VOL. LV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. ^15 



has stopped. At Blois the following melancholy case occurred as related by 

 Fontenelle; Un paisan fut attaque de la maniere la plus cruelle : la gangrene 

 liii fit tomber d'abord tous les doits d'un pied, ensuite ceux de I'autre, apres cela 

 le reste des deux pieds, et enfin les chairs des deux jambes et celle des deux cuisses 

 se detacherent successivement et ne laisserent que les os. Dans le temps qu'on 

 en ecrivit la relation, les cavitcs des os des hanches commenqoient a se remplir 

 de bonnes chairs qui renaissoient. (u) 



The same year (1709) memorable for a hard frost, this disorder appeared in the 

 canton of Lucern, and again in 17 15 and 17 1 6; at which time also it was epi- 

 demic in the cantons of Zurich and Bern. Langius has given an account of 

 it.(x) 



Since that time the disorder had not again occurred in Switzerland, as far as 

 Dr. T. could learn; but from the year 1709 it had been epidemic at Orleans ^ 

 or 4 times, within the space of 30 years, according to Mons. Noel.(y) i»fv -^fri! 



It seems to be endemic in that part of France.* Mons. Duhamel has given 

 a description which was communicated to him by Mons. Mulcaille, of a very 

 malignant form of this disorder, which prevailed in Sologne, and which 

 destroyed most of those who were seized with it. The disorder was first felt by 

 a weariness and pain in the feet and legs, of which after they had become livid, 

 there was a mortification, rather dry than moist; worms were often engendered in 

 the mortified parts; the toes separated from their articulations and fell off with the 

 metatarsus; afterwards the foot, the leg, and even the thigh, which last dropped 

 from the cotyloid cavity. It was the same with the upper extremities; and in- 

 stances had occurred in the hospital of persons living several weeks, after their 

 legs and arms had rotted off, and nothing remained but the bare trunk; for this 

 dropping off of the limbs was never followed by hemorrhage. They had not 

 succeeded in curing any of these patients; upwards of (JO had died.(z) 



Mons. Saleme(aa) has described another epidemic of this kind, of which the 

 following were the principal phenomena: 



1° It attacked persons of both sexes and all ages. 2° It did not spread above 

 the knee-joint ; whereas in the preceding year (probably the same of which 

 Mons. Mulcaille gave an account) a boy 10 years old lost both thighs, and his 

 brother who was 14 years old, lost the leg and thigh of one side, and the leg of 

 the other; they both died after 28 days. 3° Some few recovered from the 



(u) Hist, de I'Acad. Royale des Sc. Ann. I/IO, p. 80. 



(x) Acta Eruditor. Ann. 17 18, p. 309. In this place Dr. Tissot introduced an extract from Lan- 

 gius; but as his description of this disorder coincides with the descriptions before given, that extract 

 eemed to be superfluous, and has accordingly been omitted in this Abridgment, 

 (jr) Quesnay Traite de la Gangrene, p. 408. 

 * Namely, in the district of Orleans, Sologne, &c. 

 (e) Mem. de I'Ac. R. des Sciences ann. 1748. p. 528. 

 (aa) Mem. de Mathemat. et Phys. presentcs k I'Acad. Roy, des Science*. Tom. II, p. 145. 



