his creatures with every neceffary affiftance for the direction of their moral conduct and their intellectual happiness. If he goes on, and confiders the internal and external evidences of Chriftianity, he will find, that the arguments in favour of its divinity, are as clear and fatisfactory, as the árguments by which he proves the existence of a Deity. If he will not attend to thefe evidences, it is manifeft, that he is not, what he would be thought, a lover of true reafon and natural religion; but that he only endeavours to hide atheism and irreligion under the fpecious pretence of oppofing fuperftition. We may therefore conclude, that there is no fuch thing as a thinking Deift; that a man, whose mind is heartily poffeffed with juft and worthy apprehenfions of all the divine attributes, and a deep fenfe of his duty towards the fupreme Author and preferver of his being, must be a Chriftian. If for want of due reflection he is wavering in his fentiments; if he has fome doubts and fcruples remaining, he is more likely to be confirmed in his unbelief, than led to Christianity by the ufe of a liturgy, which is compofed upon the deiftical plan. If he wishes to perform his devotions with reverence and humility, with a juft fenfe of his depravity, and an unfeigned gratitude for all the favours of heaven; if he begins to fee and acknowledge the truth of Chriftianity, his confcience will revolt at his behaviour, while he fuppreffes every grateful fentiment which that religion infpires; and pays no acknowledgements to his Creator for his ineftimable love in the redemption of the world, for his bringing life and immortality to light, for the means of grace, and the hopes of glory. In such a fituation an honest man muft think himself a mean and dif ingenuous wretch, utterly unworthy of those bleffings, which the gospel e eals. If Chriftianity propofes what is perfectly agreeable to natural reason; if it prefents us with the most excellent rules of morality; if it opens a glorious profpect into a future ftate; and, on the moft critical examination, discovers its divine origin, why, in the name of wonder, fhould we reject its advantages? Why fhould we return to the beggarly elements of Deifm? Christianity has rectified errors of natural reafon, has refined our fentiments, extended our views, and enlarged our conceptions of morality and religion. Can any thing therefore be fo mean and ungenerous as to infinuate, that it is a defective and narrow plan,' and that the principles of natural religion are more extensive ? Inftead of opening a feminary of Deifin, and erecting its banners, in hopes of collecting a number of paltry and un-. thinking infidels, it is the duty of a Chriftian minister to explain, enforce, and propagate that religion, which the fupremet Being, in his infinite mercy and love, has been pleased to communicate to mankind. An Account of the Weather and Diseases of South-Carolina. By Lionel Chalmers, M. D. of Charles Town, South Carolina. 2 vols. 8vo. 6s. Dilly. THE HE profeffed defign of this work is to afcertain the prevailing temperament of the people in South Carolina, for the information of those who may undertake the cure of difeafes in that country. Limited, however, as is the pro vince to which the author's attention is particularly restricted, his obfervations are of far more general utility, confidered as examples of the operation of natural caufes on the human conftitution; and in this light, they may be admitted to claim the regard of medical practitioners, wherever the science is cultivated with ardour and fuccefs. Dr. Chalmers fets out with giving an account of the climate, water, and foil of South Carolina; after which he prefents us with meteorological remarks, and an effay on the effects of hot and moist air on the human body. On quitting thefe introductory fubjects, he proceeds to the treatment of fuch difeafes as are ufually the concomitants of the fummer. We fhall lay before our readers the author's account of irregu larly intermitting fevers in that feason, with fome observations refpe&ting the ufe of Peruvian bark. Excepting thofe quartans that commenced in the fpring, intermitting fev. rs of almost every fort, may now prevail *. But My opinion is, that the manner of computing the times of intermitting fevers, is wrong; for the measure of their durations and returns, ought to be reckoned by hours rather than days, as might eafily be made appear. In thirty years practice I never faw a regular quintan, feptan, octan, or nonan: and for that reafon have fome doubts concerning them; for one might have expected fuch in South Carolina, where intermittents are as frequent as they poffibly can be in any climate. Indeed, it is very common for relapfes into thefe difeafes to happen on the 7th, 8th, or 9th day, when people had' not been properly braced; but then, fuch returns fhould not receive names from the days on which they invade; for thefe re. lapfed fevers will now prove quotidians, tertians, or of whatever other type they originally were, unless the weather or fomewhat elle, fhould have greatly altered the conftitutions of the patients. returns. they are fometimes fo irregular, as fcarcely to be reducible to any clafs, which hitherto hath been described; for the fits are of unequal continuance, and the intermiffions as uncertain as to time. Whether this be owing to fome mistakes in the management, or the nature of the difeafes themfelves, I will not fay ; one thing, however, is true, that at fuch times, the fevers most commonly resemble that which is called nervous; even though it fhould