be poffeffed of fome fingular mechanical contrivance, to enable him to expedite matters at this violent rate:-fuch a one belike as Dr. Burney mentions in his late German tour, that writes off voluntaries as fast as a man can conceive and play them. The criticisms of the Annotator are rather of a more ferious and argumentative caft. The principal fubjects on which he attacks Mr. Bromfield are, the method propofed by him, above animadverted upon by us, of treating concuffions of the brain ;-his affuming, in more than one inftance, the difcoveries of others to himfelf; and the improprieties, fingularities, and negligences of his style. After treating the Obferver with confiderable severity on these and a few other points, he acknowledges the utility of fome of the remarks contained in his performance; various parts of which, he confeffes, may be read not only with fafety but improvement. Art. 20. Medical and Chirurgical Obfervations, as an Appendix to a former Publication. By Benjamin Gooch, Surgeon. 8vo. 5 s. 6d. bound. Robinson. 1773. The Public are already well acquainted with the merit of the Author's two former publications, the first of which, intitled, Cafes and practical Remarks in Surgery,' was republifhed a fecond time in the year 1767, and accompanied with A pradical Treatife on Wounds, and other Chirurgical Subjects. To these two volumes the prefent will be found a very ufeful fupplement. The extraordinary cafes, or other interefting obfervations, that have occurred to the Author in the course of a long and extenfive practice, are related with his ufuál plainnefs and perfpicuity; and his reflections on them are evidently thofe of an attentive, fenfible, and well informed obferver; who feem's greatly to have at heart the improvement of his profeffion, and has himself very largely contributed towards it. Art. 21. The Friendly Phyfician. A new Treatife, &c. &c. By F. Spilbury, Chymift. 8vo. 1 s. Wilkie. 1773 The friendly Physician,' who has here benevolently prefented us with a New Treatije,' has abfolutely been at the pains to fcrape together a tolerable large bundle of recipes from difpenfatories, and of choice receipts from private practice;' and-good creature that he is, has now and then thrown in a word or two into the bargain concerning the virtues of all the compounds, whether orthodox or heterodox, that he has recommended. All this he has done with the friendly view of inftructing those who may be difpofed to buy his medicine chefts (for this Phyfician, after all, turns out to be a Chemift) to felect the medicines with which they would have the aforefaid receptacles furnished. Different fchemes are likewife drawn, and prefented to their view, from a fix bottle cafe, at fixteen fhillings price, up to a twenty battle cafe, at two guineas. We entertain no doubt however but that, if they are difpofed to practice on a ftill larger fcale, The friendly Physician, and his Carpenter, will train every nerve to accommodate them. See Monthly Review, vol. xviii. page 316, and vol. xxxix. page 158. Art. 22. An Account of the late Dr. Goldfmith's Illness, fo far as relates to the Exhibition of Dr. James's Powders: Together with. Remarks on the Ufe and Abufe of powerful Medicines in the Beginning of acute Difeafes. By William Hawes, Apothecary. 4to. Is. Brown. 1774 As many others befide our Medical Readers will find themselves deeply interested in the lofs of Dr. Goldsmith, we are willing to take the moft early notice of this publication. In the dedication of this pamphlet to Sir Joshua Reynolds and Mr. Burke, the Author, who attended the Doctor in his last and fatal illness, informs them that he has been induced to publish this account of the circumstances, preceding that unhappy event, in confequence of the many private and public applications which have been made to him for that purpose ;-and the rather, as he has reason to believe fome perfons have formed very unjust and uncandid notions refpecting his conduct in this affair. Our Readers must be content with the following chort fummary, which however contains the material facts that have more particularly given occafion to the prefent publication. On Friday the 25th of March, at eleven o'clock at night, the Author was called to Dr. Goldsmith, who, as we learn elsewhere, had been taken ill that day, and who complained to him of a violent pain in his forehead, which had not been preceded by