Retrofpedt of French Literature.—Mifcellaneous. 
thefe are founded on philofophical and 
abftract bafes, fometimes on chemif- 
try, fometimes On geometry, and 
finaily on the general laws of mecha- 
nies,’ 
We fhall take our leave of this work, 
which is often ob{cure, with a fhort ex- 
tract: 
‘* It undoubtedly is the duty of the 
phyfician, to bring to the patient re- 
clining on the bed of pain, the mildeft 
and ijagelt means of confolation 3 it is 
he who is beft enabled to penetrate 
into the confidence of the victim of dif- 
eafe; it is he who is moft capable of 
fhedding the balm of comfort on their 
wounds; but it is he alfo, who fhould 
be belt acquainted with the nature and 
probable event of the malady: he 
ought not therefore to be eafy and in- 
dulgent, but fo far as reafon and cir- 
cumfpection may demand. All others 
ought to hate vice and defpife folly ; 
but if he poffeffes good fenfe and difcre- 
tion, it appertains to him, only to la- 
ment both. It is his duty indeed, to 
redouble his zeal even for the wicked, 
and to be ftill more affiduous, in refpect 
to thofe, whoare ignorant of their own 
unhappy fituation. 
‘Who has not feen unfortunates, 
the victims of the moft fatal paffions, 
proceeding languithingly towards their 
tombs, and demanding rather fome 
fymptoms of imtereft in their favour, 
than a protraction of their wretched 
lives? Who has not had occafion to 
remark the cruel agitations of thofe 
affrighted imaginations, which are tor- 
mented by phantoms of their own cre- 
ation, and yet fometimes amidt their 
madnefs, evince the fublimef fenti- 
ments of virtue? 
Can there exif a greater pleafure, 
than toappeafe erief without a motive, 
and terrors without an object—to make 
the voice of reafon be liftened to in the 
bofom of fo many perplexities? Do 
not thofe beings with whom the faculty 
of feeling and compaffionating is car- 
ried to the greateft degree of exquifite- 
ne{s, merit a double portion of intereft, 
on the part of a phyfician, at once vir- 
tuous and replete with fenfibility ? 
Whoever is not totallya ftranger to the 
fentiments which ought to conftitute a 
man, muft be profoundly moved by the 
fufferings of thofe, who have never be- 
held, without wifhing to affuage grief 
—and is it poffible not to be prodigal of 
attention to thofe, who only live by 
means of their affections ?” 
677 
‘*Cours théorique et pratique de 
Clinique externe, par P.J. DusauLt, 
Chirugien en Chef, &c. ou Extrait de 
{es Lecons rédigées et publiées, par J. J. 
J. Cassius, Doégteur en Medecine.”— 
A theoretical and practical Courfe of 
the external Clinical Art, by P. J. Du- 
SAULT, Surgeon in Chief to the Hotel 
Dieu at Paris; or an Extract of his Lef- 
fons, drawn up and publithed by J. J, 
J. Casstus, M.D. 2 vols. 8vo. 
The late Dufault was one of the mot 
celebrated furgeons of the prefent age, 
and fome eminent men in our own cae 
pital were bred up under him. He in- 
vented feveral new procefies, and im- 
proved the old in fuch a manner as to 
redound greatly to the honour of his 
art, lis modes of treating wounds in 
the head, the way followed by him in 
reducing luxations of the arm, thigh, 
and neck, all ferve as fo many proofs 
of his extraordinary excellence. 
Dufault, who never publithed any 
thing himfelf, was particularly anxi- 
ous, that two able young men thould 
draw up an account, or rather fummary 
of his leffons, in order to be read after- 
wards to his pupils. Bichat and Caf. 
fias were the perfons exprefsly pitched 
upon by him for this purpofe, and 
they have now both pubhihed works om 
this fubject. Chopart alfo, during his 
life, prefented to the public a detailed 
account of his operations, under the ti- 
tle of “ CEuvres chirurgicales de Du- 
fault,’ 
The prefent work concludes with a 
memoir by Profeflor Sue, librarian to 
the {chool of medicine, in which he en« 
ters at Jarge into the difeafes of the 
bones. It is drawn up with uncommon 
precifion, and cannot fail to add greaé. 
ly to the reputation of its author. 
“< Effai fur le perfetionnement des 
Beaux-Arts par les Sciences exactes ; 
par R. S.C. Membre de plufieurs Socié- 
tés favantes et littéraires.’—An Effay 
onthe degree of Perfegtion of which the 
Fine Arts are fufceptible, by Means of 
the Exact Sciences; by R. S.C. Mem- 
ber of feveral learned and literary So- 
Cieties. 2 vols. 8vo. 
M. C. at a moment when fome lite. 
rary men affect to ridicule the {ciences, 
fteps forward with a work folely con- 
fecrated to demonftrate their utility in 
refpect to the progrefs of the fine arts, 
Among a variety of bold and fingular 
ideas which, perhaps, require the jance_ 
tion of experience, .are to be remarked 
many entirely new, more efpecially 
thoie 
