• Stretch'd o'er the prefs his leaden sway,
Expelling ev'ry glimple of day:
And had obtain'd a royal licence,

To wage eternal war with good fense !*

We would humbly advise our author, in his next edition, (as doubtless fo excellent a performance muft fee many editions) to alter the laft line, and let it read thus:

To wage eternal war with bigh fenfe."

Which will both mend the thime, and elevate the thought prodigiously.

MEDICAL.

XXIX. A ferious addrefs to the public, concerning the abufes in the practice of phyfic. 8vo. I s.

Owen.

This is chiefly an invective against the apothecaries, for intruding on the province of the phyficians. The author has, towards the close of his performance, fome judicious obfervations on the high fees of physicians, which often terrify the poorer fort from fending for them; chufing rather to have recourse to ignorant apothecaries and empirics, whose I demands have a lefs exorbitant appearance. He propofes to remedy this evil, by limiting the doctor's fees within more moderate bounds; and thinks, that this regulation would not leffen the lucrative value of the phyfician's practice, but rather increase, it; as twelve perfons would then apply to him, for every one that now care to do so, till, perhaps, urged by the laft extremity, and the too fatal experience of an improper treatment from pretenders and quacks.

XXX. Oratio Harveiana, principibus medicis parentans; medicinam, academias utrafque laudans; empiricos, corum cultores perftringens; collegium ufque a natalibus illuftrans in theatro collegii regalis medicorum Londinenfium habita fefto Divi lucae, 1751. A Gulielmo Browne, equite aurato, M. D. Cantab. & Oxon: Hujufce collegii focio, electore, cenfore. S. R. S. et a conciliis. 4to. Longman, &c. 2 s.

XXXI. A vindication of man mid-wifery: being the anfwer of dr. Pocus, dr. Malus, and dr. Barebones, and others, their brethren, who, like legion, are many, to the petition of the unborn babes, &c. In a letter to the pre

fident

fident and cenfors, &c. of the college. 8vo. 6d. Car

penter.

An ironical piece, on the fide of the petition. See Review for December laft, p. 516.

XXXII. An account of the ancient baths, and their use in phyfic. By Thomas Glass, M. D. of Exeter. 8vo. 6 d. Whitridge.

This fmall performance of the learned and ingenicus dr. Glafs, is chiefly intended to fhew the falutary effects of bathing, as ufed under the management of the ancient phyficians.

SINGLE SERMONS publifhed fince our Lift in September

BE

laft.

1. Efore the fociety for the relief of the widows and orphans of clergymen. By John Clubb, rector of Whatfield. 6d. Craighton of Ipfwich.

2. GOD the mariner's only hope. Preached by Theodore De la Faye, A. M. on board his majesty's fhips in Sheernefs harbour, in June and July 1750.

3. Mr. Monoux's, at Bishop-Stortford. At the yearly meeting of the gentlemen educated at that fchool. Beecroft.

4. The unworthy communicant's plea anfwered, &c. By Sam. Eccles, M. A. 6d. Cooper.

5. The wifdom and goodness of God in the creation of man. By dr. Stephen Hales. At the anniversary meeting the college of phyficians. Manby.

6. Mr. Smith's, at Norwich cathedral; entitled, the abfurdity of an unworking faith, &c. 6d. Whiften.

7. Mr. Gibbons's, at Haberdafher's-hall; before the charitable fociety for promoting religious knowledge among the. poor. 6 d. Ward.

8. Mr. Binnel's, at St. Chad's, Salp; on the chriftian ftrife, or emulation in good works ;-before the trustees of the Salop infirmary.

9. Solomon's preference of wisdom confider'd, &c. By Edward Pickard-At Carter-lane meeting-house, Jan. 1. 1752.-Before a fociety of gentlemen, who fupport a charity carried on by fubfcription, for putting poor boys apprentice, &c. 6d. Noon.

10. The mourner's confolation.-At the English church, Roterdam, Oober 24. 1751.-On the death of the late

revd. mr. Bartholomew Loftus, fenior, paftor of that church. By Benjamin Lowden. 6d. Waugh.

The two next following, were preached on occafion of the death of the late revd. and learned dr. Philip Doddridge. 11. Mr. Job Orton's, at Northampton. 6 d. Waugh; and Eddowes at Shrewsbury.

12. Mr. Froft's, at Great-Yarmouth, entitled, the ftars in Chrift's right-hand. Waugh.

13. Mr. Archibald Maclaine's, at the Hague; death of the prince of Orange. Nourfe.

on the

14. Dr. Cradock's, before the Commons, Jan. 30. 1752. 6 d. Bathurst.

15. Mr. Ben. Sandford's, at Ormskirk, Nov. 5. 1751. Waugh.

16. An ordination fermon. By J. Lavington, jun. lately chofen tutor, in the room of the late dr. Doddridge.

17. Mr. Flexman's charity-fermon, for the benefit of the fchool in Gravel-lane. 6d. Waugh.

18. Mr. Cornelius Murdin's, Jan. 30. 1752.-before the lord mayor, &c. at St. Paul's. 6 d. Robinson.

19. The bishop of Bristol's, at St. Mary le bow, May 8. 1751.-before the fociety for promoting English proteftant working-fchools in Ireland. To which is added, A brief review of the rife and progrefs of the incorporated society in Dublin. Oliver.