any cold shiverings. He had no pain in any other part, his tongue was moift, and his pulfe beat about go ftrokes in a minute. The Doctor had already -we fuppofe this fame day-taken a vomit of ipecacuanha wine, and declared to Mr. Hawes his intention of now taking Dr. James's Fever-powder. From this defign Mr. H. vehemently but ineffectually endeavoured to diffuade him. Soon after Mr. H.'s departure, Dr. Fordyce vifited the patient, and prefcribed for him; and early the next morning called upon the Author, and informed him that he had reprefented to Dr. G. the preceding night, the impropriety there would be in his taking Dr. James's Powders; but that inftead of paying any attention to his remonftrances on this fubject, he had unhappily perfifted in his own refolution, and taken two or three dofes of the Powder, though it had operated both as a purgative and an emetic.' On the Saturday morning, Mr. Hawes did not fee Dr. Goldsmith, as he was told that he was dozing. In the evening he found him very bad, with a quick and fmall pulfe, and fo far exhaufted, that he feemed to have neither ftrength nor fpirits to fpeak,' except to declare, with a deep figh, and in a very low voice, that he wished he had taken his friendly advice laft (Friday) night By the Loctor's fervant Mr. H. was informed that his mafter had been vomiting all day, and purging frequently; but that nevertheless he would make him give him James's Fever-powders fo that, fays the Au. thor he fill continued the ufe of the medicine, and of confequence it encreased in its pernicious operation, by which means the evacuations were continued for at least eighteen hours.' On Sunday morning, as we are left to guefs, from the Author's indefinite mode of expreffing himfelf, he found the Doctor much worse, and that he had paffed a very bad night; having vomited feveral 1 . feveral times, and had many loofe ftools' and lying abfolutely funk with weaknefs At the preffing folicitations of Mr. Hawes, exerted at the request of Dr. Fordyce, who thought it right to propofe calling in another phyfician, as the patient would not follow his advice, and who hoped that by fo doing, he would be convinced of the danger of his fituation,-Dr. Turton was immediately joined in confultation.-After this period, nothing more is here related concerning this cafe than that the two phyficians regularly attended the patient twice a day till his death. This happened, as we are obliged to calculate from the public papers, about eight days afterwards. On the whole, the Author, in very decifive terms, attributes the lofs which fociety has fuftained, by the death of fo ingenious and worthy a member of it, to the mischievous effects of the Feverpowders, injudicioufly adminiftered.-Whether he is right or wrong in this conclufion, can fcarce be collected by a reader of his concife,' but not clear,' circumftantial or fatisfactory account. The few however, who make ufe of their reafon in medical matters, will certainly join with him in condemning the prefent reigning propenfity to quackery,' and the hafty recourfe had to active and powerful remedies, through credulity, whim, or impatience, without any difcriminating knowledge of the various circumftances refpecting both the remedy and the difeafe, which may render the exhibition of them beneficial or noxious. We fhall only add that, fince the publication of this pamphlet, the proprietor of the Fever-powders has, in fupport of the credit of that medicine, inferted in the public papers various declarations of the nurfe and others who attended Dr. Goldfmith; importing, among other matters of lefs confequence, that the fever-powders which the Doctor took in the interval between the Friday and Saturday night, and to which Mr. Hawes principally afcribes the mischievous confequences that followed, were fent from the Author's own shop;-a circumftance concerning which Mr. H. is totally filent; and that there is ftrong reafon to prefume that they were not the Genuine Pow ders. On the other hand, however, Mr. Hawes has, through the fame channel, in anfwer to this laft fuggeftion, prefented the Public with two other declarations, refpectively figned by his journeyman and maid fervant; the firft of whom affirms that the powders which he carried to Dr. Goldsmith were the genuine fever powders, bought at the hop of Francis Newbery, junior; and the fecond declares that fhe held the candle, on the