VOL. LXVII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 121 



experiments were made, have been so accurately determined by subsequent che- 

 mists, as to render it unnecessary to reprint this paper. 



END OF THE SIXTY-SIXTH VOLUME OF THE ORIGINAL. 



7. Account of a Womayi in the Shire of Boss living ivithout Food or Drink. By 

 Dr. Mackenzie, Physician at NeivTarbat, datedJprilS, \775. Vol. LXVII. 

 Anno 1777. P- 1- 



Janet M'Leod, unmarried, aged 33 years and some months, daughter of 

 Donald M'Leod, of Kincardine, Ross-shire; in the 15th year of her age had a 

 pretty sharp epileptic fit; she had till then been in perfect health, and continued 

 so till about 4 years after, when she had a 2d fit, which lasted a day and night; 

 and a few days afterwards, she was seized with a fever of several weeks continu- 

 ance, from which she had a very tedious recovery of several months. During 

 this period she lost the natural power of her eye-lids, was under the necessity 

 of keeping them open with the fingers of one hand, when she had any thing to 

 do with the other, or went out, or wanted to look about her; in every other res- 

 pect she was in health and tolerable spirits, only that she never had the least ap- 

 pearance of the menses, but periodically spit up blood in pretty large quantities, 

 and at the same time it flowed from the nose. This vicarious discharge happened 

 regularly every month for several years. About 5 years before, a little previous 

 to which time the abovementioned periodical discharge had disappeared, she had 

 a short 3d epileptic fit, which was immediately succeeded by a fever of about a 

 week's continuance, and of which she recovered so slowly, that she did not go 

 out of doors till 6 weeks after the crisis; when, without the knowledge of the 

 family, she stole out of the house, and bound the corn of a ridge before they 

 observed her. On that same evening she took to her bed, complaining much of 

 her heart and head; and afterwards she never rose out of it except when lifted, 

 seldom spoke a word, and had so little craving for food, that at first her parents 

 could only by compulsion get her to take as much as would support a sucking 

 infant: afterwards she gradually fell off from taking even that small quantity; 

 so that, at Whitsuntide 1703, she totally refused food and drink, and her jaw 

 became so fast locked, that it was with the greatest difficulty her father was able 

 with a knife or other methods to open her teeth so as to admit a little thin gruel 

 or whey, and of which so much generally ran out at the corners of her mouth, 

 that they could not be sensible that any of it had been swallowed. 



About this time, they got a bottle of the water from a medicinal spring in 

 Brea-mar, of which they endeavoured to get her to swallow a part, by pouring 

 some out of a spoon between her lips, her jaws all the while fast locked, but it 



VOL. XIV. R 



