103

ing 300 grains, and a ball of lead weighing 140 grains; and neither of them was

broken.

These bottles are thicker at the bottom than the neck. The glass-maker blows them, and lets them cool, without putting them again into the oven. And from the experiments Dr. B. noticed, that what is capable of breaking them, ought to have some roughness: and he was told that a grain of river-sand will: break them.

Concerning two Ancient Camps in Hampshire. By Mr. Tho. Wright..

N° 475, p. 273.

Common report, and his own natural curiosity, led Mr. W. to a place in Hampshire called Buckland castle, or, more vulgarly, the Rings, where he found 2 neighbouring camps, about 3 furlongs asunder: the one very strong, with double ditches, and triple vallums, on the top of a hill, 3 ways guarded by a natural ascent; the other on a lower ground, close by a river, which defends it on one side, with a ditch and vallum half round, and a kind of morass on the other. The first contains about 10 acres; the latter about 7; and the land. lying between them is, and has been time out of mind, called Ambrose farm:. besides an arm of the river, or rather of the sea, it being salt water, running close up to the latter, is called Ambrose dock. From all which it appears' not. improbable, that this may have been a principal station belonging to Aurelius Ambrosius.

Camden, though he takes no notice of these camps, yet mentions one of much less consequence, at about 12 miles distance, called Castle Malwood, says, « It is most certain, that about the year 508, Aurelius Ambrosius had here many conflicts with the Saxons, with various success." But,. again, the people of the country have a tradition, that 3 miles to the west of this camp, a famous battle was fought between the Saxons and the Danes; in which so much blood was spilt, that a little river is said to have run blood,, now called from thence Danes. Stream.

Okservations on a Case published in the last Volume of the Medical Essays, Edin. 1744, &c. of Recovering a Man dead in Appearance, by distending the Lungs. with Air. By John Fothergill, M.D. N° 475, p. 275..

There are some facts which, in themselves, are of so great importance to. mankind, or which may lead to suck useful discoveries, that it would seem to be the duty of every one, under whose notice they fall; to render them as ex tensively public as possible..

The case which gave rise to the following remarks, seems to be of this nature:: it is an account of "a man dead in appearance, recovered by distending the lungs

with air; by Mr. William Tossack, surgeon in Alloa ;" printed in part 2, p. 605, vol. v. of the Medical Essays, published by a society of gentlemen at Edinburgh; an abstract of which will be sufficient in this place.

A person suffocated by the nauseous steam arising from coals set on fire in the pit, fell down as dead; he lay in the pit between half an hour and three quarters, and was then dragged up; his eyes staring and open, his mouth gaping wide, his skin cold; not the least pulse in either heart or arteries, and not the least breathing to be observed.

In these circumstances, the surgeon, who relates the affair, applied his mouth close to the patient's, and, by blowing strongly, holding the nostrils at the same time, raised his chest fully by his breath. The surgeon immediately felt 6 or 7 very quick beats of the heart; the thorax continued to play, and the pulse was soon after felt in the arteries. He then opened a vein in his arm; which, after giving a small jet, sent out the blood in drops only for a quarter of an hour, and. then he bled freely. In the mean time he caused him to be pulled, pushed, and rubbed, as much as he could. In one hour the patient began to come to himself, within 4 hours he walked home; and in as many days returned to his work. Hence it naturally appears how much ought to be attributed to the sagacity of the surgeon in the recovery of this person. Anatomists have long known, that an artificial inflation of the lungs of a dead or dying animal, will put the heart in motion, and continue it so for some time; yet this is the first instance he remembered to have met with, wherein the experiment was applied to the happy purpose of rescuing life from such imminent danger.

Bleeding has hitherto been almost the only resource on these occasions: if this did not succeed, the patient was given up. By bleeding, it was proposed to give vent to the stagnating blood in the vein, in order to make way for that in the arteries a tergo, that the resistance of the heart being thus diminished, this muscle might again be put in motion.

