posed with suspicious symptoms of madness; such as dejection of spirits, difficult deglutition, (which at that time was considered by the parents as originating from worms in the throat) a peculiar aversion to light, expressed by endeavouring to avoid it, and by covering himself so closely with the bed clothes as to shut out every ray of it. On the first day of May, I visited the patient, and at that time learned the above statement from his parents. I found him labouring under the whole catalogue of symptoms, as described by dif ferent writers in cases of hydrophobia; impatience of light, a peculiar aversion to his friends, great thirst, violent febrile excitement; and whenever water was presented to him, an attempt to drink invariably produced a constriction of the throat, which was immediately followed by violent spasms of the whole system; with an attempt to bite every thing which came in his way; and in spite of the utmost precaution, he did actually bite out pieces of his own flesh. Finding him in this situation, and being fully persuaded of its being a case of Canine madness, I had no expectations of giving him relief; having never before seen a case of the kind, except among the animal tribe. Being fully satisfied from the universal failure of remedies in treating the complaint, that there was scarcely any chance of relief, I concluded not to be influenced by any thing which I had read on the subject. Finding the patient labouring under violent vascular action, in consequence of excessive excitement, as soon as the paroxysm was off, I had recourse to blood-letting, and took away such a quantity as to remove the tension, and lessen arterial action. Having seen that the presence of his friends, the admission of light, and an attempt to swallow any liquids served as the immediate exciting causes of spasms, I endeavoured to remove all these evidently hurtful powers. At the commencement of every paroxysm, the spasms began in the throat, the pharynx first undergoing morbid derangement; from thence they extended to the hand which had been bitten; and afterwards universal spasms ensued, with a constant attempt to bite. These paroxysms generally continued from 10 to 20 minutes. After reducing the inflammatory action, with the lancet, I thought best, on the ground of various authorities, together with my own knowledge of the medicinal properties of mercury, to give it a fair trial in this case; as the throat appeared to suffer primarily in this disease, I determined to give calomel in the following way.

I mixed about two drachms of Calomel, with twice its quan

tity of dry sugar, and after blending them well together, I gave a teaspoonful of the mixture once in 20 minutes, until it proved violently emetic and cathartic; after which I gave it in smaller quantity and more frequently; taking particular care to keep the fauces and throat constantly overspread with it. In this way it was taken up quickly by the absorbents, and speedily affected the glands of the mouth. Within 12 hours from the first exhibition of the calomel, a gentle ptyalism was produced; upon which the violence of the symptoms abated; the paroxysms growing lighter and lighter until they disappeared entirely. The salivation was kept up a few days; after which, to my astonishment, and the disappointment of every one who saw him, he was happily restored to his disconsolate friends.

What is peculiar in this case, is, that the child was bitten by a puppy of 6 months old, which had never been bitten, to the knowledge of any one. The bitch, which brought the pup, while in the state of gestation, was known to have been bitten by a dog that was actually mad. After her young whelps were of sufficient age to wean, they were taken off and the bitch killed; she having never shown any symptoms of Hydrophobia.

About this time another of the puppies sickened, had every appearance of canine madness, and was killed. Two others of the same litter have not to my knowledge ever sickened.

The patient becoming diseased so soon after the bite, is as novel, as the other circumstances are remarkable; yet I do not hesitate, in believing the case to have been strictly hydrophobia; and the cure to have taken place in consequence of the quantity of calomel given, and the particular mode in which it was given.

In the first stage of this case, it was violently inflammatory. Had I pursued the highly stimulant, and antispasmodic plan, recommended by many, instead of the depleting plan, it requires very little discernment to pronounce what would have become of my patient.

SINGULAR CASE of DISEASE, attended with RETARDED PULSE: communicated by Dr. ORCHARD GOULD, of Branford, Connecticut, to Dr. MALACHI FOOT, of New-York.

N the 25th of June 1808, John Smadly, a strong healthy

man, aged about 24, was mowing grass in the field; the weather was warm, and his drink consisted of water brought from a neighbouring well, sometimes cold, but generally after it was warmed by the weather; the quantity of cold water taken was small, and never exceeded half a pint at a time. On the evening of the 26th, he found the common exercise of walking gave him considerable anxiety in the chest, with sighing; and he found it necessary to rest occasionally. With these complaints remaining the same until the 28th at noon, as he was walking in his house, he was suddenly seized with the same difficulty in his breast, and vision nearly departed; he was placed in a horizontal posture on the bed, and nearly lost all sense and voluntary motion. I saw him in a few minutes, found his extremities cold, a livid suffusion of the face and neck, and his pulse about 35 with weak action, which after the exhibition of a little Spt. C. C. and some delay gained preternatural force, more especially in the heart, as felt by applying my hand to the chest; white tongue, a little thirst, anxiety, deep and frequent sighing, and a little pain at the stomach at each pulsation. However "ne occidisse, &c. quem sors occidit,"-I did not bleed at this time, but substituted the warm bath; and his pulse in a few minutes rose to 50 strokes in a minute, with less convulsive action. I laid him in bed; he fell into a warm sweat and slept well through the night with very little complaint; he took draughts of succ. limon. and sal tart. 29th, pulse 28, a little hard, still stronger about the heart and large vessels, with irregular intermissions; the other symptoms as yesterday; 6 or 7 oz. blood taken from the arm; it was sizy; pulse during and after the operation 33, but in the evening and night it beat only 14 strokes in a minute. I could not repeat the blood-letting owing to an accident that had happened to my lancet. The bath was again administered, but without any advantage; he was costive, and had a dose of rhubarb, and took the draughts.

