The zincum vitriolatum combined with opium, is highly recommended by Mr. Elijah Impey of the Royal Navy, in dyfentery, to obviate the extreme degree of atony and frequent difcharge of fæces without pain, existing after the disease. Medical Phyfical Journal.

Whilst upon the subject of white vitriol, it may not be amifs to notice its use in agues.---Mr. Cuming of Romfey-Hants, confiders it equally infallible, and more entitled to the epithet Specific---than the bark. In fhips of war, he says he has often given it under every type of the disease, and never knew it fail. He mentions a cafe of a poor woman, who had fuffered from a quotidian to fuch a degree, that her legs became cedematous, her countenance fallow and bloated; to fuch a cachectic state was the reduced, that she had the appearance of falling an eafy prey to dropfy: her ftomach was much weakened, and her digestive faculties confequently greatly impaired. By the use of the white vitriol fhe was cured.

After clearing the primæ viæ by means of an antimonial emetic---he gave two or three grains a day during the intervals of the fit, in this formula---B. Pulv. zinci vitriol. gr. ij. vel. iij. Confer. rofæ. q. f. ft. bol. no. iij. Capt. æger. 1. 2da. vel 3tia. quaque hora, ut opus fuerit, et augeatur dofim gr. i. indies. He never had occafion to give more than five grains in the day.

Its use in the various receptacles for the fick, is adverted to, as enabling us to fave large quantities of cinchona, and to appropriate the money expended for the purchase of this expensive drug, to the laudable purpose of supporting the patients strength, by allowing a fufficient quantity of ale, porter, wine. Ibid.

Mr. William Henry of Manchester recommends, from several years experience, the ufe of the cryftallized acetite of zinc as

the best application in all cafes of gonorrhoea, and brings forward the authorities of Dr. Ferriar and Mr. Gibson, as to its fuperiority over all other injections. For the purpose of an injection, eight or ten grains are diffolved in four or fix ounces of water, or, what he confiders as much better, in the fame quantity of a thin mucilage of quince feeds, or of a decoction of linfeed, or barley; increasing or diminishing it in strength, fo as to excite a flight fmarting.

The fame remedy, in a smaller proportion, diffolved in rofewater, he recommends as an excellent eye-wash. It may alfo. be exhibited internally in all cafes in which the calcined zinc has hitherto been employed, and as he affirms, with more certain efficacy. In dofes of from five to ten grains, it affords a fafe emetic which operates fpeedily. For internal use, it fhould be that which has been prepared by the direct combination of the metal, or of its oxides, as a redundancy of acetite of lead may produce injury.

The following appears the easiest method of preparing it, from several given by Mr. Henry.

To a folution of white vitriol (fulphat of zinc) in fix or eight times its weight of water, add a folution of acetite of lead in twice its weight of water, as long as any precipitation enfues, or a little longer, in order to enfure the complete decompofition of the white vitriol. Throw the whole upon a linen strainer and wash off the soluble part by repeated affufions of diftilled water.---Evaporate and crystallize. Ibid.

The following mode of preparing an artificial peat, of dung and ftraw, by the German colonists on the Karamyfk, is extracted from Profeffor Pallas's "Travels through Southern, Ruffia."

"This invention was fuggefted to them by Frederic Rifh, a, native of the turfy ifland of Rugen, in the Baltic Sea, and now a colonist of Uft-Salikha. The colonists can fpare their dung for that purpose, as the loose black foil requires only to be divided into fallows, to restore its fertility; and they have a fuper

abundance of itraw. The dung is gathered in heaps, and left to putrify during winter. After the first agricultural labours of the spring are finished, this compoft is carried to the water fide, placed feveral feet deep, on a dry spot, mixed with a proportionate quantity of ftraw, and then trampled upon by horfes and oxen, till it form a compact mafs. When it is half dried in the open air, it is cut like turf into fquare pieces, which are piled up till they are completely dried, and afterwards carried. home, where they ferve as a stock of fuel for the winter. This artificial turf has long been used by the Crim-Tartars; it burns with a flame not unlike fea-coal, and imparts excellent heat, particularly to stoves and ovens for baking. Its smoke, however, is offenfive, and is with much difficulty excluded from the inner apartments. Five or fix pieces of it are fufficient to heat an oven; and a few men, with feveral pair of horses or oxen, are able to prepare, in the course of a week, fufficient fuel for the whole winter. Without this expedient, most of the colonies would be reduced to the greatest distress for want of firing; inasmuch as they have most injudiciously cut down and destroyed the fmall quantity of wood, which they found on the lands at their first settling, without ever thinking of future exigencies. They would now be very willing to plant rows of the willow and poplar on their low grounds, if they could obtain permiffion to fetch flips of those trees from the islands of the Volga."

