Retrofpect of French Literature,— Medicines 
terefting work, that what is ufually 
termed a fea/ouing generally took place 
in Egypt, after which the ftranger be- 
came acculftomed to the climate; it 
evinced itielf, by cuticular eruptions, 
opthalmies, diarrhceas and dyfenteries, 
*« However,” fays the author, ‘‘ the 
falubrity of the country, and more ef- 
pecially Upper Egypt, is beft demon- 
{trated by a comparative eftimate of the 
fick, who, without a fingle exception, 
were lefs numerous in the army of the 
Eaft, than in any of the armies of the 
Republic in Europe. The peftilen- 
tial fevers, or, to {peak more plainly, 
the plague, (for it is now time to call 
every thing by its proper name, as po- 
litical confiderations no longer prohi- 
bit the truth,) has been ftudied and 
_ treated of by feveral phyficians; but 
it is to be lamented that the remedies 
have not been accompanied by remarks 
and obfervations, more exact and par- 
ticular—/for inftance, nothing has been 
determined with precifion relative to 
oily frictions, &c. 
«‘ The plague 1s epidemic in Lower 
Egypt, and along the coatts of Syria, 
as it has prevailed there for ages, and 
has been remarked a hundred times in 
ahundred places, which had no com- 
‘munication whatever with each other. 
It difcovers itfelf, generally, in certain 
feafons—foutherly winds, a warm and 
humid air are favourable to its produc- 
tion; or, perhaps, rather to its deve- 
lopement. Northerly winds, and the 
extremes of heat and cold, alike pro- 
duce a ceffation of the malady; a 
corpfe does not appear to tran{mit it, 
and bodies poffefling afebrile heat-feem 
to communicate the infection with 
moft facility ; removal limits the con- 
tagion. 
« This diftemper moft frequently at- 
taches to thofe who pafs fuddenly from 
a warm toa moift, or from a moift to 
a warm, atmofphere. Women, and 
thofe who accuftom themfelves to an 
excefs of {pirituous liquors, are feldom 
cured of it. Notwithftanding the 1m- 
minent danger, many Cures. are en- 
tirely produced by nature alone. A 
foldier being attacked with the mala- 
dy, during the expedition into Syria, 
efcaped naked, while delirious, and 
roamed about the defert nearly for 
three whole weeks. During that pe- 
‘riod two buboes broke and cicatrifed 
of themfelves; and, when the’ patient 
felt himfelf in want of aliments, he 
fubfifted on a fimall fpecies of forrel. 
/ 
634 
In the year 1799 and 1800, more than 
one-third of thoie feized by the plague 
were cured, and, in fome circumftances, 
more than one-half. 
During his refidence in Egypt, M. 
Defgenettes publithed a work on the 
Small-pox, with an Arabic Tranfla- 
tion, which he not only circulated 
there, but alfo among the Arabian 
tribes of the Defert, and even through- 
out the internal parts of Africa, by 
means of the caravans. As medicine 
is in a miferable ftate in thofe coun- 
tries, it is to be hoped, that the Euro- 
pean practice, detailed in this little 
treatife, will prove highly ferviceable 
for the cure of adiforder, which proves 
fo frequently mortal in the Eaft. 
It appears, from the Necrological 
Tables, publifhed at Cairo during the 
years 1778-9 and 1800, 
x. That the population of that'city 
confifts of a far greater number of fe- 
males than males. 
2. That the fmall-pox deftroys more 
children than the plague, the mortality 
being moft confiderable foon after their 
birth. 
And 3. That the women are remark- 
able for their fecundity, and do not at- 
tain fuch a degree of age as the men, 
who often live to be more than one 
hundred years old. tee 
A number of the remarks of the 
French Phyficians fully confirm the 
obfervations formerly made by Prof- 
per Alpinus, in his treatife “* De Me-. 
dicina Egyptiorum, 
‘© Elemens de la Science Medicale, 
d’apréslesPrincipes expofés dans l’Ecole 
de Montpellier, par J. B. P. H. F. 
Maurice, Medecin de Montpellier.” 
—Elements of Medical Science, &c. | 
This work, which appears to be in- 
tended as an expofition of the praétice 
of Montpellier, is divided into two 
parts:-—In the firft, the author lays : 
down the general principles of anato- 
my, botany, chemiftry, and demon- 
{trates the effential conneétion between 
thefe and practical medicine; he then 
coniiders man, his temperament, and 
mode of life, from the moment of con- 
ception until that of death. In the fe- 
cond part, he treats of the various ma- 
ladies to which the human body is in- 
cident, and propofes a new claffification 
of difeafes. 
«© Traité des Maladies Goutteufes, 
par P. J. BarTuez, Médecin du Gou- 
vernement Francais, Membre de VIn- 
ftitut National, &c. &c. 2 vols. 8vo,' 
j Prix 