30th, Pulse ranged between 14 and 28 till 5, P. M. other symptoms as yesterday; at this time (5 P. M.) 12 ounces of blood taken from the arm; it had the appearance of the lotura carnium; pulse rose after the operation from 28

to 37 strokes in a minute, and at 9 in the evening to 60 and softer; the other complaints much abated.

July 1. Pulse ranged between 30 and 50, but it was soft; his other complaints nearly gone; sat in a chair.

2nd. Pulse this forenoon 18 with anxiety, &c. another blood-letting was contemplated; some delay took place in discussing the question of blood-letting with the family, during which, his pulse increased in frequency, and in a few hours it stood at 54; a copious sweat then broke out with an abatement of the anxiety, &c. he has taken the draughts every day.

3d. He was convalescing; but his pulse was slower than natural for several days, till it arose to about 70; he was soon after and ever since able to use exercise and labour without inconvenience.

OBSERVATIONS on PHTHISIS PULMONALIS, or Consumption of the Lungs: communicated by Dr. JOSEPH YOUNG, of New-York, to Dr. MITCHILL.

N my Treatise on Astronomy, Physiology, &c. where I treated on consumption, in page 170, I observed, that the medicines that were salutary in the morning were frequently injurious in the evening; and assigned as the cause, that consumptive patients are generally too cold in the morning, occasioned by profuse night sweats, and consequent debility; and are feverish in the evening: and recommended the use of warming balsamic remedies in the forenoon, and cooling remedies in the evening.

But finding this hint neglected, I think it incumbent on me to be more explicit in explaining the cause, why this should invariably be the case, in the advanced stages of the disease; as an accurate knowledge of the cause indicates what should be done to remove it, and thereby prevent its pernicious effects. But to effect this purpose, İ must recur to physical principles. I conceive that I have proved in the 85 and 86, 96 and 97, and 116, 117 pages of the Treatise, that fire, in its various combinations, and modifications, is the only physical or generative cause of heat, fluidity, motion, life, sensation, and muscular motion; for without fire, there could not be any heat; and without heat, nothing would remain

fluid; and without fluidity, there could be neither motion, life, nor sensation. The electric fluid is the most active, energetic modification of fire, and the universal physical agent, throughout our system. It is the chief ingredient in atmospheric air, and the sole cause of its elasticity and activity. But as no simple substance, alone, can generate motion, I conceive it can be demonstrated by experiments, that the electric fluid is composed of pure elementary fire and oxygene. When this elastic air is inspired, the electric part (which I shall hereafter call pyretos) pervades the lungs, and is immediately transmitted with the blood to the heart, which it invigorates to perform its constant action, as long as regular respiration is continued. (see page 144.) But if the inert part of the air which is expelled in expiration, be collected, it will extinguish both animal life and flame; not because it has derived any poisonous quality from the lungs, but because it has been deprived of the pyretos, which gave it elasticity. When pure atmospheric air is inspired by an healthy vigorous person, the pyretos being excited into immediate action not only stimulates the heart and vascular system, but passes with the fluids to the remotest parts of the body, promoting circulation, and preventing cohesions, and obstructions, where the muscular force of the heart could have but little, if any influence; (see page 75). Generating and diffusing heat, and promoting circulation in its passage, the pyretos passes off with the perspirable matter, reduced to an invisible vapour by heat and motion; so that it may be re-supplied at the next inspiration. See page 97, Treatise.

As long as this process is regularly performed, the person generally enjoys health.

But when the debilitated consumptive patient inspires this pure air, the pyretos cannot communicate a sufficient degree of power to the relaxed fibres of the heart, to propel the blood with sufficient velocity, to excite its energies to generate heat, or pass off in perspiration. It will therefore pass on with the fluids in languid circulation, accumulating all the forenoon, until the patient takes a warm dinner, or a dish of warm tea, which soon excites and brings the whole accumulated stock into extreme active operation, which produces an agitation and heat above the sweating point. The inspissated fluids are now forced with velocity on the tender irritable lungs the patient retires to bed, and has a violent fit of coughing, until the viscid matter is in some degree attenua ted, and expelled by heat and motion. Being greatly fatigued