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had fome time before done with the other; and this the imputed to the effect which the electric fpark then had on a part of the eye which had not before been touched by it. The very next day a great number of objects became visible to this eye; and from that time there was a progreffive daily amendment: within a fhort space of time the fight of both eyes was perfectly restored: as the fight returned, the fenfations of pain in the head gradually abated, till they entirely ceased.

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Mrs. S. in February 1784, when fhe was in her thirtieth year, was brought to-bed; and, being a woman of a healthy conftitution, chofe to fuckle the child herself. This fhe did for fome time without feeling any inconvenience from it; but having continued it for about fix weeks, her ftrength began to fail, and continued to decline daily, till fhe became incapable even of moving about the houfe, without experiencing a very painful languor. About the fame time her fight alfo was affected; firft only in a smaller degree, but afterwards fo confiderably that the full glare of the midday fun appeared to her no ftronger than the light of the moon. At this period of her disorder, no black fpecks were visible before either eye, nor did objects at any time appear covered with a mift or cloud; but the patient being further afflicted with a violent pain in the neck, which ran in a direction upward to the fide of the head, on that account the perfon who attended her thought proper to take four ounces of blood from the part first affected, by cupping. After this the fight of the patient was worfe

than before, and it was not long before the entirely loft the ufe of both eyes. She had been three days in this ftate of blindnefs, when the affiftance of my partner, Mr. Wathen, was firft called in. On examining the eyes, he found the pupils of both to be very much dilated, and to remain unaltered in the brighteft light. Mr. Wathen's firft advice was, that the child fhould be weaned without lofs of time; ordering, at the fame time, bark draughts to be taken by the mother three times in the day. He also prescribed an opening medicine, to be taken occafionally, on account of a coftive ftate of body, to which she had been almoft conftantly fubject ever fince the time of her delivery. With thefe was united the frequent application of the vapour of æther to the eyes and forehead. On the fourth day after this mode of treatment was adopted, I vifited the patient with Mr. Wathen. From the account the gave of herself, her ftrength and fpirits feemed to be in fome degree on the return; and the could then perceive faint glimmer. ings of light, though the pupils of both eyes were in the fame dilated and fixed ftate as before. The use of the bark and ather was ftill continued, and the following day a ftrong ftream of the electric fluið was poured on the eyes, whilft feveral fmall electric fparks were alfo variously pointed about the forehead and temples. The day after this, to increase the force of the electrical applications, as it was then thought advifeable, the patient was placed on a glafs footed flool, that, being thus infulated, the experiments which had before been tried might be repeated with ftill greater effect. This procefs, there

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s every reafon to think, had a coniderable influence towards making perfect cure. On the firft attempt t was almost immediately followed with fuch a degree of amendment, hat the patient, to whofe fight every object had before been conufed, could now clearly diftinguish how many windows there were in the room where fhe fat, tho' fhe was Atill unable to make out the frames of any of them. On the third day, foon after she had been thus electrified, the menftrual discharge came on, for the first time fince the had been brought to-bed, and it continued three days. During that time it was certainly proper to fufpend the use both of the bark and electricity, which was accordingly done. But no fooner did the caufe of the fufpenfion cease, than the ufe of both was resumed: and the effect was every way to our wishes; for her fight now mended daily. At the end of a week she could perceive all large objects; and in a short time her fight was fo much recovered that the could read even the fmallest print. Her ftrength, indeed, was not fo quick in its return; on which account fhe was advised to remove from town into the country, where the change of air, with the help of a mild nutritious diet, foon reltored her to perfect health in every respect.

CASE IV.

fhe was feized with a violent pain in the left eye, which the defcribed as fhooting upward to the top of her head, and which was foon followed with a confiderable dimness in her fight. The dimnefs continued increafing five days; at which period the entirely loit the use of this eye. In the space of three weeks afterwards, a violent pain, fimilar to that which the first complained of in the left eye, attached the other alfo; and was accompa nied with the like fymptom of fhooting upward to the top of the head. The fight of this eye, however, though confiderably impaired, did not go off fo rapidly as the other. The dimnefs was flower and more gradual in its progrefs, and, for two or three weeks after, fhe faw occafionally, or at least fancied fhe did, a number of bright sparks, which feemed to dart fuddenly across the eye. But in lefs than a month, what remained of the fight of this eye went off alfo, and the became totally blind of both. On the lofs of her fight the pain immediately ceafed. It is alfo to be obferved in the cafe of this patient, that her fpirits had often been much agitated by painful occurrences ;that for many years paft fhe had been fubject to frequent returns of rheumatic affections in different parts of the body;-and that, in her late illness, fhe had tried the power of many medicines, in conjunction with bleeding by leeches on the temples, and the application of blifters both to the head and fide.-Befides these trials of medical fkill, it was thought proper, during the latter part of her illness, that the fhould be removed into the country, to take the benefit of change of air. The refult of all was that

