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never heal. The mortification however has not, in 
this limb, nor indeed in any one of thefe cafes, fpread 
beyond the original reparation. Her right arm h 
confiderably wafted, and the fingers contracted. 
The eldeft girl, Mary, died within a few weeks 
after I faw her. 
The fecond girl, Elizabeth, is. perfectly well: the 
fores quite healed. 
The third girl, Sarah, is not yet well. Her foot 
feparated at the articulation of the os fcaphoides with 
the aftragalus. The os calcis, and aftragalus, are 
both of them cariofe, and probably keep the wound 
from healing. 
The two boys are perfectly recovered ; and feem 
in every refpect as healthy as pofllble. 
I have taken all the pains 1 could to enquire into 
the caufe of fo remarkable a diforder ; and Mr. Bones, 
the minifter of the village, who knew the family 
before this misfortune happened to them, and has 
ever fince been indefatigable in his attention and ten- 
dernefs to them, has alfo made all the enquiry in his 
power : but we have not been able to find, that there 
was any thing particular either in their diet or man- 
ner of life, to which it could be attributed. The 
corn, with which they made their bread, was certainly 
very bad : it was wheat, that had been cut in a rainy 
feafon, and had lain on the ground till many of the 
grains were black and totally decayed : but many 
other poor families in the fame village made ufe of 
the fame corn without receiving any injury from it. 
One man loft the ufe of his arm for fome time ; and 
ftill imagines himfelf, that he was affiidted with the 
fame diforder as Downing’s family : but, by what I 
4 F 2 could 
