, 
Retrofped? of Domoftic Literature—Medicine and Surgery.  §95 
Burns adopts the queftionable theory of 
vegetable and even mineral vitality: 
«¢ Life (fays he) is a principle wirich we 
can only deteét'and judge of by its ope- 
rations and actions, and when thefe are 
not exhibited, we are apt, though fome- 
times erroneouily, to conclude that the 
body is dead. The leading property of 
life is to communicate a_ prefervative 
power to every individual with which it 
is connected. ‘This fimple prefervative 
power is a difcriminating mark of the 
prefence of life, which, however, cannot 
always be detected until we apply deftroy- 
ing caufes: ‘ thé blood when newly 
drawn—the fap, of vegetables,—the living 
egg—refift cold by an imperceptible ope-_ 
ration, to a much greater.degree when 
alive than after their peculiar life departs; 
they refift ali the efforts of chemical agents 
winch aé on common matter, nor is it 
poflible to decompofe or injure them in 
in this way until they lofe their f{pecific 
life, and defcend in the {cale of exiftence.”’ 
Mr. Burns proceeds to a difcuffion con- 
cerning the vitality of the blood, the 
pulfe, the equilibrium of aétion and fym- 
pathy, the aétions of the nervous energy, 
the periods in morbid aétions, the clafii- 
fication of aétions, and the different fyf- 
tems of pathology. 
A fecond edition has appeared of Dr. 
Hoorer’s ‘Compendious Medical Dic- 
tionary,”’ and the eighth of Dr. HzaLps’s 
s¢ Tranflation of the London Pharmaco- 
poeia,”” revifed and adapted to the laft 
improved edition of the College, with an 
Index, fhewing the general dofes of me- 
dicine, by Dr. Laruam. q 
An anonymous tranflation is publithed 
of Dr. CuLLEN’s ** Nofology :”’ the ne- 
ceflity of reducing from a learned into the 
vulgar language a work of fcience, ad- 
drefled to {cientific men, 1s to be la- 
mented: the neceflity exifting, however, 
the reduction is to be commended. But 
the tranflator had another obje& in view, 
befides that of accommodating to an in- 
glorious clafs of praétitioners the Nofology 
of Cullen’; he has endeavoured to remedy 
the want of, by fupplying a fynoptical 
table of the fyftem, and he has adopted a 
very fimple method, by which is obviated 
the difficulty of referring, from any given 
genus, to the order and clafs under which 
it is comprifed. ‘Tables are alfo fubjoin- 
ed to this volume, one containing, in al- 
phabetical order, the Englifh or common 
names of difeafes, and referring each to 
its proper place in the fyftem another, 
explaining the importance and derivation 
ef the terms which are employed by Dr, 
Cullen. On the whole, this is a ufefut 
publication, though we cannot {peak fo 
highly concerning the accuracy of the 
tranflation as we wifh todo. 
Dr. Routio has publithed «*A fhort 
Account of the Royal Artillery Hofpital 
at Woolwich, with fome Obfervations on 
the Management of Artillery Soldiers re- 
fpecting the Prefervation of Health.” 
The information contained in thefe pages 
will be found extremely ufeful to thofe 
who are concerned in the eftablifhment or 
regulation of an infirmary: the moft vi- 
gilant and wife precautions are in every 
inftance taken to prevent the poffibility of 
contagion: cleanlinels, frequent changes 
of linen, fumigation of cloaths, preven- 
tion of all intercourfe among fever-pa- 
tients, are among the {falutary means 
adopted to prevent infection from {pread- 
ing in the Royal Artillery Hofpital, an 
account of the fituation, ftruéture, and 
economical arrangements of which is 
given. Some judicious obfervations will, 
moreover, be found in this volume on 
temporary buildings and military-hofpi- 
tals——on huts and tents—on' ho/pital- 
thips—waggons and other conveyances 
for the fick, and on the convalefcent bar- 
racks at Woolwich, We are forry that 
Dr. Rollo has* paid fo little attention to 
the ftyl¢ in which he has communicated his 
information: every page almoft is dif- 
graced by fome grofs grammatical blun- 
ders! 
Dr. Haycarrtu has publifhed a very 
fenfible and f{cientific ** Letter to Dr. Pers 
cival on the Prevention of Inie&tious Fe- 
vers; and an Addrefs to the College of 
Phyficians at Philadelphia on the Preven- 
tion of the American Peftilence.’? The 
letter to Dr. Percival is divided into two 
parts, the firft comprehending preliminary 
principles, wherein the author inquires 
into the laws which regulate the commu- 
nication of febrile infe&tion, both as to 
the period during which the infeétion re- 
mains ina latent ftate, that is, the inter- 
vention of time which elapfes between the 
patient’s expofure to the peftilential in- 
fluence, and the commencement of the 
fever ; and as to the proportion of perfons 
who are fufceptidle of it. The fecond 
part of this letter contains praétical cone 
fiderations of the utmoft importance, de- 
ducible from the preiiminary principles. 
What remains of the work is an applica- 
tion of Dr. Haygarth’s principles to tevers 
in the army and navy, and to the Ameri- 
can peftilence. 
A Phyfician- has communicated fome 
anonymous *¢ Inftrugtions relative to Self- 
prefer 
