3. In an extremely irritable habit.

4. And last, to a part actually affected with inflammation, ulceration, or gangrene.

Hiftory of a Cafe of Palfy, cured by Lightning. Alfo, Minutes of a Cafe of Yaws: in a Letter from DR. THOMAS HUMPHREYS, of Lynchburgh, Virginia, to DR. BENJAMIN RUSH, dated Nov. 1st, 1803.

MR

RS. Sufanna Wiatt, of the state of Virginia, and county of King and Queen, a lady of great respectability, family, and fortune, informed me, that about the 49th year of her age, while on a vifit at fome diftance from home, a confiderable fall of snow took place, followed with hail and fleet, accompanied with ice; next day the weather being fomewhat fettled, on her return home, her carriage broke down, which occafioned a walk of near ten miles, and took her part of two days to accomplish on her arrival at home, he found herself in a profuse sweat, but next day felt chilly all over, nor were her friends able, from every poffible exertion, to restore her natural warmth; the felt herself in a very great deal of mifery, and notwithstanding medical aid being called in, and her health partly reinstated, yet her pains in a fhort time became exceedingly fevere, and in less than a year, the partly loft the use of both her arms.

An eminent phyfician, Dr. John Brockenburry, of Effex county, Virginia, being called to attend her, among other parts of his treatment, electrified her once a fortnight, and fometimes twice in a week, for two years, without any other apparent advantage whatsoever, than that of deriving a mere temporary relief. Three years having now expired; in the course of the fore part of the fummer, fhe was more frequently electrified than before: fome time in the month of

July, about 3 P. M. being in a lower room in the dwellinghouse, one of her fons and two negro fervants being also prefent, (the atmosphere at that time being heavily charged with electric matter), just as she got up from the dinner table, and had reached the side of a bed that stood in the faid room, a fudden and violent explosion took place. She was inftantaneously ftruck down, and fell motionlefs acrofs the bed.

The bushes that were in the chimney were burnt, and feve ral dead birds were found there; all the plastering in the infide of the chimney was ftripped off, reduced to a very soft confiftency, and was fpattered all over the room: fo hot was this foft mortar, that whatever part of the negroes skins it was dashed against, was immediately blistered. There was also a large round ball, formed of this foft or fused mortar, which rolled along the floor of the room until it came to a cat-hole in the door, and being larger than the hole, it remained there apparently red hot. The young gentleman touching it with his finger, was feverely burnt; on pushing a stick into it, in a few minutes its action on the enclosed wood exhibited demonstrative proof of the intenfity of its heat. In the middle of the ceiling of the room, was a large black circle or ring, with a white spot exactly in the centre. Query, What was this owing to? was it owing to the back-ftroke or reaction of the electric fluid? no injury being done to any of the infide plastering, either on the ceiling or walls. And again, upon what philofophical principle can the instantaneous fufion of this intenfely exficcated mortar be accounted for? But to return to the lady.

The young gentleman, her fon, and the two fervants who were none of them otherwise hurt, than by the burning plastering as already mentioned, after recovering from the furprise occafioned by the violent and dreadful report, they, with great prefence of mind, loosened her clothes, ripped open her stays, and, by fprinkling water on her, fhaking and pulling her about, and ufing conftant friction, after fome fhort time, recovered her: fhe demanded to know what they were doing, and what occafioned all the confufion apparently about her, and re

ceived for anfwer-that the house had been struck with lightning, and that the first they obferved of her, fhe lay across the bed to every appearance dead. As foon as fhe was fufficiently recovered to walk, fhe went up stairs, to examine whether the houfe had not taken fire in any of the upper apartments; on coming down stairs she made a falfe step, and instantly stretching out her arm, caught hold of the hand-railing of the ftaircafe, and exclaimed aloud to her fon, to come and behold how miraculously she had recovered the use of her hands, and to obferve with what eafe fhe could extend her arms, and grafp, at pleasure, the bannistering of the stair-cafe.

