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MONTHLY REPORT OF DISEASES,

In the Practice of a Physician in Westminster; from March 25 to April 20, 1814.

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Although the severity of the weather has ceased, the present list still announces a great preponderance of pulmonic disease. Some of the cases of cough were accompanied by Anasarca, others by spitting of blood. The case of jaundice (Icterus) was occasioned by anxiety, and extreme grief, in a female, who had the misfortune to lose two children nearly at the same time, and when she was six months advanced in pregnancy. Poverty by no means renders the mind insensible to the af fections which so strongly link parents and their offspring. I very lately witnessed a fatal instance of this link being suddenly broken. A poor woman, who had left an aged mother sitting in her chair as well as usual, on returning home from an errand found her lifeless. The daughter, who was aged about forty-five, was immediately taken ill, and when I saw her two days afterwards appeared nearly insensible, so much so indeed that I at first thought she was actually dead; all muscular power was destroyed; and she lingered in this state almost a week, without being able to take sustenance, or derive the least benefit from medicine.

Since the last report, in which I suggested some remarks-on the superiority of art` over the unassisted power of nature in the cure of disease, I met with the following passage in Professor Dugald Stewart's "Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind," vol. ii. 4to. just published: "The idea of following nature in the treatment of diseases; ;--an idea which I believe prevails more and more in the practice of every physician, in proportion as his views are enlarged by science, is founded, not on hypothesis, but on one of the most general laws yet known with respect to the ani mal economy; and it implies an acknowledgment, not only of the vanity of abstract theories, but of the limited province of human art." From a long and careful induction of facts, in the writings of ancient and modern physicians, and the result of considerable personal experience of the powers and effects of remedies, I am disposed to regard the converse of the proposition to be true; and consequently to infer, that it is possible to be a philosopher without having a competent knowledge of the complicated art of medicine; and to possess a copious store of metaphysical eru dition without understanding the views on which a scientific physician grounds his practice. In ancient times indeed, when, it will readily be admitted, physicians, compared with those of the present age, were very ignorant, the doctrine of the learned professor might be true; in the dark a man favours his friends by not firing his pistol; an ignorant practitioner does the least mischief in not interfering with nature. But wisdom in one age may be folly in another. Hippocrates acted with admirable prudence in allowing certain diseases to run their course without interruption, becanse at that period of time he was not acquainted with those remedies which successive improvement and discoveries in practice have developed. Sir Gilbert Blane has recently published some observations on this subject which are completely in point; and his authority will probably have more weight than any facts which I might adduce from my own experience. "In the first and third sectious of the works of Hippocrates, there are forty-two cases of acute disease, in which the patients are particularized by name, and the symptoms, progress, and termination, of their respective disorders are related with the utmost clearness, and the most exemplary candour. Of these there were thirty-seven cases of continued fever, without local affection. In the other five there was inflammation in vital parts. Of the former there died twenty-one; of the

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1814.]

Monthly Commercial Report.

953.

latter four. Among the former are included four cases of child-bed fever, all of whom died; and two consequent on abortion, both of whom also died. Of the five cases of local inflammation, one was of the brain, one of the throat, one of the lungs, one of the bowels, and one of the liver. None of the subjects of these cases survived, except that of the lungs. The proportion of deaths therefore, on the whole number, was twenty-five in forty-two. In continued fever without local affection, including the cases of child-bed and abortion, it was twenty-one in thirty-seven; exclusive of these, it was fifteen in thirty-one; and we have seen that of local inflammations, four died out of five.

"This statement is extremely instructive as well as curious; for it does not appear that any medical treatment was employed, except glysters and suppositories in a few, and blood-letting in one."

Thus, in acute complaints, it should, seem that about one half of the patients would naturally perish if left to themselves. The art of the physician is most conspicuously displayed in the power which he exercises over morbid action, in checking and destroying, not in encouraging, the destructive and blind efforts of nature. Craven-street, April 22, 1814.

SAMUEL FOTHERGILL, M.D.

MONTHLY COMMERCIAL REPORT.

HE official papers presented to the House of Commons, stated, that the total amount in the year 1810 wat

1,387,020 quarters; of which 334,836 were from France, 189,160 were from Holland, and only 34,829 from America. With respect to flour, it appeared that we did not import more of that article from the United States than we did from the countries with which we were at war.

