[ +12 3 
yeflek of a living body ; an inftance of which, I 
have been told, was obferved by the learned profeflor 
Cullen, who having ordered an epileptic patient to 
be bled, the blood was found not to coagulate; but, 
on bleeding him the day following, the blood coa- 
gulated, as ufual. A fimilar inftance, I faw lately, 
by the favour of the medical gentlemen of the Bri- 
tilh Lying-in-Hofpital, who, having bled a woman 
in a fever that came on foon after delivery, the blood 
was found not to coagulate on being expofed to the 
air, but appeared like a mixture of the red particles 
and ferum only ; the particles having fubfided to the 
bottom, in the form of a powder. She died three 
days afterwards ; and, upon opening her, we found 
the blood had coagulated in her velTels after death ; 
and that a denle white polypus was formed in each 
auricle of her heart ; one of which, I have now by 
me. I examined the blood taken away before (lie died, 
and found on expofing it to heat, that it did not coa- 
gulate fooner than ferum commonly does, or under 
1 60 0 : fo that it is probable, that at the time fhe was 
bled, her blood either was without the coagulable 
3ymph, or that its properties were changed. 
After a blow or contufton, the blood now and then 
burfts from the blood-veffels into the cellular mem- 
brane, fometimes forming an ecchymojis , and fome- 
times a tumor j and it is a queftion with lome, whether 
that blood coagulates or not ; but that it coagulates 
in moft of thefe cafes, is proved by the opening of 
fuch tumors. Yet it has like wife been obferved, 
that now and then thefe tumors have been attended 
with a flu&uation, and after fome time their contents 
have been abforbed : and it has alfo been found upon 
opening 
3 