Mrs., near forty-five years of age, was attacked with a violent pleuritic disorder. It continued feveral weeks; till at length her ftrength was fo much reduced, that fhe became even unable to turn herfelf in bed without affiftance. But before this, and near a month after the commencement of the pleurify,

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she recovered her ftrength: but the blindness ftill continued. In the left eye fhe had been blind five weeks, and in the right a fortnight, when I was first confulted. On a careful examination of the pupils of both eyes at this time, I found that, though they retained their ufual transparency, they were much dilated, fo as not to be in the leaft affected by any degree of light. My first attempt was with the vapour of vitriolic æther, which I directed her to apply several times in the day to both eyes. With this was united the ufe of the Peruvian bark, two fcruples of which in a glafs of white wine were prefcribed to be taken three times in the day.

Befides which, once in that time, a trong ftream of the electric fluid was to have been applied to the eyes, and continued for about ten minutes or a quarter of an hour. But the perfon employed in the bufinefs of the electricity being unacquainted with the mode of apply ing the ftream, fubftituted instead of it, of his own accord, fmall electric fhocks; to which he gave 'different directions through the head. She had been electrified only three times, and in this way, when her husband was taken ill, and in a few days died. This melancholy event prevented her from attending afterwards to have the electric applications repeated. It is, however, to be noticed, that it had been found not a little ferviceable on every trial which had hitherto been made of it; and in particular the last time fhe was electrified, that the operation was no fooner over than the

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IN the proper management of

fheep, the first thing to be confidered is to procure the food best calculated for them. The nature of the food has a great influence upon the fize and health of the animal, and confequently upon the wool. Where the pafture is rich, either from the natural fertility of the foil, or by the art and industry of man, and where the turnip hufbandry or artificial graffes prevail, long and coarfe wool is almoft the in the words of an elegant poet, neceflary confequence. Whereas, who has celebrated the glory of the fleece,

On fpacious airy downs, and gentle hills, With grafs and thyme o'er spread, and clever wild,

Where fmiling Phabus tempers ev'ry breeze,

The fairest flocks rejoice! Wide airy downs

Are health's gay walks to fhepherd and to sheep t.

From the experiments of Mr. Ellman, it appears that rich food does not al ways injure the fleece, if the breed is properly attended to.

+ See Dyer's Fleece, book i. Virgil alfo, in his Georgics, lib. iii. 1. 384,

tells us,

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In regard to pafture calculated for theep, there are few hilly diftricts in Scotland, where it may not be found in great perfection and abundance, or may not be improved either by means of lime, or by a judicious fyftem of watering. In fummer and autumn no scarcity of food is to be apprehended. It must be acknowledged, at the fame time, that, during fpring and winter, a confiderable degree of forefight and exertion is requifite to provide a fufficient quantity of wholesome food for a numerous flock; but the late improvements in husbandry furnish an active and intelligent farmer with ample means for that purpose.

flope at one end of each floor, reaching to the next, by which the fheep afcend to the upper ftory. Having fuch houfes built in hilly countries would be of great fervice in the improvement of wool; and, when properly ufed, would prevent the rot, fo ruinous to the fhepherd †. The Romans, as has been already obferved, kept their fineft fheep in houses, and even clothed them. The manner in which they were treated is thus defcribed by Columella. "Of all the wool-bearing kind, the Grecian or Tarenti"nian is the most tender and de"licate. They can neither endure "exceffive heat nor cold. They "are feldom fed without doors, "but for the most part in the house, "and are exceeding greedy of "food. The fields in which they "are fed must be free of all man"ner of bushes, fprigs, or briars, " left both their wool and their

