the 
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348 
Hing to meddle with Sterne’s wig, “ it was 
either above or below his kill.” Isno- 
rance and chance have however fupplied 
us with a copious lift of noftrums for this 
complaint, of which few/were ever known 
to effect a radical cure. To fuch of your 
readers who may fuffer from the tooth» 
ache, no-apology will be neceffary for re- 
commending to their notice an ealy ope-- 
ration, which has proved an effectual re- 
medy to fome of my friends: it is nothing 
more than burning with a fharp inftrn- 
ment the inner ridge of the cartilage of the 
ear, which divides the external cavity, 
and is united with the outer ridge called 
the helix. A flight incifion is made near 
the middle of this inner ridge: the opera- 
tion, when once feen, is more eafy to per- 
form than defcribe; it is attended with 
little pain, the ear heals in a few days, 
and the patient is faid to be fecure from 
any future return of the complaint; this 
has been the cafe with thofe I have been 
acquainted with, on whom the operation 
had been performed feveral years fince. 
My own fhort experience of nine months 
cannot decide much for the practice. I 
can only fay, it has hitherto perfectly fuc- 
ceeded. The power of imagination may 
reprefs for a fhort time the fenfation of 
pain, but few will fuppofe it capable of 
deftroying the acute pangs of the tooth- 
ache for years. ‘That enlightened politi- 
cal philofopher, - Major Cartwright, in- 
form.d me, that many months and years of 
his life had been facrificed by this painful 
diforder, but he never had any return of 
it, after the above operation had been per- 
formed, which he believed was thirty 
years fince. 
Can any of your correfpondents inform 
me, whether burning in the ear for the 
tooth-ache, be practited on the Continent, 
as I believe it was firft introduced trom 
thence.—Can any poffible connection be 
traced between the cartilage of the ear, 
and the teeth, that may explain the effect 
produced by this operation? 
Tonly know iwo inftances where it has 
. been performed by regular medical pradi- 
tioners. In general] the poffibility ot its ef- 
tecting a cure has been denied, becaute if 
could not be explaine by phy fologifts; yet 
how many fa&ts in pneumatic chemiftry, 
electricity, &c. are we now acquainted 
with, which a century fince would have 
been ‘a priori’ declared impoffible, be- 
caufe they could not have been explained 
by the imperfeét fyftems of natural philo- 
fophy then known.—Surely no one will 
fay, the laws which regulate animal life 
we yet fo fully difcovered, or clearly at 
certained, thatwe ought to reject without 
_ Remedy for the Tooth-ache— Population of Rufia. [Mayt, 
inquiry, whatever we cannof torture inte 
fyftems, or accommodate to- our prefent 
icale of knowledge. 
Wakefield, March 31, 1800. R. B, 
Se 
To the Editor. of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
| HERE is no artifice more common 
among thofe who have a point of 
argument to maintain, than to aflume as 
a poflulatum the circumftance upon which 
the reafoning moft materially depends. 
The writerot the paper “ on the popula- 
tion of the Ruffian Empire,”” inferted in 
your laft Magazine, has givena moft gla.’ 
ring example of this, either artifice or in- 
attention, which I cannot but think it im- 
portant to notice. After his valuable, 
and, I deubt not, authentic bill of mor- 
tality, for the fubjects of the eftablifhed 
church in the Ruffian Empire during the 
laft year, he proceeds to form upon it a 
calculation of the whole number of people. 
In making this, he fets out with “ It is 
well known that the mortality is in com- - 
mon years throughout allthe Ruffian do- 
minions, as 1 to 5%," Now, I would 
afk, how is it qwell knowz that a preper- 
tion prevails in this part of the world, fo 
enormoufly different from what has beén 
derived from the moft accurate obferva- 
tions in other countries. That I may aot 
alfo be charged with gratuitous affertion, 
I will copy fome proportions of deaths to 
inhabitants from tables in Dr. Price’s 
work on Reverfionary Payments. The 
moift comprehenfive bills that perhaps have 
ever been accurately given, are thofe of 
Mr. Wargentin for the whole kingdom 
of Sweden. From anaverage of 21 years 
the annual deaths in that country were, 
tothe number of people, as 1 to 346.. 
From the latitude and climate of Sweden, 
T fhould fuppofe that in point of healthi- 
nels, it may very well be paralleled with 
Ruffia. Further, the proportion in that 
fine country, the Pais de Vaud, is ttated, 
from Mr. Muret, as1 to 45: that of the 
Duchy of Silefia, as 1 to about 37 ; and 
that of the Auitrian part of the Milanele, 
as1to27,°. Dr. Price appears to have 
Gffumed ihe proportion in. Norway and” 
enmark, asx to 35, probably taking — 
Sweden as his guide. From the fads © 
adeve ffated, I fhall certainly conclude 
that the writer of the paper has over- 
reckoned the population of Rufha, by at 
leaft one third, till I fee fome proof pro- 
duced of what he fays is fo well AuozuMy 
but what appears to me utterly incre- 
dibie. Your's &¢. 
A CALCULATOR. 
For 
