T O A 
the year 173 ij another was difcoveved in the heart" 
of an old oak near Nantes, without the rmalltft 
avenue to it's cell; and it was generally fuppofed, 
from the fize of the tree, that the animal could 
not have been confined there lefs than eighty or 
a hundred years, without either fuftenance or air. 
To all thefe relations we can only oppofe the 
ftrangenefs of thefafls; the neceffity tliis animal 
is under of receiving air; and it's dying like all 
others in the air-pum.p when deprived of that all- 
fuftaining fluid. But whether thefe objeftions 
are of fufficient weight againft fuch refpe6i:able 
and difinterefced authorities, we pretend not to 
determine: certain, however, it is, that the Toad, 
if kept in a damp fituation, will live for feveral 
months without any food whatever. 
To this fingular quality, whether real or ima- 
ginary, may be added another equally fingular, 
and equally queftionable; namely, that of Toads 
fucking cancerous breafts; thus extracfting the ve- 
nom, and efFefting a cure. The firft intelligence 
on this ftrange fubjefl is contained in a letter to 
the Bifhop of Carlifle from Dr. Pitfield, who was 
the firfl: perfon of confequence that attended the 
experiment. The epiftle follows: 
* Your lordfhip muft have taken notice of a 
paragraph in the papers with regard to the appli- 
cation of Toads to a cancered breali. A patient 
of mine has fent to the neighbourhood of Hun- 
gerford, and brought down the very woman on 
whom the cure was done. I have, with all the 
attention I am capable of, attended the operation 
for eighteen or twenty days, and am furprifed at 
the phenomenon. I am in no expedlation of any 
great fervice from the application; the age, con- 
ftitution> and thoroughly cancerous condition of 
the, perfon, being unconquerable barriers to it. 
How an ailment of that kind, abfolutely local, in 
an otherwife found habity and of a likely age, 
might be relieved, I cannot fay : but as to the 
operation, thus much I can aflt^rt, that there is 
neither pain nor naufeoufnefs in it. The animal 
is put into a linen bag, all but it's head, and that 
is held to the part. It has generally inftantly 
laid hold of the fouleft part of the fore, and fucked 
with greedinefs till it dropped off dead. It has 
frequently happened, that the creature has fv/olien 
immediately, and from it's agonies appeared to 
be in great pain. I have weighed them for feve- 
ral days together, before and after the application, 
and found their increafe of weight, in iheir diffe- 
rent degrees, from a drachm to an ounce. They 
frequently fweat exceedingly, and turn quite pale; 
and fometimes they difgorge, recover, and become 
lively again. I think the wliole fcene is furprif- 
ing, and a very remarkable piece of natural hi- 
ftory. From the conftant inofifcnfivenefs which I 
have obferved in them, I almon: queftion the 
truth of their poifonous quality. Many people 
here expefl no great good from the application of 
Toads to cancers; and where the difeafe is not 
abfolutely local, none is to be expeded. When 
it is feated in any part not to be well come at for 
extirpation, I think it is hardly to be imagined, 
but that the having it fucked clean as often as you 
pleafe, muft give great relief. Every body knows 
that dogs licking of fores cures them; which is, I 
fuppofe, chiefly by keeping them clean. If there 
is any credit to be given to hiflrory, poifons have 
been fucked out. Pallentia vulnera lamhit ore 
venena trahens, are the words of Lucan on the oc- 
cafion. If the people to ^hom thefe words are 
T O A 
applied did their cure by immediately foliowirtg 
tb.e injeftion of the poifon, the local confincmenr 
of another poifon brings the cafe to a great dep-iee 
of flmilarity. I hope 1 have not tired your lord- 
fliip with my long tale: as it is a true one, and. in 
my apprehenfion, a curious piece of natural hi- 
flory, I could not forbear communicating it to 
you. I own I thought the frory in the papers to 
be an invention; and when I confidered die in- 
ilindive principle in all animals of felf-pieferva. 
tion, I was confirmed in my difbclief: hut v/hat I 
have related I faw; and all theory miuft yickl to 
faft. Ic is only the rubeth, the Land-Toad, which 
has the property of fucking: I cannot find any the 
leafl: mention of the property in any one of the old 
naturalifts. My patient can bear to have but one 
applied in twenty-four hours. The woman who- 
was cured had them on day and night, v/ichout in- 
termiflion, for five weeks. Their time of hanging 
at the breafl: has been from one to fix hours.' 
Other remarks on the method by which theic 
creatures perform this furprifing operation, arc 
thefe. Some Toads die very foon after they have 
fucked, others live about a quarter of an hour, 
and fome much longer. For example; one that 
was applied aborut feven o'clock, fucked till about 
ten, and died as foon as it was taken from the 
breafl:; another that immediately fucceeded conti- 
nued till three o'clock, but dropped dead from 
the wound: eachfwelled exceedingly, and becaine 
of a pale colour. They did not feem to fuck 
greedily, and often turned their heads away; but, 
during the time of their fucking, were heard to 
fm.ack their lips like a young child. 
From thefe relations, which feem well authen- 
ticated, and publiflied from the pureft motives of 
humanity, vv'e might conclude that no room re- 
mained for doubt: and yet authorities equally re- 
fpedtable maintain, that there is no vifible appear- 
ance of the Toad's fucking any part of the cance- 
rous poifon; though they allow, that the animal's 
fwelling and falling off dead is a general confe- 
quence of the application. 
There are feveral varieties of the Toad in this 
country, fuch as the land and water Toad ; but 
the principal difl:indion between thefe feems to 
confifl in the ground-colour of their (Icin. In 
the firfl:, it is more inclining to afli-colour, with 
brown fpots; in the other, trje colour is brown, 
approaching to black. The Water-Toad is alfo 
inferior in fize to the other; but both breed equally 
in that element. The fize of the Britifli Toad is 
generally from two to four inches long ; though 
mention is made of feveral which have greatly ex- 
ceeded thofe dimenfions. But, in fome of the 
tropical climates, the Toad is ufually fix or feven 
inches in length ; and now and then much larger. 
Of thefe hideous creatures, fome may be faid to 
be beautifully fcreaked and coloured; fome fljud- 
ded over as v/ith pearls; others briftled with horns 
or fpirics; fome with their heads diftind front 
their bodies; and others with fuch feort necks, as 
to appear almoft without heads. 
Thefe varieties, and many others which we leave 
the friends of deformity to enumiCrate, are found 
in the tropical climates in great abundance, parti- 
cularly after fliowers of rain. At fuch feafons 
the ftreets and fields are a/mofl: wholly covered 
with them: they then crawl from their retreats, 
and disfigure every place in fcarch of their favour- 
rite moifture. 
With us, the conceit of it's raining Toads and 
froffs 