Friday night, while he broke the large broad feal off fomewhat wrapped up in marble paper, which, on her inquiring, he told her contained James's Powder -But it is perhaps rather extrajudicial in us to take notice of thefe declarations: the evi-, dence is not properly before us. Art. 23. The Young Surgeon's Dictionary; ar, Pupil's Inftructor, · &c, 12mo. 2s. 6d. fewed. Brown. No Date. We fhould guess this to be another production of the Friendly Pbyfician or at leaft of fome learned friend of his-or polibly of his printer only; as the fame engraved view of the infide of a grand chemical laboratory is prefixed to this performance, that adorns Mr • Vid. Article 21. Dd 3 Spilf Spilsbury's publication. We can really find no other method of eftimating its worth than that of literally weighing it. The paper indeed on which this very fmall and coftly production is printed, though fufficiently coarfe and brown, might honeftly, between man and man, be worth about two-pence halfpenny, when it came out, pure and undefiled, from the hands of the manufacturer. But the compiler and printer have had the addrefs, on its paffing through their hands, to reduce it to wafte paper; in which state it will fcarce fetch a farthing. It weighs, cover and all, under four ounces. We now find ourselves fairly arrived at the very bathos of medical authorship and reviewing; and fhall take our leave, for this month, of this new mode of criticism; not however through the want of proper fubjects for the fcales and weights. At this very inftant our Thelves groan under the increafing load. POETICAL. Art. 24. The Tears of Genius. Occafioned by the Death of Dr. Goldfmith. By Courtney Melmoth." 4to. I s. 6 d. Becket, 1774. In lamenting the death of Dr. Goldfmith, Mr. C. M. has been led to contemplate likewife the fate of others,' for, he adds, within a few years our literary losses have been fatally multiplied, and many of the most valuable members have been fuddenly lopped off from fcience and fociety,' "The Tears of Genius, therefore, are fhed not for Dr. G. only, but for Gray, Young, Sterne, Shenflone, Lyttelton, and Hawkefworth. In celebrating thefe departed fons of Genius, their difconfolate mother imitates the peculiar manner and ftyle of each; and we do not think her unhappy in fome of the inftances. Take, Reader, fome of the lines on Shentone as a fpecimen : And now, my lov'd SHENSTONE, for thee, Thou faireft resemblance of me, Dear elegant Bard of the plain, For thee will I pour the fad lay, That fhall echo the thickets among; That robb'd the poor fwains of thy fong. Full gentle, and sweet was the note And NATURE was polifh'd by ART. There are five more ftanzas facred to the memory of this pleafing writer; but the three we have given may fuffice for a fpecimen. The Author has precluded all criticifm by affuring his readers, that this mifcellaneous poem was begun and finished within a few hours after the news reached him that Dr. Goldfmith was dead.' This may ferve to excufe any little defects in the performance; but if it be thought that another apology might be wanted for fending the piece in fo much hurry to the prefs, the Poet replies, that it was done to prevent the occafion which produced the elegy from lofing the Brength of the impreffion by delay. For, alas, adds he, the traces of forrow, forrow, for the lofs of the learned, are foon worn out by the tumults of life.' This is very true; but the obfervation will not apply more peculiarly to the learned than to other men: perhaps lefs; for the memories of the learned and ingenious are preferved in their works, while others leave nothing behind them to make mankind regret their departure. Art. 25. Sophronia and Hilario; an Elegy. By Charles Crawe ford, Efq; Author of the Differtation on the Phaedon of Plato. 419. 1 s. 6 d. Becket. 1774. If Mr. Crawford intended this poem as an effay toward difcountenancing the foolish and butcherly cuftom of duelling, he is to be commended for his defign. Of his poetry our Readers will judge from the following specimen : To the appointed place both punctual went, The ground was meafur'd, and the fight began; His fword HILARIO brandish'd in the air, "Come on (he faid) come on, thou damned thing!" The blood ran gufhing from the gaping part:- His friend, the murd'rer with his fword approach'd, His arm the weapon to that bofom fent, "Thanks to my noble friend! (he fmiling faid) Dd 4 Thus |