Again: "Let fage Philofophy thy foul inform, you think, We are forry we have not room for the whole of this facetious performance. ART. 15. Atys, or Human Weakness. A Poetical Effay. M 8vo. 60 pp. 28. Vernor and Hood. By J 1799. In an Advertisement, prefixed to this Poem, the author informs us, that he intends to continue the prefent attempt, fhould it be found to deferve public attention. We are forry it is not in our power, confiftently with our regard to truth, to encourage him in this defign: for, if we are to judge from the fpecimen before us, he is likely to produce a moft tedious and uninterefting performance. After a procemium of more than two hundred lines, containing a number of defultory, and fcarcely intelligible, moral obfervations (not wholly untinctured with Jacobinifm) the story of Atys, the favourite of the goddefs Cybele, begins. In the courfe of about thirteen hundred verfes more, it has made but little progrefs. What then may we not expect before it comes to a conclufion? We prefume, several thoufand lines more, equally drawling and infipid with thofe before us; which fcarcely ever rife above mediocrity, and frequently fall below it. Authors are apt to complain of the feverity of reviewers: but one poet of this defcription, whom the poor reviewer is compelled to read, avenges the caufe of all his brethren. The following paffage, in which the author is celebrating the praises of Pity, will afford a fair fpecimen of his style, though rather an odd picture of his mind. "Friend to the low!-diftreft!-first dearest source When my firm gratitude to thee shall cease, Taught me to think what fuffering I might give Alas! to thee, Have Have I enjoy'd the downfall of the proud, Forget the dulnefs of the moral train." P. 9. We cannot say the numbers that follow are "lefs tiresome"; nor fhall we foon, we fear "forget the dulness of the moral strain." TALES. ART. 16. Tales and Romances, of ancient and modern Times; in Five 1800. Mr. Mofer has often contributed both to the amufement and edification of the public; and, in the prefent example, does not appear to have loft any portion either of his zeal or his ability. The Tales are generally well told, and entertaining; nor can any objection poffibly be made, on the part of the critic, except perhaps, that one or two of the ftories are fomewhat too much protracted, and that the errors of the prefs are more numerous than could be wifhed. This is amply atoned for, by the exemplary morality of the whole, by the energy of the fentiments, and by the eafe and freedom of the ftyle and language. MEDICINE. ART. 17. A conscious View of Circumftances and Proceedings, refpecting Vaccine Inoculation. 8vo. 76 pp. 2s. Hurft. 1800. The author of this View or Examination of the consequences of vaccine Inoculation, is an avowed enemy, not only to inoculation with COW cow-pox, but with fmall-pox matter alfo. He thinks it has given force and vigour to the difeafe, which would probably before this have entirely difappeared; or would have been rendered fo mild, as to have been little dreaded. Why he calls his View confcious it is not easy to guefs. That the fmall-pox has been more diffused, since inoculation was introduced, than it was before that period, cannot be doubted. It formerly made its appearance only once in feven or more years, and in parts not much vifited, not fo often, perhaps, as once in twenty years; whereas now it is always exifting, in almoft every part of the country. But the ravages of the fmall-pox, when it happened to be epidemic, were, before that period, frequently dreadful; now its victims are comparatively few. This has not arifen from any alteration in the disease, from its being foftened by time, and difarmed of its terrors, it being ftill the fame malignant difeafe it was, when it firft made its appearance; but from the number of children annually inoculated, whence there is lefs fuel for it to confume, confequently fewer deaths. That it might by this time have become milder, if inoculation had not been inftituted, as this author fuggefts, we have no proofs, and can have no caufe to believe. Reafoning from analogy, we have no ground for fuch expectation. The yellow fever, which infefts the continent of America once in twelve or fifteen years, that is, about as often as the fmall-pox used to vifit this country, rages now with as destructive violence as at any former period; and time, we know, has not abated the malignity of the plague. That this country, and indeed the whole world, has not reaped all the advantages from inoculation, that were promifed by the original inftitution of the practice, and which it is calculated to produce, has arifen from the prejudices of the people, or from the tenderness and fears of parents, left they should be inftrumental to the death of their offspring; for the inoculated disease, though generally, is not always mild and fafe; fome do die under the procefs, though at the most not more than one in two hundred. But another, and more powerful caufe, preventing the general use of inoculation, has been the apprehenfion of fome other difeafe being ingrafted with the fmall-pox. We are forry to fee the author of this little piece inculcating and encouraging this prejudice. He attributes to it, not only an increafe in the number of victims to fcrofula and confumption, but charges it with occafioning afthma, apoplexy, pally, leprofy, mania. That the conftitution is rendered more fufceptible of fome one or other of the difeafes here enumerated, after it has been weakened by any fevere complaint, particularly by fever, than it was before, is we believe a fact; but this fufceptibility will generally be found to be proportioned to the tedioufnefs and malignity of the preceding fever. As the fever and illness attendant on the inoculated fmall-pox, is not ordinarily a tenth part fo fevere as that produced by the natural finali-pox, as it is called, confequently the fufceptibility to thofe difeafes, in patients who have taken the fmall-pox by inoculation, will be lefs in the fame proportion, than in those who have received it by effluvia. This opinion is not only confonant to reafon, but is confirmed by obfervation. It is well known with what difficulty perfons who have paffed through a tedious malignant fever. 