HERT. To fpeak in defence of ficknefs, pain, and infirmity, feems to me as ftrange an attempt as a panegyric on folly.

CLE. It is propofed only to ftrip it of what does not effentially belong to it, and to fet it in the faireft light it will bear; when we may probably fee reafon, not only to fupprefs our murmurs, but to grow reconciled to our fuferings; when we find that as pain often treads on the heels of pleafure; pleasure is no unfrequent attendant upon pain.

The parching heat of a raging fever excites fuch eager defires after cooling and plentiful drink, that, gratified to its with, it is productive of fuch pleafurable fenfations, as experience alone, not defcription, can comprehend. Even fancy fometimes lends her tranfitory aid by refrething the flumbers of the fick with the idea of cooling chrystal streams. Let a lefs degree of thirst, the effect of heat and labour, but feize the weary travelier, and what boaited nectar can exceed the fweets of the most plain and obvious drinks?

To fpread the languid limbs on eafy beds, or give the tired eye to fweet flumber, are abatements in the calculation, and must be fubtracted from the fum-total of fickly fufferings; they become a kind of comparative enjoyment.--There are feveral delightful fenfations, which we either experience not, or very faintly in a state of uninterrupted eafe. A ceilation of pain is produtive of fuch exquifite happinefs, that we can find no properer method of expreffing it, than by comparing it to celeftial blifs. For as an exemption from pain is one of the ingredients of happinefs above, fo the romoval of it conftitutes a heaven below.

HOR г. You allow then that difeafe and fufering are the lot of man, but that, fome how or other, he will get the better of them at laft, and fo be happy. The little Douceurs you throw in, of foft beds, comfortable drinks, and the like, are unknown to all the lower clafs of men, and confequently to the far greater part of the creation. There are numerous beings who feel the pains of ficknefs, and the fing of poverty together; where to their bodily trials are added, the more excruciating fufferings of the mind; from a helpless tamily weeping around, and calling for that daily bread, which they are too young to expect at prefent from any but their father which is on earth. Where can fuch an object derive arguments of comfort to fupport him under fuch accumulated trials? Are not bodily fufferings in fuch circumftances, indeed an intolerable load?

CLE. From the feeling manner in which you paint thefe fufferings, I am certain you have been used to relieve them; and if fo, allow Providence has not entirely deferted the poor man's caufe.

• HORT. I have, Cleanthes,-and the firft ferious check I ever gave to my follies, was owing to the rapturous pleasure I experienced on fuch an occafion. I found myfelf repaid with intereft, the happinefs I bestowed on others.-But what proportion does fuch relief bear to the conftant diftreffes of the poor?

CLE. You feem to forget, Hortenfius, that whatever virtues may have deferted your native country, Charity, fill continues to adorn it. There are numberlefs benevolent fpirits who go about doing good, who by their counfel and example in different parts of this happy inland, have raifed and fupported charitable foundations, for

the

the reception of the really poor, labouring under difcafes of whatever kind. This heavenly principle of compaflion, almoft keeps pace with the claims upon it, from the number of the wretched; and may this fpirit never fail.

SOPH. It never can, Cleanthes, in a nation, that has fo often been merciful, even to its captive foes.

CLE. But to return from this digreffion. The benevolent Creator, has not been wanting in providing armour for all ranks of his creatures, against the aflaults of fo dreadful an enemy as pain.It is acknowledged that our bodies are capable of feeling fuch excruciating tortures, fuch incxpreflible agonies, as have made heathens defert the ftation appointed them by Providence, and rafhly put an end to their lives. The refignation of the chriftian does not fo far alter the nature of the man, as to divet him of his bodily feelings. And pain may continue till it gets the better of life, or (which is much worfe) till it gets the better of reafon. But in this dreadful flate of. things, we are provided with a remedy, a plant of which we may taste and live: whofe juice has the power of obtunding the fharpeit fufferings, and of giving (almost in a moment) infenfibility and

eale.

ARIS. Did not Sylvius declare, that he could not have been prefent at fome scenes he was ealled to, and must have laid down the practice of phyfic, if fuch a drug as opium had not been difcovered?

CLE. He did; and with a degree of zeal that does honour to his humanity. It is not only hard to endure, it is most affecting and fhocking even to look on fome of the conflicts, which human nature undergoes: yet for which immediate eafe could not poibly be procured, but from medicines of this particular class.

