of the rete mucosum; from the abfence of which, Mr. Buzzi accounts for the whiteness of the skin and hair.

From the obfervations of the above gentlemen, it appears pretty evident, that the abfence of the rete mucofum, and of the pigmentum nigrum, is to be regarded as the proximate caufe of the fingular appearance of the Albino; but as far as I can yet learn, we are in the dark as to the remote cause. It feems most probable, that the parents, especially the mother, during the period of gestation, must influence it much; for we fee in the fame family, a variety of offspring. Thus, in the family of the prefent fubject, of five children, four were affected in a fimilar manner, whilft an intermediate child was totally exempt. And Mr. Buzzi relates the cafe of a woman of Milan, who had feven fons; the two eldest had long hair and black eyes; the three next had white fkins, white hair, and red eyes, and the two laft resembled the eldeft. Mr. Jefferfon alfo mentions three fifters of this description, born of parents without any mixture of white blood, and having two other full fifters, black.*

• « I have known four of these myself, and have faithful accounts of three others. The circumstances in which all the individuals agree are these. They are of a pallid cadaverous white, untinged with red, without any coloured fpots or feams; their hair of the fame kind of white, fhort, coarse, and curled as is that of the negro; all of them well formed, ftrong, healthy, perfect in their fenfes, except that of fight, and born of parents who had no mixture of white blood. Three of these Albinos were fifters, having two other full fifters, who were black. The youngest of the three was killed by lightning, at twelve years of age. The eldest died at about twenty-feven years of age, in child-bed, with her fecond child. The middle one is now alive in health, and has iffue, as the eldest had, by a black man, which iffue was black. They are uncommonly fhrewd, quick in their apprehenfions and in reply. Their eyes are in a perpetual tremulous vibration, very weak, and much affected by the fun: but they see much better in the night than we do. They are the property of Col. Skipwith of Cumberland. The fourth is a negro woman, whose parents came from Guinea, and had three other children, who were of their own colour. She is freckled, her eye-fight fo weak that fhe is obliged to wear a bonnet in the fummer; but it is better in the night than day. She had an Albino child by a black man. It died at the age of a few weeks. These were the property of

Of the cafes recorded, it would feem to be more prevalent among males than females Mr. Jefferson from the cafes which have been recorded by him, draws a different conclufion.

This affection it appears may be either local or general, as we find the rere mucofum may be abfent, whilft the pigmentum nigrum exifts; hence the red pupil is not univerfal. This appears more particularly the cafe in the black Albino. Some are even born of a mottled colour, evincing a partial lofs of the rete mucofum.

Does this affection take place immediately on conception, or is the change effected during the progrefs of pregnancy ? Mr. Buzzi mentions that the woman adverted to, " during the three pregnancies that produced the Albinos, had a continual and immoderate appetite for milk, which fhe took in great quantities;" but this was not the cafe when with child of the other four children. Whatever it may be, which influences this occurrence, it would appear must be accidental, as the alternate birth of Albinos, and of perfect children, could not otherwife in any inftance take place.

It appears that the offspring of these lufus naturæ are fometimes perfect, at others, fimilar to themfelves, as in the cafes

Col. Carter, of Albemarle. A fixth instance is a woman of the property of a Mr. Butler, near Petersburgh. She is ftout and robuft, has issue a daughter, jet black, by a black man I am not informed as to her eye-fight. The feventh instance is of a male belonging to a Mr. Lee of Cumberland. His eyes are tremulous and weak. He is tall of ftature, and now advanced in years. He is the only male of the Albinos which have come within my information. Whatever be the cause of the difeafe in the fkin or in its colouring matter, which produces this change, it feems more incident to the female than male fex. To thefe I may add the mention of a negro man within my own knowledge, born black, and of black parents; on whofe chin, when a boy, a white fpot appeared. This continued to increase till he became a man, by which time it had extended over his chin, lips, one cheek, the under jaw, and neck on that fide. It is of the Albino white, without any mixture of red, and has for feveral years been stationary. He is robuft and healthy, and the change of colour was not accompanied with any fenfible disease, either general or topical." Notes on Virginia-p. 137 ·

mentioned by Mr. Jefferfon. No light is therefore thrown upon the fource of the affection by this fact, which feems altogether accidental.

The inftances of negroes becoming white, are very numerous. I do not recollect that in any of these, the pigmentum nigrum has been abforbed, as no mention is made of a change in the colour of the eye. Indeed it is not clear, whether the colouring matter of the rete mucofum is taken up, or only changed; in fome, at least, we are told the colour is of a healthy ruddy white, not like that of an Albino.