20. Before the king, Sunday, March 22, 1752. drawn up for the ufe of the prince of Wales and prince Edward. By the bishop of Norwich, PRECEPTOR. 6d. Knapton.

21. Dr. Randolph's, at Oxford, entitled, party-zeal cenfured. 6 d. Rivington.

22. The bishop of Worcester's, at St. Andrew's, Helborn, March 5. 1752.-before the prefident and governors of the hofpital for the fmall-pox. 6 d. Woodfall.

23. Dr. Dodwell's, before the univerfity of Oxford, Jan. 26. 1752. entitled, the importance of the chriftian faith, illuftrated in the explanation of St. Paul's with of being accurfed for his brethren. 6 d. Birt, &c.

24. Before the free-mafons, at St. John's, Gloucester, December 1751. By a Brother. 6 d. Owen.

25. At Culliton, March 8. 1752. On the death of mrs. Mary Slater, wife of the reverend mr. Samuel Slater. By Thomas Amory. 6d. Waugh.

26. Dr. Green's, in Ely Chapel, March 22d, 1752, at the confecration of the bishop of Chefler. Bathurst.

ART. XXXVII. A treatise on the teeth, &c. By A. Tolver, furgeon. 8vo. Is. L. Davis.

T

HIS little tract, a fecond edition of which has been advertised, is not without fome merit, nor exempt from inaccuracies. The author, having mentioned the gelatinous matter, its offification, the number and the diverfity, of the teeth, obferves they receive nerves and veffels at the orifices of their roots; which orifices, he fays, commonly clofe about the age of thirty-five; and this he fuppofes the reason why old people are not fo fubject to the tooth-ach as young: yet he tells us afterwards, that women past their menfes, which do not very generally terminate till about ten years later, are fubject to the tooth-ach from a plenitude; but if thefe orifices were closed in both fexes about the age of thirty-five, it is probable fuch plenitude would be determined elsewhere by the economy of nature. Befides, if they were fo ftrictly clofed at that term, as to admit neither the arterial, lymphatic or nervous fluid, an atrophy, or fenfible comminution of those parts, fubject to fuch frequent action and attrition, muft enfue a little after that time of life, much more generally than we know it does.

In treating of the obvious ufe of the teeth, the author introduces the theory of digeftion, which is very nearly Boerhaave's, and rational. He fays, he could not conveniently purfue his fubject without mentioning digeftion, Lince the teeth are the firft and neceffary organs of it.' But, VOL. VI. Y

#Coched up from a french pamphlet.

as he supposes it demonftrated, that the force of the ftomach, diaphragm, and muscles co-operating to digeftion are equal to the preffure of 250,734 pounds weight, we fhall take this occafion to digrefs a little on the great uncertainty of these mathematico-medical calculations, by obferving, that Borelli calculated the projectile force of the heart to be fuperior to the preffure of 135,000 pounds weight; while dr. Keil, by one computation, fuppofes it but equal to the weight of five ounces, and by another calculation, from the laws of projec tiles, to near eight ounces: and from him again dr. Jurin differs fomewhat, tho' by no means fo widely. This is not the cafe of calculations applied to eclipfes, to other aftronòmical phenomena, or to any proper fubjects of them; as we find, where the data are fufficient, the difference of competent calculators to be generally very minute, and the event as generally proves, that none of them were confiderably remote from the truth. But where the various degrees of the quantity, the cohesion, the temperament, and ftimulation of the blood; of the energy of the nervous aura, or whatever else it confifts of; and of the elasticity and ftrength of the various fibres in a living body, will not previously admit of a clear and precife afcertainment, what certainty can be inferred from any calculations, with regard to the animal operations effected by them? This objection feems to a mount to a clear moral demonftration of the abfurdity and perverfeness of mifapplying the noble and ufeful fcience of numbers to fubjects, fo, very crudely commenfurable and computable by men; and which has done, comparatively, fuch little fervice in the practice of phyfic, that we may perhaps too justly apply the medical axiom of corruptie op timi peffima to it. As Begliui very rationally obferves, the knowledge of mathematics may be ornamental and entertaining to a phyfician; and perhaps we may juftly add, that, where his faculties are ftrong, and his other qualifications fufficient, it may occafionally affift him, and methodize his reafoning: but the very little application that Boerhaave, who had profeffedly taught mathematics, made of them to medical fubjects, is a pregnant proof of his fentiments of that abuse of them; an abuse, which produced, in one author, a ridiculous table for afcertaining the different dofes of purging medicines; and that modeft affertion, of another, who fays, And now shew me a difeafe, and I'll fhew you a remedy: by which we must fuppofe he meant an infallible one; fince many others could fhew fuch as had frequently facceeded. And befides, that a fmall error in the naked

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affumptions