degree of firmness and tightness. After having satisfied myself as to the cause, I divided the stricture, and consequently, the cardiac orifice longitudinally, with one of Mr. Pott's bistouries; which I had nearly broken from the force it required, and the depth of substance to cut through. I now cautiously dissected the villous coat off, and distinctly ascertained a true sphincter muscle, situated transversely with respect to the direction of the oesophagus next the stomach : on exposing this mass of muscular fibres still more, I observed it would not be less than two inches in. circumference, and that it appeared to be intersected in various places by irregu lar portions of ligament, exactly as we perceive in the "straight muscles" of the human abdomen. I could plainly feel, through all the coats and attachments of the stomach, that the cardiac orifice was considerably thicker and harder than any other part in its vicinity. The action of this muscle on my finger can easily be accounted for, when we consider the well known vital property that subsists for some time after death, and which appears to be peculiar to mus cles; it is also known to be a power totally independent of the will of the animal, as is evinced in almost every surgical operation. I remarked, during the dissection of the horse's stomach that had been shot in consequence of tetanus, that the sphincter muscle was not only impervious to my little finger, but to water, which it visibly closed on, shortly before being taken from the abdomen; which is a convincing proof that even after the wretched animal had been deprived of life, this identical muscle, which participated so remarkably in de priving the stomach of its natural stimulus, retained for a period of thirty minutes the morbid function it had acquired on the accession of the disease. This stomach was nearly empty, the miserable creature not having been able either to eat or drink for above forty-eight hours prior to his death. 1 should have mentioned, that I never observed the rigidity of muscular fibre, any thing approaching to the extent it did in this horse, in a human being labouring under tetanus. The ideas I was impressed with when I first observed this rare and curious structure, after a little consideration, yielded to others of a more rational description, for although I had many times observed a similar effect to that of cmnetics produced in other quadrupeds, for instance, in dogs when sea-sick, yet it did not immediately occur to me, that that Providence who pays attention to the comforts of what we esteem the vilest of beings, even in this instance, evinces the (No. 140) X peculiar peculiar regard she has for human nature, by depriving one of the noblest animals of that convulsive effort, (so natural in most other classes) to expel the molesting cause of sickness, in order that his labours may be still more subservient to the purposes of man. We can easily imagine what would be the case during a long and dreary journey, when, I have no doubt, those poor creatures, that we so often see abused, suffer many a pang from temporary illness, but which nature takes care they surmount, though in the midst of their toil, by stimulating the other emunctories of the body to a degree of action, equal to the removal of the offending cause. P. S. Agreeably to the intention I expressed in the case of William Smith, serjeant in our regiment, in the publication of May last, I beg leave to mention, that a very extensive exfoliation has taken place from the parietal bones since, and I understand he continues in tolerable health, and suffers no pain. I had an opportunity, about a month since, of seeing one piece of the detached bone, which appeared to be two inches in circumference. Ringmer, near Lewes, Sept. 5, 1810. To the Editors of the Medical and Physical Journal. GENTLEMEN, IN compliance with the wish of your correspondent, Mr. Flume, I have made the following additional experiments with the powder found in the stomach of the young woman who died by poison. These experiments with those made before, are, in my opinion, decisive proofs that the powder in question does not contain either arsenic or corrosive subli-, mate: they moreover tend to establish the opinion that though a person may die from the effects of poison; yet in consequence of vomiting, purging,, and taking diluents, it is not always possible to detect it in the stomach after death.. It was with the view of confirming this opinion, that I was prevailed upon to trouble you with the report; two grains of the powder, with eight ounces of rain water, were boiled in a Florence flask, which was shook frequently, both before and after the addition of one grain of subcarbo nate of potash. The powder however still appeared undissolved at the bottom of the vessel. Lunar Caustic was applied, as directed by Mr. Hume, to to the surface of a part of this fluid. A white cloud was instantly perceived: a second touch produced a white precipitate, which turned grey on standing till the following morning. A similar experiment made with arsenic produced a yellow precipitate. To another portion of the fluid the sulphat of copper in substance was applied; this produced a light blue semitransparent liquor which deposited slowly a blue cloud. A similar experiment made with arsenic produced a semitransparent liquor of a pea green. On the addition of lime water to another portion of the fluid it became rather milky. The remaining part of the fluid was filtered: the powder was collected and dried on paper. It weighed exactly two grains, not having lost any of its weight by boiling; and is, without doubt, sand with which the poisonous substance was mixed. I afterwards made the two experiments recommended by your correspondent in the hundred and thirty-eighth number of your Journal: to which, in order to avoid being prolix, I refer your readers for the detail. In the first experiment, which was made