At an extraordinary meeting of the Philadelphia Medical Society held the 6th of February, the following gentlemen were elected officers for the enfuing year.

Prefident Dr. B. Rush.

V. Prefidents-Dr. C. Wistar, Dr. B. S. Barton.

Correfponding Dr. J. Hutchinson, Dr. J. S. Dorsey.

Secretaries

Recording Secretary-Mr. T. Ewell.

Curators-Mr. J. Hand, Mr. S. Jackson.
Treasurer-Mr. J. Hartshorne.

Orator-Dr. J. Hutchinson.

It gives us great pleasure in being able to announce the increafing respectability of this inftitution. During the present feffion fifty-one new members have been added to the junior lift, who, in conformity to the regulations of the fociety, each brought forward and defended a piece on fome medical subject.

During the last feffion, the fociety impreffed with a due fenfe of the great advantages it would be likely to derive from having a permanent place for their meetings, refolved, that one half of their annual funds, arifing from the fees of admiffion and from fines, should be appropriated to the purchase of stock, as fund to carry into execution at fome future day, fo defirable a plan. Had this refolve been entered upon at an earlier period, there can be little doubt, that fuch a plan might, ere this, have been realized. Already, nearly 400 dollars have been thus invested; and with a hope that liberal afsistance might be accorded them, by the numerous members of their inftitution throughout America, a refolution was paffed on the 2d of February of the prefent year, to appoint three honorary members as a committee, with full power to folicit and receive donations for this purpose; with instructions to forward a circular letter to all the honorary members communicating the above refolution. The committee appointed, confifts of Drs. J. S. Dorfey, J. Hutchinson, and J. R. Coxe; all of whom will gladly receive on behalf of the fociety, fuch affistance as their fellow-members may feel difpofed to afford. There can be little doubt but that every member of the fociety myft feel that intereft in its welfare, which will urge them to aid it as much as is in their power; for, whatever will contribute to its refpectability, must add to the honor which each one derives from being affociated with it.

The Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh owes its present flourishing ftate entirely to the commendable exertions of its members, and by their aid, it has erected an extensive building for their meetings, and has acquired a library, and philosophical apparatus, of confiderable magnitude, much to the honor of that refpectable body, and to the individual interest of each of the refident members during their feffion.

Editor.

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EDICAL THESES, felected from among the Inaugural Differtations, published and defended by the graduates in medicine of the University of Pennfylvania, &c. &c. By Charles Caldwell, M. D. Editor of the work.-Philadelphia— T. & W. Bradford, 1805. 8vo. pp. 395.

A work like the present has been long called for, from the increasing number and value of the yearly productions of the graduates in medicine in the United States. It ferves to point out in a comprehenfive manner, the improvements which take place in the science of phyfic; and must have a powerful influence on the minds of the ftudents in their endeavours to perfect their differtations, and thereby render them worthy of such an honorable distinction.

Although the present selection is a very valuable one, yet with deference to the editor, we fhould have been pleased to have seen the work more regularly taken up from an earlier period of our medical school, and purfued in the order in which the Thefes were emitted from the prefs; as we should thereby have been gratified by noticing the progrefs of medical science in our universities to the present time. We must nevertheless confider ourselves much indebted to the editor, for bringing into one view fuch a collection of valuable information as is contained in the first volume of his annual labours; and we wish him fuccefs in his future felections.

In addition to twelve very valuable, and for the most part, experimental Thefes, we have an important and interesting "experimental inquiry, refpecting the vitality of the blood" by the editor, in three lectures, which he informs us "were included in a course of medical instruction, delivered last winter, in the Infirmary of the Philadelphia Alms-house." We must confider the experiments here detailed, as conclufive of the queftion; which appears to be taken up in a much more extensive and philofophic manner, than we have elsewhere seen it.

In a "Preliminary difcourfe" of nearly eight pages, the general outline of the work, and the confiderations which led to the undertaking, are offered to view.-After which follow the Thefes in the order enumerated, viz.