Account of the Weekly Amount of Bank Notes in Circulation in the Year 1814, distinguishing the Bank Post Bills, as well as the Notes under the Value of Fixe Pounds.

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Between January 4 and March 25, Gold in bars was 51. 8s. per oz.; Portugal coin 51. 10s.; Silver in bars 6s. 111⁄2d.; and Dollars 6s. 11d. The Course of Exchange was, Hamburgh 24; Usances 29; Lisbon 734; and Paris, 1 day's date, 21 franks. Mr. EDINGTON, in his late work on the Coal Trade, states the opinion that the time is not distant when the long wrought mines of Newcastle will fail; and that before then there must be an intolerable advance in the price of coals. He says that in the course of seven years the following collieries will be exhausted :—

Brandling's Main

Walker's Colliery
Adair's Main

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133,000 Newcastle chaldrons, equal to about, (London chaldrons)

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And in the space of fourteen years there will be another decrease of coals to market, viz. from

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And in twenty-one years, another decrease of coals to London market, viz. from

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261,000 Newcastle chaldron, equal to, (London chaldrons)

So that there will be a decrease of the leading coals to market in the first seven years of

In fourteen years, a further decrease of

In twenty-one years, a still further decrease of

Making a Total decrease in the Annual Supply of

This decrease of the best coals, in consequence of the mines becoming exhausted, is accelerated by the increase of consumption. The London bakers, who twenty years ago used wood, now universally bake with coals; each uses on an average fifteen chaldrons in a year, and there being about five thousand bakers in the metropolis, their annual consumption amounts to seventy-five thousand chaldrons, of which Paddington sup plies a considerable quantity; the remainder are from the Scotch, Welch, and Hartley, and Blyth and Cowper's collieries.

In consequence of the great falling off in the building of ships in the port of London, and the few repairs going on, thousands of industrious individuals, connected with these establishments, have been long pining in misery and distress from the want of employment. The slips for building ships are forty-one, while only one ship is now building. The repairing docks are capable of receiving sixty-two ships; and only eighteen ships are now under slight repairs!

All our reports from the out-ports and the manufacturing districts relative to the improved state and prospects of trade, as a consequence of the great political changes, are highly gratifying.

Prices of Merchandize, April 22.

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At Messrs. Wolfe and Co.'s Canal Office, No. 9, Change Alley, Cornhill; Commercial Dock shares fetch 150l. per share.-West India ditto, 1601.-The Grand Junction CANAL shares fetch 2331. per share. The East London WATER-WORKS, 701-The Albion INSURANCE OFFICE shares fetch 461.-The Globe 113l.-And the Imperial 481.

The 3 per cent. cons. on the 26th were 66; 5 per cent. 94; omnium, 183.

ALPHABETICAL LIST of BANKRUPTCIES and DIVIDENDS, announced between the 19th of March and the 19th of April, extracted from the London Gazettes. N. B.-In Bankruptcies in and near London, the Attornies are to be understood to reside in London, and in Country Bankruptcies at the Residence of the Bankrupt, except otherwise expressed.

BANKRUPTCIES. [This Month 50.]

(The Solicitors' Names are between Parentheses.]

ANNESS W. Cheapfide, watchmaker.

(Hind

Allen B. Trent Dock, Derby, victualler. (Barber
Bendy E. Charles fquare. Hoxton, fafter. (Williams
Brook J. Longroyd Bridge, Huddersfield, cloth dreffer.
(Battye

Brice S, Whitney, victualler.
Brown J. Weftoe, Durham, innkeeper.

drick, London

Baruett T. Portfea, mercer.

(Surman, J.ondon

(Bell and Bro.

(Glendining

(Foulkes

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Collins T. Witney, blanket manufacturer.

Dudfield T. Southwark, boot-maker. (Bagley, Wap-
ping
Dowd J. John ftreet, Oxford street, victualler. (Walker
and Rankin

Ellis J. Haverfordweft, Pembroke, mercer. (Griffiths
Freeman J. Hatton Garden, taylor. (Whitcombe and
King

(Butler

Firth W. Liverfidge, Yorksh, clothier.
German W. Topham, corn factor. (Ifaacfon, Cannon
freet

Greentreet J. Camberwell, wheelwright.
Son, London

Garrifon J. Camden Town, victualler.

Smith

(Dyne and

(Aldridge and

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(Bignold and

Phillips G. Lambeth Marsh, timber merchant.
Phillips T. Norwich, brandy merchant.