exactly as directed by Mr. Hume, no nitrous fumes were evolved; a slight white smoke only being perceived. In the second, on the application of the caustic no perceptible change was produced. THOMAS JONES. I am, &c. Howden, Sept. 11, 1810, Cases of the first Stage of Cancer and of Fluor Albus communicated by J. E. HARRISON, of Thornbury. MRS. RS. Gough, aged between 30 and 40, of a weakly spare habit, the wife of a poor shoemaker, applied to me in the month of July, 1808, being extremely distressed in mind, apprehensive that nothing but the amputation of her breast, which had been four years diseased, could give her a chance of life. I found her much emaciated, with little or no ap petite, and hectic; pulse thready, 125, with a large schirrous tumor, of the whole breast, of adamantine hardness, full as large as a child's head nine or ten months old; on the basis there was a livid triangular appearance, somewhat X 2 like like three claws of a crab, just rising above the surface: I shall call this cancer, or, as the Greeks call it, napivos. The axillary glands were greatly enlarged and indurated; in such a case, almost hopeless, I thought of Celsus, "An ceps remediam potius quam, nullam," with my own motto, "Nd desperandum :" advising her to trust, I directed an immediate application of as many leeches as she could pro.cure (seven), and a large poultice of folior. cicut. all over the breast, to be renewed twice every twenty-four hours, The next day, July 9th, I directed some cicut. pills with calomel, a grain each, one every night, with a milk diet; and cautioned her to abstain from salted, smoaked, or dried meats. The leeches were generally repeated every week for the first five weeks, with the poultices twice a day, when, in defiance of all my attention, the crab ate himself out, and a large hole was made that discharged a very foetid ichor. This tumor was the first three years perfectly indolent, of the same colour as the skin, and did not create any pain until the fourth year, nor did it increase very much until then, when it increased rapidly. September, The pills, cicut. poultices, with three grains of opium occasionally, to relieve the lancinating pain, were continued; and acid. mur. applied lighly to the ulcer, now and then, which did not spread much. The latter end of October, several small abscesses burst, that communicated with the first; and as she was extremely weak, with a thready pulse, 120, I di rected her to take a corroborating mixture of bark, steel, and extract. cicuta, cochlear. ij ter. quotidie, correcting her bowels, which frequently threatened a diarrhoea, with repeated small doses of rhubarb. Noyember, The pills, poultices, and bark were continued. December, The pills had touched her mouth and gums; and as I did not wish to bring on a ptyalism, they were discontinued a fortnight. January, 1809, The abscesses began to put on a more favour able appearance. The tumor had subsided more than one half; her pains were mitigated, and the axillary glands al most reduced to the natural size. The same remedies continued. February, The calomel pills were again obliged to be omitted for a fortnight, on account of the soreness of her mouth. Poultices and mixture, with now and then an opium pill, were continued. March, The abscesses begun, slowly, to cicatrize: she was sometimes attacked with violent lancinating pain, occasioned, I believe, by taking cold, which was constantly relieved with opiùm pills, pro re nata. April, May, June, and July, the same remedies occasionally continued continued. August, September, and October, her appetite mended, she had gathered some strength, and the hectic was cured. Calomel pills frequently omitted, and when taken, only one in three days. Opium pills intirely omitted. Poultices constantly applied. November, only one hole left in her breast, and she herself began to think that there was a possibility of saving her breast and life. Latter end of December, 1809, she was radically cured, and in tolerable good health. Wednesday, August 29, 1810, she has recovered her health and strength, and declares herself to be as well as ever she remembers. JAN. 1, 1806, I was sent for to a very respectable lady, aged 27, mother of one weakly child, eight years old, who had been afflicted many years with fluor albus: it is about eight or ten years since this lady's mother died of a cancer of the uterus; Mrs. had been to London before she applied to me, to one of the most eminent physicians, and was six months under his care without relief: she was much debilitated, had a small thready pulse, 125, hectic heats, little or no appetite, violent pain in the back, loins, and uterine region, with a profuse discharge, which sometimes put on a glairy appearance, at all times fetid, frequent dysury, and neyer voided urine without pain. Prescribed an emetic twice a week of Pulv. Ipecac. gr. xv. A decoction of marshmallows, with 3j gum Arabic, dissolved in one pint, for common drink. To live on white, broiled, and roasted meats, and shell fish: to drink at meals a glass or two of old Port wine, with a little brandy and water occasionally to syringe the vagina with strong green tea, three times a day : to take a decoction of bark with steel, two spoonsful three times a day, to strengthen her, on the days the emetic was not taken. Jan. 15, the remedies continued with gentle exercise. Feb. 20, little alteration for the better. To the emetic half a grain of vitriol. cærul. was added. On the latter end of March the emetics were omitted. The chalybeate mixture, &e. continued. April 7, there was some amendment after the blue vitriol was added to the emetics. May the 9th, the following injection was used ter die. R. Calomel. et extr. cicuta sing. 3j. mucilag. gum. Arabic. 3ss, aq. hordei ziv. M. Chalybeate mixture continued, with 3j extract. cicuta to viii. Sumend. coch. jss ter quotidie: much better, pulse 86; appetite mended; discharge nearly the |