Shelter from the inclemency of the feafons is, I am perfuaded, an object entitled to the fhepherd's peculiar attention, and without which fine wool cannot be expected in great abundance or perfection. The natural fhelter of wood has been often recommended against too violent heat, and ftill more against cold and piercing winds, The feverity of the weather, particularly when sheep are expofed to it both night and day, certainly affects the wool, makes it coarse, and fills it with hair. To obviate this inconvenience, the Herefordshire and Cotefwold farmers have long ranges of buildings with low ceilings, each three or four ftory high, with a

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covering be pulled off them, and " even at home they must be fre

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quently uncovered, refreshed, and "cooled." Inquiries are making, on the part of this fociety, whether there are ftill any remnants of this breed, or any veftige of this mode of treatment in Sicily or Calabria. It would be defireable to know what is the refult of such a fyftem of management, if it still exifts in other countries. The effects of houfing the sheep in Here

Cotefwold, according to Camden, is derived from the cots or houfes in which the sheep were kept, and the wolds or open hilly grounds in which they were paf tured.

+ See Marshall's Rural Economy of Gloucestershire, &c. vol. ii. p. 235. where there are many important obfervations on the utility of houfing or cotting sheep.

Columella, book 7. chap. v. The only recent account I have met with of this breed of sheep, is in Swinburne's Travels. This practice was borrowed from the Greeks. See Diog. Laert. lib. 6. fegm. 41. p. 335. Elian. Var. Hift. 1. xii. P. 56. In Megara, it was alledged that they took more care of their theep than of their children,

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fordshire ought also to be after tained. If by clothing fheep, or keeping them in houfes, fine wool could be obtained fufficient for the confumption of these kingdoms, would it not be better to employ the poor in the operations neceffary for this purpose, than to support them without exacting any great return of labour for their maintenance ?

The effects of falt upon fheep is a point which merits particular attention, and has never yet been fully investigated. We know that it is given in confiderable quantities to the flocks in Spain; and we fee that fine wool is produced in the Shetland Islands, the pafture of which being peculiarly expofed to the fea fpray, is neceffarily impregnated with a confiderable quantity of faline particles. It is certain that falt contributes much to the prefervation of the health of granivorous animals; and it is well known that the most valuable wool can only be produced by sheep in a ftate of perfect health. Salt may poffibly fupply the ftimulus neceffary to preferve their health in almost any fituation. It may certainly enable them to digeft the great quantity of coarfe fare, which they are often under the neceffity of taking in rough paftures for want of better fuftenance.

Another circumftance deferving notice is, that if we propofe to have fine wool in this country, it may be neceffary to preferve our fheep

much longer than we commonly now do; for the wool grows finer in proportion to the age of the animal +. It was formerly not unufual to keep healthy wethers to fix, eight, nay ten years of age, for the fake of the fleece: but now they can hardly be met with even five years old. This is certainly one great cause of our wool's dege. nerating.

Many other points might be mentioned connected with the proper management of fheep. I shall however at prefent only advert to the practice, very prevalent in the northern part of the inland, of Smearing or falving, as it is called, the fheep with a mixture of oil or butter, and tar, which is fuppofed to be abfolutely neceffary for the fafety and prefervation of the animal in the hilly districts of that part of the kingdom.

The origin of this practice is unknown 1, and the effects of it are ftill doubtful. There is reafon, however, to believe, that an alteration in the fyftem of smearing may be attended with the most important confequences. It is now done about the commencement of winter, with a view of protecting the ani mal from the hardships of the approaching feason, and of deftroying the vermin with which it is infeited. Smearing, however, ought rather to take place immediately after the sheep are thorn. This is an ancient practice, recommended by Colu

To clothe the whole theep would certainly be expenfive: but I am told, that if the back were covered with a piece of coarfe Ofnaburgh, the expence would not colt above 3d. a piece, and if tarred it would last several years. In fome parts of the country, tender or fickly lambs are thus treated, and it is found to answer well. The covering is fixed to the fleece, and cannot then be easily removed.

This point is disputed, and must be afcertained by experiment.

Even in ancient times, tar was confidered as a remedy for diseased sheep; but its ufe as a preventative is probably a modern practice.

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mella,

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