tafte, and by its effect in preferving fish, flesh, and butter. This is an object of great public importance; and the fimplicity, facility, and cheapnefs of the method, recommends it to common practice. The experiments were made on large quantities of falt, not less than 56 pounds, and the refults placed in a table, fhewing the quantity of purified falt obtained, of earthy falt washed off, and the lofs by the process.

Dr. James Anderfon communicated obfervations on a peculiarity in the English language, ufually called the genitive cafe; he thinks that English nouns do not admit declenfion by cafes, and that when a noun undergoes a change, by the addition of an 's with an apoftrophe, it ceases to be itself a noun, but becomes a definitive, the office of which is to limit and render more precife the general meaning of another noun, with which it is neceffarily connected.'

The fame gentleman alfo communicated a paper on the economical uses to which caft iron may be applied: in feveral mechanic arts, maffes of great weight, fize, and ftrength, are required for bruifing or grinding different fubftances; for thefe purposes it is often difficult to procure ftones of fufficient fize and ftrength; and iron, though ftrong enough, and capable of being easily caft of any fize and fhape, is inconvenient from its weight, and for many purposes too expenfive: he therefore proposes, That, inftead of pure iron, the moulds in which fuch maffes are to be cast, should be nearly filled with stones, or, what would be ftill better, with bricks, as thefe could be eafily formed to the exact shape required; a proper fpace being left for an axle when needed, and an interftice between the outermoft bricks and the mould; and then melted iron fhould be poured in to fill up every chink. This iron cooling and confolidating, will unite or cement the ftones or bricks firmly together, and cover them with an uniform fuface of metal.' This is certainly a cheap method of procuring maffes of any fize, fhape, weight, and ftrength, for millftones, rollers, &c. In the fame way many architectural ornaments might be made, also maffes for the purpofes of bridge building, where very large ftones are often required for the conftruction of arches.

Dr. Andrew Duncan relates a cafe of an obftinate hiccup, in a patient 73 years old; who was cured by the vitriolic acid diluted with mint water.

Mr. Robifon, the fecretary to the fociety, gave an account of the opinions of Mr. Wilson (affifiant profeffor of aftronomy at Glasgow), relative to a method of difcovering by obfervation, whether the center of the folar fyftem was in motion.

Dr. Blane defcribes an uncommon hurricane at Barbadoes, October 10, 1780. This violent ftorm was indeed remarkable,

but

but as we cannot easily abridge the account of it, we refer our readers to the detail at length.

Mr. Smith informed the fociety, that he had received a letter from the Count de Windischgratz, dated Bruffels, May 8, 1785, on the fubject of a problem propofed by that nobleman to the learned of all nations; its object is the diminution of the number of law-fuits, by fome required method, which at the same time fhall impose no new restraints on natural liberty. The problem is as follows:

"Pro omni poffibili inftrumentorum specie, quibus quis fe obftringere, fuum se dominium in alterum, quibufcunque ex motivis, et quibufcunque fub conditionibus transferre poteft, formulas tales invenire, quæ omnibus cafibus individuis conveniant, atque in quovis cafu fingulis duntaxat terminis, iifque pervulgatis expleri opus habeant, qui termini, aque ac ipf formularum expreffiones ejufmodi fint, ut quemadmodum in mathefi, nullum dubium, nullum litigium, locum habeat."

A prize of 1000 ducats is offered for a complete answer to this problem. Should no complete answer be offered, then 500 ducats are to be given to the author of such a scheme as shall approach nearest to a true folution. The merits of the answers are to be adjudged by three learned focieties, viz. the Royal Academy at Paris, the Royal Society at Edinburgh, and one of the Academies of Germany or Switzerland, to be named afterward. As a recompenfe for the trouble which may be occafioned by this decifion, the Count offers each of these learned bodies 50 louis d'or, to be affigned by them as a prize for the folution of any queftion which they may propofe. The Royal Society of Edinburgh have accepted the office, but have declined the offer of the 50 louis d'or.