The fudden change of the hair in a few hours, from fear, from a black to a white colour, of which we have several well-attested facts, muft depend upon the change of colouring matter taken up by the hair, from the rete mucofum. Its rapid alteration, efpecially from fuch a caufe, is highly extraordinary.

In the animal creation man is not alone fubject to this change of structure.-In Mr. Peale's museum, are the opoffum-moufe-rat-mufkrat-Aying and ground-fquirrel, with white hair and red eyes; and a white black-bird, and white yellow-bird, with black eyes.

Does it ever occur in cold-blooded animals? Mr. Blumenback, who paid great attention to the fubject, never faw it in them.

SIR,

TO DOCT. JOHN REDMAN COXE.

HAVRE-DE-GRACE, 25th Sept. 1804.

FTER reading the obfervations of the celebrated Dr.

Α A Thornton and the Mr. Townfend on the

Thornton and the Rev. Mr. Townsend on the efficacy of yeft in the cure of typhus fever, I had determined to make trial of it, the first opportunity which should prefent itself, and am highly gratified by the refult.-On the 12th inft. I was called to

a man of about 40 years of age labouring under a bilious autumnal fever, he lay in a motionless, infenfible state, his pulfe ninety, weak and intermitting-his eyes open and fixed, except on the near approach of any object, when they discovered that tremulous motion, which is cuftomary-his mouth half open gave me an opportunity of infpecting his tongue and fauces, which were covered with a dark-coloured flimy bilious matter-his extremities were cold, and his whole body covered with a cold clammy fweat-now and then a trembling and twitching of the tendons of the arms and hands were obfervable-all attempts to make him speak were ineffectual. He had been fifteen days ill, and twenty-four hours in his prefent fituation. I immediately ordered two large blifters to be applied to his legs, and directed half a wine-glafsful of Madeira wine and water to be poured down his throat every two or three hours, and in the intervals tinct. cinchonæ in fmall quantities conjoined with aromatic tincture: in ten hours he was without the fmalleft perceptible alteration, but continued in the fame state of infenfibility, except when raised to take his wine, which he greedily fwallowed when put to his mouth; in twenty-four hours the blifters were cut and dressed without roufing him. In defpair of being able to fave him, I ordered his mouth and fauces to be well washed with vinegar and honey, and a tablespoonful of yeft to be given every three hours; in ten hours after his taking it, when his blifters were again dressed, he complained of their foreness and fpoke of his approaching death, but still appeared not to obferve my entrance, and could not answer when spoken to; his pulfe was flower and fuller than before, his skin warm, and his eyes had loft a good deal of their vacant ftare: he had taken during the day four tablefpoonfuls of yeft, and drank a pint of Madeira wine; he was ordered an anodyne at night which procured him a good sleep, and in the morning I found him fitting up in bed-his pulfe was now about feventy, full, foft and regular, and no fymptom of disease remained but debility. He ate this morning a pint of panada, the first food he had taken for three days. As nothing

was now neceffary but t o fupport the vital energy, I directed a continuance of the tinct. cinchone with wine and a generous diet, and that his bowels fhould be kept moderately open with fome gentle medicine as fenna, &c.-he continued to mend, rapidly, and in three days could walk abroad.

Should you think the above facts worthy attention, by giving them early publicity in your useful Museum, you will gratify, Sir,

Your Obedient and Humble Servant,

TOBIAS WATKINS.

Account of an Abfcefs of the Liver, terminating favourably by Evacuation through the Lungs. By DR. F. PASCALIS.

DEAR SIR,

THE

PHILADELPHIA, September 28, 1804.

HE hiftory of fuccefsful treatment in a dangerous complaint should not be indifferent to medical readers; but the following cafe will, perhaps, appear the more interesting, as we may derive from it, practical means for difcriminating between diftinct caufes and fimilar effects, and for a method of cure far different from ancient and much approved doctrines.

The patient I allude to, a man of forty-two years of age, is evidently of a found constitution and of a regular mode of living: yet, with a bilious habit, and a great share of organical irritability, he had much impaired his health by previous fatigue of mind and body, when, in the middle of laft July, he was feized with a violent fever and delirium. No time was loft to ascertain the nature of his attack. Three eminent phyficians endeavoured to counteract the inflammatory fymptoms. by repeated bleedings and laxative remedies. Two days elapsed without any abatement of the fever; and it seemed