Men of liberal 

 curiofitf ex- 

 horted to ftudy 

 medicine. 



J^ llSaPIRATION OF GASEOUS OXIDE Of AZOTE. 



Erod'-Jiiffenjcltitft, or purfued only for a livelihood. If phifo- 

 fophital men without a profeflion would take it up, it is I 

 think certain, that it muft foon become both more efficient and 

 more liberal. Any ftiidy is capable of interefting the feelings; 

 and moll furely that of the laws of the organic world is as 

 muGi) fo as any other. Opportunities of anatomical, chemical, 

 and clinical information are at hand. A perfon fo prepared 

 wilt, lieaven knows, with ardour and induftry foon acquire all 

 that is ufefnl in medical practice. Let him then, animated 

 with no other motive than the pure defire of fcenetiting his 

 fellow men, apply himielf to the improvement of medicine. 

 It is impolTible that he thould not fucceed as fully as our 

 Tennants, our Ilatchetls, and Clienevix's have done in che- 

 mifiry ; tor it is not its inherent difliculty, but collateral cir- 

 cumftances, that retard the progrefs of this art. Many apo- 

 thecaries, for example, and old women in general, who are 

 the great controulers of the deftiny of phyficians, would by 

 no means allow the ufe of gafeous oxirde in palfy, though the 

 patient in the courfe both of nature and of ordinary medication 

 be fure to die, and perhaps in a very miferable manner. But 

 the philofophicat cultivator of medicine, without troubling 

 hinilelf about the good opinion of the one or the other, would 

 proceed on his career under the guidance of the eolledive 

 light of fcience and of humanity, 

 ^neciotc. N. N. advanced in years, of a thickfet ftature, and with 



a (hort neck, thewed llgns of palfy many years ago. The 

 tvriler of tliefe lines warned his friends of the danger. Con- 

 curring in this apprehenfjon. Dr. Ingenhoufz propofed to him 

 to inhale oxigen gas, a praclice familiar to that accurate phi- 

 Jofopher, and by which he hoped the couftitution might be re- 

 cruited. The execution of the idea was deferred. Mean- 

 while the gafeous oxide was difcovered to be refpirable, and 

 its power in palfy was to a degree afcertained. The writer 

 now prelTed the ufe of IhLs gas with the utmoft earneftnefs. 

 The patient faw it taken by others t He himfelf confented 

 to inhale it, when, behold I the diftrefs of a lady prefent, as 

 excited by lome apprehended imaginary bad conlequences, 

 put ofT the inhalation. The predided paralytic feizure ar- 

 rived :: but there was ample time ftill for the ufe of the oxide. 

 I propofed that another patient,, filuated as iimilarly as pof- 

 iible, ihoukl be fought; and. that if he confented upon the 



credit. 