3 recover, recover, from what are called the relics of the complaint, and how frequently they become fcrofulous or hectic, afthmatic or dropfical. Thefe complaints are alfo frequent confequences of the confluent smallpox, but are never produced by a fimple intermittent fever, or by the more mild and distinct small-pox. As this author is fo determined an enemy to the inoculated fmall-pox, apparently from its being fo much milder than the difeafe when accidently produced, the reader will not be furprised at finding him, on this occafion, exclaiming, "Great God! that fuch abominable practices fhould be tolerated," and declaring," that his rooted indignation to the cow-pox has been almoft primæval with the first hour he faw or thought he faw its baneful tendency;" or at his hoping, "that neither his most gracious majefty, whom God long preferve," notwithstanding Dr. Jenner's Dedication, nor "his Royal Highness the Duke of York, will lend their further countenance to this cow-poxing bufinefs, until they fhall have fatisfactory proofs not only of its prefent perfect innocency, but of its future efficacy, in completely anfwering the purposes for which it is intended." P. 12. But if the author could have restrained his indignation, he would have acknowledged, that the only way to obtain complete and fatisfactory anfwers to his inquiry, both as to the prefent fafety and future efficacy of the cow-pox, in guaranteeing the constitution from the fmall-pox, would be by continuing the practice; and that from the multitudes now daily inoculated, thofe queftions, or any others he would wish to afk, must in a moderate space of time be anfwered." And it feems no great boon to afk," to use the words of the author, p. 14, that he, and all others, will fufpend their cenfures, until, from the numerous experiments made, and now making, the real merit or demerit of the practice shall be discovered. ART. 18. Remarks on fome of the Opinions of the late Mr. John Is. 6d. It has long puzzled phyfiologifts, to explain why the venereal difeafe should sometimes lie dormant in the conftitution for weeks or months, and, at length, when roufed by fome accidental cause, should burit forth and produce all its deleterious effects. The late Mr. John Hunter conceived that the venereal poifon was immediately, on its being. received, diffufed over the body; that it contaminated all the parts that were fufceptible of its action, by imparting to them a difpofition to take on them the venereal action; and that the poison was soon after expelled, or washed from the body, with fome or other of the excreted fluids; so that it was the difpofition to take on them the venereal action, that lay dormant in certain parts, and not the venereal virus. This, however, goes very little way towards folving the difficulty; as it is equally inexplicable, that a difpofition to a difeafed action fhould lie dormant in the conftitution, as that the disease itself should be concealed. Mercury, according to this doctrine, does not cure the venereal dif eafe, by any power it poffeffes of correcting or deftroying the venereal virus, for that has been expelled from the body before any venereal fymptoms 1 fymptoms appear; but by altering and deftroying the venereal action, a fufceptibility or difpofition to which had been induced by the virus, before its expulfion. A confequence of this do trine is, that as mercury acts by altering venereal action, and not by deftroying the poifon, it follows, that if a perfon, whofe body is contaminated with the ven real poifon, but on whom none of the fymptoms have ap. peared, or, in other words, in whom the contaminated parts have not taken on them difeafed action, fhould go through a regular falivation, no advantage would be gained by that process; the parts indeed would be prevented from taking on them the venereal action, while the conftitution was under the influence of the mercury; but on the mercury being expelled, venereal action would take place, and the patient be under the neceffity of undergoing another complete course of the specific, in order to obtain a cure. To this part of Mr. Hunter's doctrine, the pret n author objects. He thinks the frequent recurrence of the difeafe, after the patient has gone through a course of mercury, which probably gave birth to this opinion in Mr. J. Hunter, does not arife from the inefficacy of the mercury in deftroying a latent difpofition to venereal action, but to its being left off too early; to its not being adminifter d for a fufficient length of time, or in fufficient quantity, to extinguish the difeaf, exifting, however obfcurely, in any part of the machine. Several cafes are given illuftrative of this opinion, with fome ingenious reafoning upon them, with which the work concludes. ART. 19. Medical Jurifprudence. On Madness. By John Johnston, M. D. 8vo. 48 pp. 25. Johnson. 1800. The intention of this little tract feems to be, to affift phyficians and juries in forming an opinion of the ftate of mind of perfons who have committed acts contrary to the laws of the country, who are faid to be infane. The inquiry has an immediate reference to the trial of Hadfield, who was very properly, the author fays, acquitted, his infanity having been proved; although there were evident marks of contrivance and defign in the act for which he was arraigned. But infane perfons frequently plan means of escaping from their keepers, and purfue them with equal ingenuity and perfeverance, until they have attained their purpose. The author thinks Lord Ferrers, and Mr. Oliver, who were executed, the one for fhooting his fervant, the other for murdering Mr. Wood, who had rejected his fuit for his daughter, ought to have been acquitted; fufficient evidence appearing on their trials, he fays, that they had fhown, at times, fymptoms of derangement of mind, and that the grandfather and aunt of Mr. Wood, had been infane. But fomething more than mere fufpicion of infanity feems neceffary to excufe the commiffion of crimes, otherwife there are few perfons, perhaps, who might not avail themselves of that plea. The conduct of the accufed at the time of committing the act, and afterwards, fhould be coupled with what preceded, in order to determine whether the plea of infanity fhould be admitted. Madness, the author fays, p. 31, has no lucid intervals. This however requires explanation. Strictly fpeaking, nearly all infane perfons have lucid intervals, that is, they have times of fhorter or longer duration, in which they |