Mr. William Smellie read an Effay on Inftinct. As this effay makes a part of a larger work which the author is preparing for publication, he did not wifh it to be printed in this volume of tranfactions.

The Biographical accounts are three.

I. William Lothian, D. D. fenior minifter of Canongate in Edinburgh.

II. Sir George Clerk Maxwell, Bart.

III. Matthew Stewart, D. D. Profeffor of Mathematics in the University of Edinburgh.

The laft of thefe gentlemen made a confiderable figure in the mathematical world. Being the pupil, and afterward the intimate friend, of Dr. Simfon, it is reasonable to fuppofe that he would direct his pursuits to the fame object which had been fo attractive to his tutor and companion; accordingly, we find Dr. Stewart deeply engaged in reftoring the ancient geometry, and in applying it to the folution of thofe problems which Newton and his followers had thought could only be effected by algebraical

algebraical calculations. The profecution of this plan produced a volume of tracts, in 1761, which contained many curious investigations, especially concerning centripetal forces, and a method of determining the fun's diftance, from his effect in difturbing the moon's motions: a fupplement to this laft tract was afterward published by itself, and about the fame time his work, intitled Propofitiones Geometrica more Veterum demonftrata, made its appearance.

Dr. Stewart fucceeded Mr. Maclaurin in 1746, as Profeffor of Mathematics at Edinburgh, which office he discharged till 1772, when his health obliged him to retire from the duties of his profefforfhip, which he committed to the care of his fon, Mr. Dugald Stewart, who was elected joint profeffor with his father in 1775.

After mathematical ftudies had ceased to be the Doctor's bufinefs, they continued to be his amusement: the analogy between the circle and the hyperbola had been long the object of bis contemplation, and his biographer, Mr. Playfair, the prefent profeffor, informs us, that he has left fome valuable obfervations on this curious and important fubject, especially an approximation of the circular and hyperbolic areas. He died January 23d, 1785, at the age of fixty-eight.

As the habits of Itudy, in a man of original genius, are objects of curiofity, we shall transcribe the following character of this great geometrician :

His writings have made it unneceffary to remark, that from his youth he had been accustomed to the most intenfe and continued application; in confequence of this application, added to the natural vigour of his mind, he retained the memory of his discoveries in a manner that will hardly be believed; he rarely wrote down any of his investigations, till it became neceffary to do fo for the purpose of publication. When he discovered any propofition, he would put down the enunciation with great accuracy, and, on the fame piece of paper, would conftruct, very neatly, the figure to which it referred: to these he trufted for recalling to his mind, at any future period, the demonftration, or the analyfis, however complicated it might be. Experience had taught him that he might place this confidence in himself without any danger of difappointment, and for this fingular power he was probably more indebted to the activity of his invention, than the mere tenaciousness of his memory. Though he was extremely ftudious, he read few books, and verified the observation of M. D'Alembert, that, of all the men of letters, mathematicians read leaft of the writings of one another his own inveftigations occupied him fufficiently, and indeed

:

*For the contents of this volume, we refer our readers to the Monthly Review, vol. xxv. p. 458; and for the subsequent controverfy which they occafioned, vol. xxx. p. 53, and vol. xlv. p. 233.

the

the world would have reason to regret the mifapplication of his talents, had he employed, in the mere acquifition of knowledge, that time which he could dedicate to works of invention.'

Next in order, after the lives of deceafed members, follow the lift of donations, the lift of the members (among which we recognife fome of the moft refpectable names in Europe), and the lift of the prefent officers.

The Memoirs will be the fubject of a future article.

ART. IX. Principles of Surgery, for the Ufe of Chirurgical Students. Part I. By John Pearfon, Surgeon to the Lock Hofpital, and to the Public Difpenfary. 8vo. 5s. Boards. Johnfon. 1787.

