22 6 
OBSTACLES TO THE 
A S i do not pretend to underftand the fub- 
jedl of this piece, and therefore cannot 
fay how far the obftacles to the advancement 
of phyfic charged upon the Swedes fubftft in 
this countrey, or whether all thofe obftacles, 
which the author has mentioned, be real or not, 
my foie motive for tranilating it was to draw it 
out of that obfcurity in which it was buried 
amongft many other pieces, relating to curiofi- 
ties of natural hiftory: I think i may be al- 
lowed to fay a piece is buried in obfcurity, 
which is only known to a few, who happen to 
be in the way where fuch curiofities are talked 
of ; and an attempt to fpread it over the na- 
tion cannot but be right, if the dodtrine be fo- 
lid, and affedls our practitioners. 
Tho’ as i faid i do not pretend to underftand 
the fubjedt of this piece ♦, yet i hope the learn- 
ed reader will excufe me, if i add one obftacle 
more to the foregoing lift : it is the notion 
which has and i believe ftill does prevail a- 
mongft fome phyficians , that the doblrine of 
fpecifics is. groundlefs , and took its rife merely 
from ignorance in natural philofophy. I will 
not undertake to treat this fubjedt, as the im- 
portance of it deferves; and therefore fliall 