PHIL. I entirely agree with you in the fact. But I think you might add fomething farther in defence of your caufe. There is a power within us, however derived, to which we commonly give the name of Refolution.- -But it has this effect, in general, that by exerting it, we fuffer lefs than we fhould do without it. That it is not imaginary, or entirely dependent on conflitution, is evident from the perfons who are often feen to employ itAnd indeed we frequently do not know we poffefs it, till a difagceable occafion makes the happy difcovery.

CLE. I am very well convinced there are latent powers, both of mind and body, that called forth in great extremeties are capable of blunting the keen edge of affliction and pain; and that no one in the calm feafon of health and ease, can form any proper notion of what his behaviour would be, under heavy trials. Be this affittance derived from fupernatural aid, or inferior caufes, it fights ftill on the fide of

human nature

SOPH. I have obferved, that in proportion to the averfion with which medicines are fwallowed, they become lefs ferviceable, or more troublefome in their effects; and have read of perfons who have worked themfelves to fuch a degree of antipathy, that the very fight and fmell of phyfic, has brought on all the confequences that the compofition taken down would probably have done.

CLE. This too has been obferved by Boyle and others. Eut to conclude the topic of fick mens cop 'et me add, the return of

taste and appetite after conftant loathings; of air and exercise, after tadious confinement; of the fight and enjoyment of friends, after a ftate of ftupidity, or frenzy: these are so many inlets of new perceptions of pleasure, to be fet against the exceptionable parts of the fcenes we have gone through; but of pleasure, which owes its origin and force, to antecedent misfortunes. In a word, we enjoy bleffings better, after having known the want of them and we are apt to lofe the relish of them as fuch, when they become the conftant companions of our lives. And in this fenfe probably it is, Hortenfius, that health, for want of change, was boldly filed disease.'

The medical ufes of the paffions are thus pointed out:

CL. The paffions, Hortenfius, were indifputably given us for our prefent as well as future advantage. They require fome kind of management, as what does not, that is capable of doing harm as well as good? a certain degree of wind carries the mariner briskly, yet fafely on in the fame manner a proper proportion of warmth in our temper animates to zeal and perfeverance in things commendable; while a ftorm endangers or overfets the veffel. 'Tis not the brifknefs with which we fail on the fea of life, but our touching at improper ports, that ruins us.

:

ARISTUS. This is no new doctrine with refpect to the mental part of us but I am at a lofs to know how you make a brifk exertion of the paffions fubfervient to the body's advantage? I thought health had confifted in keeping them very tame. You would not bring fire and faggot to put out a fever?

CL. No--but to kindle one I might. You are to know that phyficians in fome cafes ftand in great need of fuch a commotion of blood, as is understood by that term, and yet cannot always obtain it. I am almoft inclined to give you a pleafant hiftory of this fort, on which I fhould be glad of Hortenfius's remarks.

HORT. But if I don't underfland the fubject?

CL. We fhall fee that prefently.-A reporter of strange events informs us that the emperor Palæologus the fecond of the name, was fick, and kept his bed a twelvemonth together, of a disease that his phyficians could fcarce find a name for, and much less medicines to cure; but when all defpaired of his recovery, an old woman told the emprefs, that if the made it her business to vex and anger the emperor to purpofe, and would purfue that method continually, it would reftore him to his former health. That fex (fays the fcandalous hiftorian,) being generally provided with fuch a remedy, the empress applied it immediately, and to that degree, as to fuffer nothing to be done which he commanded; but fo croffed and vexed him in every thing, that the torment the continually gave him, at length forced him into a fweat, by which means the natural heat being stirred up, and augmented by ill-ufage, it perfely diffipated and discharged the offending humours that occafioned his ficknefs, and the emperor was perfectly recovered, furvived this diftemper twenty years, and continued in health till he was fixty. What think you of this, Hortenfius? HORT. That 'tis a history of the Author's own invention, calculated only for the trite purpose of calumniating the fair fex, who deferve not fuch ungenerous treatment.

• CL.

CL. I fee you do underftand the fubject, because you fire at a proper time and in a proper manner in the fex's defence.

HORT. I am afraid a little of the latest though, to revenge myself on the author of your tale.