Next day the physician coming to electrify her as ufual, was pleased and astonished, as well as agreeably surprised, to find that his patient had experienced that complete relief, from a moment's application of atmospheric electricity, administered by nature's omnipotent arm, which two years unwearied application of artificial electricity, was not able to effect.

None of the other people in the room being ftruck but the lady, the physician fuppofed her system was, (in confequence of the many and repeated electrifications fhe had undergone, and particularly of late), rendered much more fufceptible of the electric fluid, than any of the others in the room. It is now about twenty years fince that time, and the lady informed me, the never has had the flighteft touch of the rheumatifm fince the received the said shock. She now enjoys good health.

Memorandum for Dr. Humphreys.

IN the year 1770, about the month of June, I had a number of African flaves for fale; among them was a lad about eighteen years of age, who was a miferable object, from the dif order called the yaws; he was vaftly more afflicted with it than any perfon I ever faw before or fince; from his head to his feet he was thickly fet with thofe forts of knots or ulcers, which that disorder produces when it is in its worst stages. A Doctor Ellis lived at the place, who had very deservedly ac

quired great reputation for his profeffional merit. I applied repeatedly to him to cure this lad: he did not actually refuse, but fignified it would be tedious, the cure doubtful, and probably more expensive than he was worth. In this fituation I should not have hesitated to have given him away to any one that would have accepted of him. Among my flaves there were a few who had been living for fome time at one of the British factories in Africa, and understood a little of the English language. Obferving that I was at a lofs what to do with this difeafed flave, they undertook to cure him, to which I rea dily confented, but with little faith in their fuccefs.

The Cure was as follows.

THEY took him to a running ftream of water, laid him in it, two confined his feet, two his arms, and one held up his head to prevent drowning; two then operated in scrubbing off the knots and ulcers in the running water. The operation must have been dreadful, for they fcrubbed him with corn-husks, and even fand; the blood and matter and scabs were constantly washed down the stream: when every ulcer was thus smoothed away and cleansed by the running water, they led him up nak ed to their houfe, and wiped him; then they made an ointment of the juice of limes made boiling hot, and mixed to a proper confiftence, with powdered iron scales taken from a blacksmith's anvil: with this ointment they anointed every fore with a feather; the fame operation was continued for four weeks; every fix or feven days, they gave him frequently a decoction of fome roots, which, I believe, operated as a purga tive; in about eight weeks they completed a cure; in three or four months he became fleek, fat, and a very likely fellow; all the fores skinned over, and no scar remained. I fold him afterwards, and never heard that the complaint returned. Doctor Ellis was not lefs aftonished at the cure than I was; he could not account for it. He fuppofed the iron and lime juice formed a fpecies of falts, with which he was unacquainted

He promised to give the subject full confideration, and to inform me of the refult; but he died foon afterwards, and I found nothing among his papers, but a state of the cafe fimi

lar to the above.

DAVID ROSS.

Proof of the Efficacy of Vaccination; together with a Cafe of co-existing Small Pox and Cow Pock.

I

SIR,

PHILADELPHIA, December 4th, 1804.

HAVE to regret, that my occupations prevented me from communicating to you fooner, a remarkable cafe that I had lately under my care. It militates fo much in favour of the vaccine inoculation, that, I hope, it will find the publicity it deferves, through the medium of your Museum.

On the 8th of October laft, I was called to vifit Mrs. B of this city. An intenfe fever, and all the other symptoms, joined to the information that she gave me of having been exposed to the infection of the small pox, which she never had, left no doubt in my mind, of the nature of her disease. I bled her, and the found herself much relieved. She then participated to me her apprehenfion for her four children, who never had the small pox, and defired a speedy inoculation; leaving entirely to my own judgment, the mode that I should think preferable. I determined, without hesitation,* for the vaccine; and, wishing to procure fresh matter, I poftponed the operation until the next morning; but, Mr. B― being absent from

I fay without hesitation, because I had once before vaccinated a babe, whose father was then fick with a confluent small pox: they both slept in the fame bed; and it fucceeded fo well as to guard the child against the infection of the fmall pox.