Butterfield

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Parker J. Norwich, linen draper.

Rye S. Engham, brewer and coal merchant, (Matthew Stewart J. Charlotte @treet, Portland Place, wine merchant. (Allen and Gylby

Sherwood W. Liverpool, foap manufacturer. (Griffithe
and Hind

Smith W. Hart freet, corn dealer. (Parnther and
Turner

Smallbone J. Basingstoke, corn factor.

(Knight and Shebbeare Smedley W. Curton-upon-Trent, grocer. (Osborne Todman R Wood treet, warehoufeman. (Walton Taylor. Richard street, Commercial Road, coachmafter. (Chester

(Jeffop

Willitt M. Chepftow, Monmouthshire, druggift.
Wallis M. Hemmingford Grey, Huntingdonshire, merchant.
(Clennell

Wild R. Craven ftreet, Strand, taylor. (Pafmore
Wye C. W. London, merchant. (Walton
Wells B. Gracechurch treet, hofier and glover.
and Farren

Watfon S. Ilkefton, Derby, chandler.

Wells

(Holt (Allfop and

(Griffith

(Belf

Ward J. Banbury, grocer. (Tilbury
Warrington A. Shrewsbury, bricklayer.
Wilfon G. S. Devereux court, Straud, merchant.
and Bromley.

DIVIDENDS.

Bevan W. Crombie's Row, Commer-
cial Road

Black J. Percy freet, St. Pancras
Barnacott T. Plymouth

Beaton 5. Downhead, Somerfet.

ihire

Bowden T. Plymouth
Buckridge J. Lambeth

Brumby T., H., and C., Gainsbo
rough

Bidgood J. Swallow treet
Eyles B. Austin Friars

Barker J. Brickwall, Hertfordshire
Brown J. and G. Croydon
Blanchford D, and R. London

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REPORT OF THE PROGRESS OF CHEMISTRY.

MR

R. ALEXANDER GARDEN, of Old Compton Street, Soho, has published the following process for obtaining Iode:

1. To a concentrated watery solution of kelp (or the waste ley of the soap-maker where kelp has been employed) from which the greater part of the crystallizable salts have been separated by the usual processes of evaporation and crystallization, he adds red oxide of lead in the proportion of one ounce to about a pint of the former; boils the mixture over a slow fire to dryness, and increases the heat towards the end of the solution so as to carbonize any animal or vegetable matter which the substance may contain. This last may most conveniently be performed in an iron ladle.

2. He digests the dried mass in a quantity of cold water sufficient to extract the greatest portion of the soluble matter, and filters and evaporates the clear liquid to the consistence of a syrup.

3. He introduces the liquid obtained in the last process, together with the saline matter which may have separated during the evaporation, into a glass mattrass, and pours thereon about twice its bulk of alcohol; digests with a gentle heat for a few minutes, and then suffers the vessel with its contents to grow cold.

4. He decants the clear a coholic solution into a tubulated retort, adapts a receiver, and by means of a gentle and gradually applied heat distils off the alcohol. The saline matter which remains in the retort is to be washed out and evaporated to dryness in a capsule of Wedgwood's ware.

5. He introduces the dry salt thus obtained into a mattrass with a short neck, to which a glass tube, about six or eight inches long, and sufficiently large to fit over the external diameter of the neck, has been luted, and pours over the salt, by means of a long-necked funnel, twice its weight of strong sulphuric acid. He heats the mixture gradually by a spirit or Argand's lamp, and the iode will immediately begin to rise in the form of a dense and beautiful violet-colored gas, which will be condensed in the upper part of the vessel in black shining crystals; when the gas ceases to be disengaged the mattrass should be allowed to cool: the iode may then be washed out with water, dried on white filtering paper at a temperature not exceeding 100 of Fahrenheit, and inclosed in a bottle accurately fitted with a glass stopper.

Mr. ACCUM has also published another process of obtaining Lode. He says it is to be found in abundance in the waste or spent lee of those soap manufacturers who employ kelp in the preparation of soap. To obtain the iode from the waste lee, let it be boiled for a few minutes with quicklime; strain the fluid and mingle it with sulphuric acid in excess. This being done, evaporate the liquor to a syrupy consistence, and then distil, er heat it, in a flask or retort with red oxyd of lead and sulphuric acid. The iode will thas

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