PATH 
people, at lead as far as it regards the great mafs of the 
public in every country. Nor has this delufion been 
confined merely to the carelefs and indifferent obferver ; 
even thofe whom their abilities might have been ex¬ 
pected to have exempted them from the errors of common 
minds, feem but too often to have thought, that infor¬ 
mation on difficult and complicated fubjeCts might be 
acquired, as it were, intuitively; and that mechanical 
miobferving experience might fupply the defeCt of early 
and well-grounded inftrudtion. It needs but little either 
of intellect or inquiry, to fee at once the fallacy and ab- 
furdity of fuch an idea. 
We are aware that at the prefent period, in this 
country, a confiderable portion of the male pradtitioners 
in midwifery, are individuals whole compulfory profeffional 
education may be fairly fuppofed to render them ade¬ 
quate to the performance of the duties they undertake ; 
but it is notorious that fuch is not the cafe with the fe¬ 
males, on whofe care"and fkill the lives or the future 
comfort of women in the lower claffes of life, and in re¬ 
mote parts of the country, are fo completely dependent. 
Nor can it be unknown, that in every part of the king¬ 
dom, even in the metropolis, no fecurity exifts againft 
the ignorance of thofe who may choofe to enter upon the 
practice of this molt important branch of the healing art; 
that an acquaintance with, or courfe of inftrudtion in, 
its principles, forms no part of the qualifications required 
by the three corporate bodies, whofe members and li¬ 
centiates form the greater part of private pradtitioners in 
England. Nay, on the contrary, at leaft two of thefe 
are more difpofed to difcourage than to countenance the 
extenfion of this divifion of pradtice amongtheir members. 
After an attentive confideration of the difficulties and 
the inconveniences we have alluded to, it furely requires 
no argument to convince every uninterefted individual, 
whether profeffional or otherwife, of the neceffity for 
fome regulation of this branch of the profeffion, and of 
the important advantages which would accrue to the 
public from the organization of a clafs of female prufti- 
tioners, well qualified for the performance of the duties 
they are intended to discharge. To the inftitution of 
fuch a clafs-in this country, we can fee no well-founded 
or difinterefted objedtion ; and it mult be allowed that 
nothing feems better adapted to attain the objedt in view 
than the fyftem which has received fo ample a trial in 
France, and of which we have given an account. Of 
this at leaft we feel convinced, that a trial only is re¬ 
quired to exhibit its excellence, and enfure its adoption. 
Should fuch a plan be ever put in execution, it would 
doubtlefs be molt advantageous to combine its employ¬ 
ment, as has been done in France, with the internal ma¬ 
nagement of the lying-in inftitutions already in exiftence, 
efpecially in the metropolis. But here we muft check 
ourfelves, as it muft be confefi'ed, that it is much more 
eafy to proclaim the exiftence of defedts than to apply 
appropriate remedies, and as it is far from being our in¬ 
tention to afi'ume a talk that we hope to lee in more com¬ 
petent hands. 
Greece and Turkey. —In turning to the confidera¬ 
tion of Greece, the land of heroifin and claffic recollec¬ 
tions, we find that 3000 years have glided over without 
any improvement in medicine beyond the pradtice of the 
Father of Medicine. Indeed in many inltances we might 
almoft wiffi that the pradtice of Hippocrates only was 
followed, without variation or improvement ; but the phy- 
ficians of Greece and of Turkey are much occupied in 
difcuffing the theories of Brown or of Boerhaave ; and, 
though occafionally a flalh of ancient fire and of the true 
philofophy of the priltine Hellenian has animated the 
Greeks, yet the major part are contented with thefe 
vain and fruitlefs enquiries. This ftate will not probably 
laft long: the defpotic government of the Turks may be 
confidered as the caufe of the long fupinenefs of the 
Greeks ; and, whether the ftruggle for their indepen¬ 
dence be fuccefsful or not, a fpirit of emulation and en¬ 
voi.. XIX. No. 1288. 
O L O G Y. 75 
quiry exifts at prefent in that nation, which cannot fail 
of producing much advantage to philofophy. 