But in too many instances, we are every day informed, that this operation will not succeed, though the aperture is made with ever so much skill; nor is it likely that it should, when the blood has lost considerably of its fluidity, the motion of the heart, and the contractile force of the solids, are at an end. And chafing, rubbing, pulling, and the application of stimulants, are too often as ineffectual as bleeding.

The method of distending the lungs of persons, dead in appearance, having been tried with such success in one instance, gives just reason, to expect, that it may be useful to others. Hence it may be a proper inquiry, in what cases, and under what circumstances, there may be a prospect of applying it with success?

It will at once be granted, that when the juices are corrupted, where they are rendered unfit for circulation by diseases, where they are exhausted, or where

the tone and texture of the solids is injured or destroyed, it would be extreme folly to think of any expedient to recover life. But where the solids are whole, and their tone unimpaired by diseases, the juices not vitiated by any other cause than a short stagnation; where there is the least remains of animal heat; it would seem wrong not to attempt so easy an experiment.

This description takes in a few diseases, but a great number of accidents. Among the first are many of those which are called sudden deaths from some invisible cause; apoplexies, fits of various kinds, as hysterics, syncopes, and many other disorders, where, without any obvious pre-indisposition, persons in a moment sink down and expire. In many of these cases it might be of use to apply this method; but without neglecting any of those other helps, which are usually employed on these melancholy occasions.

It is not easy to enumerate all the various casualties, in which this method might be tried with a prospect of success; some of them are the following: suffocations from the sulphureous damps of mines, coal-pits, &c. the condensed air of long-unopened wells, or other subterraneous caverns; the noxious vapours arising from fermenting liquors received from a narrow vent; the steam of burning charcoal; sulphureous mineral acids; arsenical effluvia, &c.

Perhaps those who to appearance are struck dead by lightning, or any violent agitation of the passions, as joy, fear, surprize, &c. might frequently be recovered by this simple process of strongly blowing into the lungs, and by that means once more communicating motion to the vital organs. Malefactors executed at the gallows would afford opportunities of discovering how far this method might be successful in relieving such as may have unhappily become their own executioners, by hanging themselves. It might at least be tried if, after the criminals have hung the usual time, inflating the lungs, in the manner proposed, would not, sometimes, bring them to life. The only ill consequence that could accrue from a discovery of this kind, would be easily obviated by prolonging the present allotted time of suspension.

But this method would seem to promise very much in assisting those who have been suffocated in the water, under the above-mentioned circumstances; at least it appears necessary to recommend a trial of it, after the body has been discharged of the water admitted into it, by placing it in a proper position, the head downwards, prone,* and, if it can be, across a barrel, hogshead, or some suchlike convex support, with the utmost expedition.

It does not seem absurd to compare the animal machine to a clock; let the wheels of which be in ever so good order, the mechanism complete in every part, and wound up to the full pitch, yet without some impulse communicated to the pendulum, the whole continues motionless.

This was a very injudicious direction, founded on a mistaken supposition that the death of drowned persons was owing to the quantity of water admitted into the stomach and lungs.

Thus, in the accidents described, the solids are supposed to be whole and elastic, the juices in sufficient quantities, their qualities no othewise vitiated than by a short stagnation, from the quiescence of that moving something which enables matter in animated bodies to overcome the resistance of the medium it acts in.

Inflating the lungs, and, by this means, communicating motion to the heart, like giving the first vibration to a pendulum, may possibly, in many cases, enable this something to resume the government of the fabric, and actuate its organs afresh, till another unavoidable necessity puts a stop to it entirely.