CL. Whatever becomes of the tale, the affertion is extremely true, that unaccountable cures have been performed, by the effects of fright, fear and fury, whether accidentally or defignedly excited.The gout has not only been inftantly removed by the paffions of fear and furprize, but eradicated for life; and paralytic lameness and contractions, have been fucceeded by freedom of motion, in confequence of violent and outrageous paffion; at leaft if we may give credit to hiftories that are very well attefted.

HORT. Why this is charming-pain, poverty, labour, ficknessall trifles! Paffion, the furer brevis of former moralifts, falutary and commendable!

CL. A comfortable inftance at least among many, that Providence is ever watching to bring good out of evil, for the more extenfive happinefs of the creation.

But view it in a medical light, and there is nothing in it contradictory to our beft founded notions of the human structure. Think only of the fluids drove back as it were from the circumference to the centre of the body, by a fudden fright, and as inftantly drove out again, by the neceflity of as fudden and impetuous a refolution. What a shock muft the body thus fuftain between fuch contradictory motions and what can be effected fimilar to this by the power of any known medicine? efpecially if we confider, that fome things which might promife to bring about great revolations in our fyftem, throw the ftomach generally into fuch diforder, as to prevent the experiment from being brought to a conclufion: or elfe they are fo weakened by the compass they are forced to take, as to arrive at the place of their deftination with too little force to conquer, or even to attack the enemy.'

For a farther idea of this Writer, we refer to our account of his Inquiry into the Structure of the Human Body: fee Review, vol. xxxi. p. 334.

An Account and Method of Cure of the Branchacele, ar Derby Neck. To which are fubjoixed, Remarks on Mr. Alexander's Experimental Elays. By Thomas Proffer. 8vo. 1 s. 6d. Owen. 1769.

MR

R. Proffer, after giving a fomewhat confufed account of what Celfus, Albucafis, Freind, Heifter, and others, have written on the Bronchocele, delivers the following history of the disease:

• The Bronchocele, or Derby-neck, is a tumor arifing on the fore-part of the neck. It generally first appears fometime betwixt the age of eight and twelve years, and continues gradually to encreafe for three, four, or five years; and often the laft half-year of this time, it grows more than it had for a year or two before. It generally occupies the whole front of the neck, as the whole thyroid gland is here generally enlarged, but

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it

it does not rife to near fo high as the ears, as in the cases Wisęman fpeaks of, but is rather in a pendulous form, not unlike, as Albucalis fays, the flap or dew cap of a turkey cock's neck, the bottom being generally the bigger part of the tumor, and going gradually lefs upwards. It is foft, or rather flabby to the touch, and moveable; but when it has continued fome years after the time of its growing, it gets more firm and confined. By the fituation and nature of the complaint, it occafions a difficult breathing, and very much fo upon the patient's taking cold, or attempting to run or walk fait. In fome, the tumor is fo large, and so much affects their breathing, as to occafion a loud wheezing. It very rarely happens to boys, indeed I have never been able to make out one inftance of it, in a man or boy.

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It is very common in many counties in England, Derbyfhire efpecially, where from its frequency it has the name of Derby-neck, and fome other countries are almoft free from it. I have been informed by a gentleman of the faculty, from Duffield in Derbyshire, that there were near fifty poor girls afflicted with it in that fmall village.'

Without inquiring into the nature or caufe of this disease, our Author next proceeds to the method of cure:

Having given, I think, fuch a defcription of the natural or curable Bronchocele, as will enable any one to know it from other complaints fomething like it, I proceed to the cure, which when the difeafe exacly answers the defcription I have given of it, and its continuance has not been too long, I think I may fay will very rarely fail.

I have known feveral completely cured at very near the age of twenty-five years, which was more than twelve years after the firft appearance of the tumor of the neck; but yet at that age, I believe the cure is uncertain, and beyond it, though but a very few years, more doubtful.

I have tried the remedy on feveral, at the age of seven or eight and twenty, but never with fuccefs, though it may, I beJeve, happen fo, if the tumor appears not very firm and confined, but rather flaccid and yielding.

Many no doubt lead miferable lives, under the almoft intolerable torments of fome tedious perplexing diforders, fuch as the nervous kind, for want of purfuing long enough, let the remedies applied be ever fo proper and likely, for them to receive confiderable benefit. It is fuppofed no one can object against the medicines prepared here for their cure, on account of time, or other obfervations neceflary in their use, when they are informed a month or fix weeks at fartheft, is the longest time, and no confinement, or hardly any other reftraint from the ufual way of living, is required.