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N the difcharge of our duty, in the chirurgical department, we have frequently lamented, that the fcientific part of furgery is not at prefent so much attended to by the student, as the practical, or merely operative. A fhort attendance on the hofpitals, and a frequent appearance at the lectures, form, in general, the chief of the furgical Tyro's ftudies: the knowlege of phyfiology, equally important to the furgeon as to the phyfician, is almoft wholly neglected, and the niceties of anatomy are accounted, as the fashion now is, of greater confequence than a perfect acquaintance with the diagnostics and prognostics of difcafes. Let not our Readers imagine, however, that we would difcourage the ftudy of anatomy. It is a ufeful branch of knowlege, and it is the bafis of furgery; but, when a young man employs the whole of his time in purfuing the minute ramifications of the extreme and invisible nerves and blood veffels, which are merely matters of curiofity, and can never be of the least use in the exercise of the furgical art; he lofes the opportunity of improving himself in the nature of difeafes; and if he become a good and neat operator, without having judgment to direĉ him in what difeafes, or in what period of a difeafe, the operation ought to be performed, he will be little better than an automaton, and will conftantly require the advice of the fcientific furgeon. This erroneous mode of purfuing the ftudy of an art, which is the most useful to mankind, proceeds too frequently from the profeffors, and not from the ftudents. If profeffors direct not the pupil in the right road, how can it be supposed that he should purfue his ftudies with advantage? The fact is, that profeffors, in general, dwell more on explaining their own difcoveries, or unfolding their own hypothefes, than inculcating the principles of the fcience; thus the pupil is habituated to think that a knowlege of what is new, and an acquaintance with a peculiar fyftem, are the effential qualifications of a practical furgeon; and if, in addition to thefe fuppofed requifites, he can ufe a knife handfomely, as the phrafe is, he begins his chirurgical career with confidence, his progrefs is marked with blood, and mutilated

I

mutilated patients record the wonders that his hands have wrought. The truly fcientific furgeon, on the other hand, knowing the structure of the human body, and having duly obferved the ways of nature, proceeds with cautious steps, and a judicious practice gains him deferved applause.

Mr. Pearfon, by the work before us, appears to be of nearly the fame opinion with ourselves; he shews, in an elaborate preface, the great neceffity of reforming the prefent mode of furgical education, and cftablishing the practice on scientific principles, and a proper knowledge of diseases.

He firft treats of inflammation in general, explaining its phenomena, and inveftigating its remote caufes. He is cautious with refpect to what he advances on proximate caufes, well knowing the difficulty of the subject, and the diverfity of opinions which have been advanced on it, by moft of the learned and ingenious medical men in all ages. To expofe the fallacies of preceding fyftematic writers is no part of his prefent bufinefs, and he endeavours to avoid the cenfure of temerity, by faying that he is unable to affign, in a fatisfactory manner, the proximate caufe of inflammation. He then proceeds to fhew the difference between general inflammation and erethifmus, and defcribes the progrefs of inflammation, with its termination in refolution and fuppuration. In the direction for the treatment of inflammation, Mr. Pearfon difplays much practical knowlege and great judgment.

In the fecond chapter, the author treats of the furunculus or boil; in the third, of abfcefs in the breaft; in the fourth, of paronychia and panaris; in the fifth, of empyema pfoadicum; in the fixth, of gangrene and fphacelus.

We wondered that Mr. Pearfon had not enumerated gangrene and fphacelus among the terminations of inflammation; gangrene certainly follows, and is a confequence of, inflammation; and though it may fometimes appear without any previous inAammatory fymptoms, yet order required that it fhould have been mentioned under inflammation.

The fubjects of the fubfequent chapters are, anthrax, pernio, burns, eryfipelas, fchirrhus and cancer, ozaena and canker.

Such are the contents of Mr. Pearfon's work, which, we are informed, was primarily defigned as a text-book for the ufe of the gentlemen that honour the author with their attendance on his furgical lectures.' Mr. P.'s arrangement is, we think, fometimes objectionable, and his ftyle is frequently dogmatical, but he prudently forewarns the reader of thefe defects, by faying, ⚫ that many parts of the work are little more than a sketch of what is delivered in the lectures, nor is the order in which the different morbid affections are treated, to be confidered as an attempt at a scientifical arrangement.'

REV. June, 1788.

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