish has found to be remarkable 

 also for its effects in curing the bladders of dogs, after being fretted with soap-lees. 



The power of soap and lime-water to alleviate the painful symptoms attending 

 the stone is so great, that as far as I remember I have only met with one patient 

 who did not find himself considerably relieved by them. But it is to be observed 

 that this patient neither took them in full quantity, nor persisted in their use for 

 a long enough time : and when he was afterwards cut, the stone taken out of 

 his bladder was almost as thick set with sharp prickles as the back of a hedge- 

 hog : so that in this case no remarkable ease could be procured to the patient 

 by the medicines, until they had quite dissolved these sharp points, and ren- 

 dered the sui-face of the stone smooth and equal ; which was not to be done but 

 after a very long time, especially as the stone was of a pretty hard texture. 



It may be proper to take notice, that when along with the stone there is any 

 ulceration in the bladder, soap does mischief, and lime-water often fails of giving 

 any considerable relief. However, even in this case it is perhaps one of the best 

 remedies we know. 



5. Soap and lime-water, taken in large quantities, and persisted in for many 

 years together, appear to be innocent, and no way injurious to health. Lord 

 Walpole, who used these medicines for upwards of 8 years, was not only relieved 

 of the painful symptoms of the stone, but had his health improved by them in 

 other respects. His appetite, healthful look, and a degree of spirits uncommon 

 at his age, continued till the end of 1756, when his last illness began first to 

 attack him. And as his health did not appear to be any way injured by these 

 medicines ; so when his body was opened after death, his kidneys and ureters 

 were observed to be quite sound and natural, as was likewise his bladder ; only 

 its coats appeared a little thicker than usual, owing probably to the long-con- 

 tinued friction of the stones upon it. Neither the kidneys, ureters, nor bladder, 

 were loaded or crusted with any calcareous matter ; an effect most unjustly as- 

 cribed to soap and lime-water, since in the urinary passages, to which the air 

 has no access, they cannot deposit their calcareous part ; and since the white 

 stuff observable in the urine of such patients as take these medicines in large 

 quantities, is only the usual sediment of the urine changed in its nature and 

 colour, with perhaps some of the dissolved particles of the stone. 



As the urinary passages were no way injured, so neither were the stomach, 

 guts, and other viscera of the lower belly. These had all a healthful appearance, 

 except the gall-bladder, which was almost full of biliary concretions : nor is it 

 surprising that soap and lime-water, which prev^ent the growth of urinary cal- 

 culi, should have no effect on biliary stones, since, though these medicines dis- 

 solve the former out of the body, yet they do not make the smallest impression 

 on the latter. 



VOL. XI. R 



