86 
have happened. From an hint which this 
re{pectable phyfician has dropped; it ap- 
pears, that ‘only a fecond letter from 
Mr. ScotTT, of Bombay,”” has yet fallen 
- Into his hands: I therefore conceive, that 
it may be a piece of agreeable intelligence 
to him, as well as to the other advocates 
for ** the new fpecific,” to be informed, 
that feveral letters have been lately re- 
ecived from Bombay, in which Mr.- 
ScoTT endeavours to corroborate his 
fermer remarks, and propofes another 
mode of adminiftering this remedy. In 
the fourth letter, dated Auguft the 5th, 
3797, herelates, ** A cafe of lués venerea 
cured by bathine in the diluted nitric 
acid, that affords (he fays) the moft fatis- 
gattory evidence of its great and truly 
farprifing efficacy :°° and he even fuppofés 
that this method ‘is ftill more effectual 
than its external ufe.”” The ingenious 
author concludes with thefe remarkable 
words: ‘¢ In a few years, I think, that 
mercury, as a remedy for the lues vene- 
rea, will be banifhed by this acid; and, 
in fome of my dreams for the improvement 
of the condition of man, I even imagine, 
that the poifon of Syphilis may, in a 
\preat meafure, be extinguifhed over the 
face of the earth, not by the efforts of the 
magiltrate, but éy an agent lke this, fafe, 
fimple, and efficacious.” 
As the reful€ of my own trials, in 
neariy fixty cafes of lues venerea, differs, 
72 toto, from ‘the experience of Mr. 
ScoTT, and of many other gentlemen, 
Icannot but feeb anxious to fee a detail 
of * the fas”? which Dr. BeppDoEs has 
promifed; and as the truth, wherever it 
may lie, can only arife from thg general 
miafs of evidence, I fhalldeem it incum- 
bent upon me, to publish all nry cafes, as 
foon as the other duties of my profeffion 
afford me leifure. _ In the interim, I fhall 
be happy to receive fuch additional com- 
munications as. practitioners may pleafe 
to hecnour me with. Every cafe, faithfully 
drawn up, will ferve to throw light on 
this interefting fubjeét; and therefore 
ought not tobe lot to the public: 
@ 4 cannot forbear fvggetting a ‘hint, 
which, I fear, fome’of our zealous expe- 
rimenters fland mneed: of; that an hafty 
opinion may be the occafion of accumu- 
dated fufferinges to our patients ; and that 
a-wife man will fufpend his judgement 
until the matter of enguiry thail have been 
fully inveRigated: the introduction of a 
doubtful remedy, and the rejectionof an 
almoft infallible one, in the treatment of 
Syphilis, is too. ferious an atfair to be 
trifled with. 
IT remain, &c. 
PAS YES D At ip Lal A BAe B tr Gee © ipod ee 
Mr. Blair'on Nitrons' Acid... Inutility of Tontines 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine: 
SIR, 
eee feven years ago, a variety Of 
. {chemes were formed, underthe name 
of Tontines, which promifed great advan- 
tages to fub{cribers, from the improve- 
ment of money at compound intereft, in- 
creafed by the benefits arifins from fur- 
vivorfhip ; and as many of thefe fchemes 
are now about expiring, it is very proba- 
ble that the managers and fecretaries 
(who appear to be the perfons moft. be- 
nefited by them) will offer to the public 
new propofals, holding out a ftili more 
alluring profpect of accumulating wealth, 
from the prefedt high intereft of money. 
Schemes’ of this kind are principally 
adapted toa clafs of perfons who are leaft 
qualified for examining into the princi- 
ples upon which they are founded; and 
fuch perions, not finding the unwarranted 
hopes they had been led to entertain re- 
alifed, may, in their difappointment, re- 
jet every mode of making provifion for a- 
future period, and, confequently, a dif- 
pofition highly laudable in the individual, 
and beneficial to the community, be much 
difcouraged. ‘This confideration, I hope, 
will bea fufiicient apolegy for fubmitting 
to the public, through the medium of 
your Magazine, a few remarks on the 
ftatement lately publifhed, for the infor- 
xation of the members of one of thefe 
focieties; the term of which being expired, 
the members are about to receive their ex- 
pected profits in the divifion of the ftock.. 
~The plan was formed for feven years ; 
the contribution being thirteen fhillings 
per quarter: the total fum appears by 
the account as follows: re a: 
986 Deaths andDefaulters, £.3,872 3 0 
3550 Sub{criptions compleated 64,610 0'@ 
Fines - - - o28 15 @ 
Dividends on Stoc egy 3 
Total 81,090 5 8 
‘Thefe fums appear as the total receipt; 
put, it muit be obferved, they are exclu. 
five of fixpence per quarter, paid’on each 
fhare for management, which amounts on 
fhares that have been compleated to 24851. 
belides what has been paid on the thares 
foricited ; which, if they are fuppofed'to 
have been continued on an average three 
years each, makes 295]. to which muit be 
added, a demand of two fhillings per fhare, 
made on the payment of the laitfubscrip- 
tion. What this additional payment of 
3551. was for, unlefs as a year’s finecure 
falary to the projector, till he fhall have 
found out anew fet of fub{eribers, is difi- 
cult toconceive; but, with the two former, 
vit makes the expence of management 
PY Wipe. munca? een ene Wear’ nN ES PRPS A ee Dy ba) 