It has been suggested by some acquaintances, that a pair of bellows might possibly be applied with more advantage in these cases, than the blast of a man's mouth; but if any person can be got to try the charitable experiment by blowing, it would seem preferable to the other; 1st. as the bellows may not be at hand, 2dly, as the lungs of one man may bear, without injury, as great a force as those of another man can exert; which by the bellows cannot always be determined; 3dly, the warmth and moisture of the breath would be more likely to promote the circulation, than the chilling air forced cut of a pair of bellows.* Concerning a Moving Moss in the Neighbourhood of Church-town in Lancashire. By the Rev. L. Richmond. No 475, p. 282.

Jan. 26, 1744-5, a part of Pilling moss was observed to rise to a surprising height after a short time it sunk as much below the level, and moved slowly towards the south side: in half an hour's time it covered 20 acres of land. The improved land adjoining that part of the moss, which moves is a concave circle containing near 100 acres, is well nigh filled up with moss and water. In some parts it is thought to be 5 yards deep. A family is driven out of their dwelling house, which is quite surrounded, and the fabric tumbling down. Mr. Buttler, Whitehead, and Stephen White, are the first sufferers by this uncommon accident. An intense frost retards the regress of the moss to-day; but it is feared it will yet spoil a great deal of land. The part of the moss which is sunk like the bed of a river, runs north and south; is above a mile in length, and near half a mile in breadth; so that it seems there is a continual current to the south. A man was going over the moss when it began to move: as he was going eastward, he perceived, to his great astonishment, that the ground under his feet moved southward. He turned back speedily, and had the good fortune to escape being swallowed up.

Would it not seem to be a circumstance in favour of the use of the bellows, and against that of blowing the breath from the mouth, that this latter air, having been already breathed, is thus rendered noxious, and little suited to restore a person almost dead? Besides, warm air may be blown from bellows as well as cold. Dr. F. seems to have attended only to the mechanical part of the respiratory process, without being aware of the chemical changes produced on the blood by atmospheric air, whether drawn or forced into the lungs.

brief Inquiry into the Reading of two Dates in Arabian Figures, cut upon Stones found in Ireland; communicated Nov. 10, 1743, and December 6, 1744. By John Ward, F. R. S. N° 475, p. 283,

Two dates in Arabian figures, transmitted from Ireland, were some time since laid before the R. S. But as the reading, which had been given them, seemed doubtful to the gentlemen then present, they desired Mr. Ward's further thoughts concerning them. Both those dates are said to be cut on stones, and in relief.

He considered them as carefully as he was able, and after the strictest examination could see no sufficient reason to think either of them so old, as had been represented.

For several considerations then he is induced to think, that the sculptures were made in the 16th century, and probably not before the reign of Queen Elizabeth, considering the size of the ruffs, and some other circumstances, which seem not to suit with more early times.

On firing Phosphorus by Electricity. By the Rev. Henry Miles, D.D., F. R. S. No 475, p. 290.

Mr. M. took a small bit of phosphorus, which had lain by him 10 years; and having nothing at hand convenient for holding it, he rolled it up in a small piece of white paper; and applying it to the excited tube, it immediately took fire, emitting a considerable quantity of flame and smoke: after some time he quenched it, by dipping it into water; and taking it out again without staying any longer than to be satisfied it was not on fire, he applied it as before, when it suddenly took fire, as at first. This he repeated in the same manner for 6 or 7 times with the like effect; though the phosphorus could not be drained of the water, especially as the paper about it was wet.

The phosphorus was held generally about 5 inches from the tube; but once or twice bringing it nearer, he could perceive a continued ray of light from the tube to the phosphorus. He was minded to try whether the air alone would have that effect on the phosphorus, and accordingly took it out of the water, with a forceps, and laid it down on a shelf, so as nothing touched it but the instrument which held it; but he could not perceive the least glimmering of light, though the place was sufficiently dark, after it had lain there for the space of half an hour, which he thought long enough to satisfy him, that it was not kindled by the action of the air in the abovementioned experiment.

An Observation of a Fracture of the Os Humeri by the Power of the Muscles only. By the late Claudius Amyand, Esq. N° 475, p. 293.