596 
prefervation during the Prevalence of 
Contegious Difeafe.”” As thefe inftruc- 
tions are lefs intended for the benefit of me- 
dieal practitioners than for the heads of fa- 
miltes and proprietors of fchools, &c. the 
author juftly conceives that Dr. Hay- 
garth’s more philofophical treatife on the 
fubject fhould not fupetiede the neceffity 
of his own work, which, indeed, is plain 
_ and fimple, and likely to be ufeful to the 
community at large. The following are 
the fubjects confidered: ‘* What. is meant 
by a contagious fever? When it occurs 
in a family, what precautions fhould be 
wbierved by the nurfes and attendants? 
—by the relatives ?—by vifitors?” Of the 
proper regimen and diet, during the pre- 
valence of contagious difeafes.—Of cer- 
tain reputed prelervatives.—Of the ma- 
mnagement of the fick-roorn.’” 
<¢ The Plague not contagious; or,a Dif- 
fertation on the Source of Epidemic and Pef- 
tilential Difeafes; in which itisattempted to 
prove, by a numerous induction of facts, 
tuat they never arife from contagion, but 
are always produced by certain fiates, or 
ertain viciffitudes of the atmofphere, &c. 
by Charles Maciean, M.D.” The pur- 
pofe of this work is expreffed in the title- 
pege, but we believe that the author’s 
general pofition, that no difeafe which 
affects the fame perfon more than once 
during life can ever be communicated by 
contagion is very infufficiently fupported, 
and if fo, exceedingly dangerous. 
Having extended to an unufual length 
our account of Medical Publications, it 
is time that we fhould proceed to another 
fubjet—a fubjeét in no very remote de- 
gree connected with the fcience of Medi- 
cine, namely— 
PHYSICS. 
Mr. Hiv’s ‘ Praétical Obfervations 
on the Ule of Oxygen in the Cure of 
Difeafes,”’ revive our hopes of the efficacy 
of this gas: Mr. Hull iscertainly intitled 
to confiderable attention, for after having 
in(ftituted an examination of the properties 
of gateous fluids, he tried their effeéts on 
his own conttitution, and received from 
them much benefit, before he would ad. 
minifier them to his patients. Though 
not a perfeét panacea, this vital fluid ap- 
pears to be extremely aétive and remedial 
in a Variety of difcates, chiefly, however, 
in thofe whica arife from debility or want 
of energy in the conftitution. Nineteen 
cafes, out of many others, are related in 
this volume, where the patients were 
cured or relicved by inhaling oxygen gas, 
which Mr. Hili thinks may be exhibited 
with mofi advantage to young fubjetts, 
~N 
Retro/pec? of Dameftic Literature.—Phyfics. 
as it contributes to the expanfion of theif 
parts: to perfons in the decline of life; 
that is to fay, from about the age‘of forty- 
five, our author is of opinion that it 
fhould be adminiftered {paringly, and 
with much caution. Mr. Hill bas added 
a few experiments on the vegetation of 
plants, whicli is extremely accelerated by 
the application of, oxygen to their roots: 
he propofes, in a future publication, 
which will contain the refult of farther ' 
experiments on the ufe of oxygen in the 
cure of difeafes, to give a delineation of 
the apparatus which he employs in apply- 
ing it to trees. 
‘* Refearches, Chemical and Philofo- 
phical, chiefly concerning Nitrous Oxide, 
by HumpHrey Davy.” We have al- 
ready had accafion to notice,’ with confi- ° 
derable approbation, a former produétion 
of this young author, which was contain- 
ed in the firft volume of the Weft-country 
Contributions, and our high opinion of 
his talents is by no means diminifhed by 
the prefent work. Indeed we think Mr. 
_ Davy bids fair to be at the head of the 
Chemical Philofophers of this country. 
The prefent publication confifts of re- 
fearches—1. Into the analyfis of nitric - 
acid and nitrous gas, and the production 
of nitrous oxides—z. Into the combina- 
tions of nitrous oxide, and its decompofi- 
tion— 3. Relating to the refpiration of 
nitrous oxide, and other gafes— 4. Re- 
lating to the effects produced by the refpi- 
ration of nitrous oxide on different indi- 
viduals, It appears that Mr. Davy has 
as much courage as induftry and inge- 
nuity, for he expofed himfelf to the moft — 
imminent danger of death, by breathing 
pure hydro-carbonate. Not lefs intereit- 
ing than this defcription of his fufferings, 
refulcing from this hazardous attempt, is - 
his animated piéture of the fublime en- 
thufiaftic emotions with which his whole 
frame {welled after breathing the nitrous 
oxide for an hour and a qnarter! We _ 
truft, however, that in future he will 
confider his life as too precious to fcience 
to be again fo unneceflarily hazarded. 
Several’ experiments, made by confining 
warm-blooded animals in jars full of ni- 
trous oxide, are defcribed ix this inge-_ 
nious work, and Mr. Davy has deduced 
the following conclufions from them :— 
1. That warm-blooded animals die in 
nitrous oxide infinitely fooner than in com- 
mon air or oxygene; but not nearly in fo © 
fhort a time as in gafes incapable of af-- 
fecting pofitive changes in the venous 
blood, or in non-refpirable gafes—2. The + 
larger animals live longer in nitrous peel 
than 
* 