Of the mode of vifitingand treating patients in Turkey, 
an amuling account is given by Dr. Neale, late phylician 
to the Britilh embaffy at Conftantinople. 
After adverting to the belief of the Turks in predefti- 
nation. Dr. N. proceeds thus. “ Still, fatalifm and 
apathy have their limits; and the proud infidel, in the 
hour of ficknefs, does not difdain to invoke the affiftance 
of the Giaour to delay the approach of death. Of this I 
had a memorable inftance within a few days after my 
arrival at Terapia, when, very unexpectedly, I received 
a meffage from the emperor Selim the Third, to vifit his 
mother the fultana Valide. Mr. Pifani, the fenior dra¬ 
goman (interpreter), was the bearer of this requeft ; and 
the following morning I let off by water for the feraglio, 
accompanied by one of the junior dragomans. We were 
put affiore at a quay near Baktchi Capouffi, where we 
found a boftanji in waiting, to conduCt us to the houfe 
of the principal court-phyfician, who lived in a narrow 
ftreet adjoining the wall of the feraglio. On arriving 
there, we were informed that he had already gone to fee 
his patient, having left inltruCtions that we ffiould follow 
him, which we did, entering the gardens by the little 
white gate near the chapel of St. Irene. We paffe.d a 
guard-houfe of boftanjies on our left, and then proceeded 
under an avenue of lofty cyprefs-trees, towards a fecond 
guard-houfe, whence we were conducted to a detached 
pavilion, in which we found theHekim Baffia, orTurk.ifti 
phyfician, Mahmoud Eftendi; a Greek phyfician, named 
Polychronon; the Kiflar Agaffi, a hideous Ethiopian, 
the chief of the black eunuchs; the Haz.ni Vekili, alfo a 
black eunuch, keeper of the privy purfe; and fome der- 
vifes and muftis. After being introduced, and going 
through the ufual routine of pipes, coffee, fherbet, and 
fweetmeats, Polychronon, converfing in Latin, entered 
into a detailed ftatement of the malady with which the 
fultana was afflicted, namely, an inveterate quartan ague, 
of upwards of eighteen months’ Handing. From this (he 
had recovered more than once ; but had relapfed as often, 
owing, in part, to her own want of due caution, and to 
the officious interference of a fet of muftis who belet her, 
and forced upon her large draughts of iced water, in 
which they immerfed talifmans, alluring her that they 
would eftablilh her convalefcence ; but, on the contrary, 
thefe draughts invariably brought back the cold fits of 
her ague. Upon the laft relapfe, fome days before I faw 
her, (he had, during the cold paroxyfm, been fuddenly 
bereft, in her lower extremities, of all power of motion 
and fenfe of feeling; and it was upon this point, and 
fome others alfo, that my opinion was requefted. Indeed 
I was to decide, as I found, between three of her phy- 
ficians who called themfelves Boerhaavians, and four 
others who profeffed themfelves drift Brownonians, as to 
the expediency of prefcribing a cathartic medicine; the 
former preffing the abfolute neceffity of fuch a remedy 
after five days’ conftipation, and the latter moft foolifhly 
declaring it to be perfectly inadmiffible, according to their 
interpretation of the doCtrine of Brown. This being 
premifed, we all accompanied the Kiflar Agaffi to an 
adjoining kiolk, in which was the fultana. After ex¬ 
changing my (hoes at the door fora pair of yellow flip¬ 
pers, we entered the royal apartments. On a mattrefs, 
in the middle of the floor, was extended a figure covered 
with a filk quilting, richly embroidered. A female 
figure veiled was kneeling at the fide of her pillows, with 
her back towards the door of entrance; and the Kiflar 
Agaffi beckoned to me to kneel down by her fide, and 
examine the pulfeof the fultana. Having complied with 
this requeft, I exprefled a wifli to fee her tongue and 
countenance; but that I was given to underliend could 
not be permitted, as I muft obtain that information from 
the report of the chief phyfician. The moft profound 
filence was obferved in the apartment, the eunuchs and 
phyficians converfing only by figns. The Hazni Vekili 
X then 
