[ 354 ] 
country, where this poor man lived, took notice of 
him while he w r as a lad ; becaufe, when the vertical 
tumor begun, or even after it had made fome pro- 
grefs, if he had been fent up to any of our hofpitals, 
there would have been no difficulty in curing him. 
This leads me to fome precautions, which, I hope, 
will render my account of the cafe of fome ufe, con- 
lidered in a phyfiological light ; which was my in- 
tention in thus laying it before this learned Society. 
There is a great deal of difference between injuries 
received in young fubjedts and in adults. In the 
latter, the confequences are not apt to be of fo dan- 
gerous a nature as in the former (except indeed where 
there happen violent fradtures or wounds, which im- 
mediately difpatch the perfon, young or old) ; be- 
caufe, in fuch as are fo far advanced in years, as 
that the parts have done growing, or, in other words, 
are incapable of carrying the perfon to any larger 
fize, preserving the natural proportion, a tumor,arifing 
from a blow on the head would be merely local, 
without extending to any neighbouring parts in fo 
extraordinary a manner : but in children, as in the 
cafe before you, a tumor may increafe every moment 
from a blow, and fpread itfelf to the neighbouring 
parts, to the ruin of the child, unlefs timely care be 
taken to prevent it ; becaufe in fuch young fubjedts 
the parts are continually growing, the veffels en- 
Jarging in their diameters, and carrying more and 
more nutrition to every point, in proportion to the 
nature of each individual organ, always preferving 
fuch an equilibrium, in the diftribution of the nutri- 
tive juices, as is proper to fecure the due proportion 
of every part as it increafes : but when a tumor arifes 
from 