have pretty distinct intermiffions, and be regular in its And, as the intermiffions or remiffions often are short and the feverish fits long, the patients are prefently weakened in a high degree; therefore the returns of it ought to be checked with the bark, given even in the remiffions, fo the belly be but loofe, and the skin and tongue moift; but if the patient is coftive, this medicine must be made laxative with a little fal catharticum. Nay, even after the fever hath been prevented, more or less of the bark should be taken daily for fome weeks, as hath been faid; and the cold bath as well as riding ought to be used, as foon as the perfon is in a condition to undertake them; otherwife frequent relapfes may happen. For when our ftrength hath once been greatly impaired, it is regained with difficulty during the fummer; and this weaknefs difpofes us fill more to diseases from flight caufes. It happens, fometimes, that the fever fhall intermit regularly from the firft: in which cafe, the bark fhould be given immediately, no matter of what clafs the difcafe might be, provided no particular circumftance forbids the ufe of it. But if the patient had not been purged during the fever, laxatives fhould be joined with the febrifuge, as magnefia, fal cathart. or falt of wormwood, efpecially when administered to hylterical hypochondriacal or other delicate and very irritable fubjects, or thofe who have fwelled fpleens, as well as others that are in any degree liable to a redundant acidity (which is almost always the cafe in fuch people) in order to destroy and discharge that acrimony, and fupport a moderate diarrhoea. For without fuch alkalized laxatives, the bark often occafions troublesome and even dangerous confequences, from the ftrong conftri&tions," flatulency, and obftinate coftivenefs it induces in the above habits. In a few days, however, thefe falts may be omitted; but ftill a little magnefia may be required; for, till the abounding acid is abated, it will be fafelt to keep the belly rather loofe, when the bark is ufed. And, contrary to what is commonly thought, the febrifuge virtue of that medicine, will not Be at all leffened by a moderate purging; and fo far will the patient be from finding himfelf either weakened or difpirited. thereby, that he will be ftronger and more alert, whilft he has an eafy diarrhea, unless he had before been too much debilitated, to allow fuch an evacuation to be made. It fhould likewife be obferved, that thefe fubjects, are for the most part, eafily moved one way or the other; and therefore cannot bear actively tonick medicines at the beginning of a courfe, a course, without fuffering great diforder in the bowels; which often extends to the whole fyftem by a fympathy of parts. For which reafon, it will be better to give bark at firft in decoction; and this should be made warm with either ginger, Winter's bark, chemical oils or volatiles. For though fuch things as conftringe strongly, do not agree with patients of this clafs all at once and by themselves, yet thofe medicines that increase the spring of the internal veffels, by their gently ftimulating heat, without forcing them into irregular contractions, are for the most part, well fuited to fuch delicate frames From my ignorance of the neceffity for this caution, I have fometimes brought on my patients, that diftreffing disease which we call the dry belly-ache; or other disorders were thereby induced, attended with obftinate conftipations; obftructions in the liver and fpleen have also enfued, from the like unskilful management. From what hath been faid it will appear, that a due regard being had to the general conftitution, and particularly to the condition of the primæ viæ, as well as of thofe parts that have an immediate connection with thefe, the Peruvian bark, when properly managed, may be given fafely and fuccefsfully, though we have been told by writers of no fmall note, that it ought not to be administered at all under fuch circumstances, more especially of obstructions in the vifcera. But when these arife from a languid circulation, as often happens in the spleen from a want of fufficient action in the folids, I know not a better medicine than the bark, provided alkalies and laxatives be difcreetly joined with it.' In the fecond volume Dr. Chalmers treats, in diftin& fections, of the diseases chiefly incident to the inhabitants of the province, in the autumn, winter, and fpring. From this part of the obfervations we fhall fele&t the account of a method of curing the dry belly ache. One of the progenitors of a certain family here, was fo miferably afflicted with the dry belly ache, tha: he quitted this country and went to France and Germany in quest of a cure, which he at laft obtained. His offspring kept the prefcription fecret, fo that they alone were poffeffed of it, till I purchased it of one of the kindred; but fince that time it has been made more publick, by the death of one of the relations, and the papers falling into the hands of executors, who allowed copies to be taken of them. By purfuing the method therein directed, the nervous colick will for the most part be speedily. and to effectually removed, that it feldom returns, unless the conftitution had already been greatly fubdued by repeated attacks of it. Their method of cure, fets out with an ufelefs divifion of the diftemper. In one cafe, a ftoppage of urine and violent pain in the lower belly are faid to attend: and an exceffive vomiting in the other, together with a pain in the ftomach and belly, which brings on convulfions and a palfey of the arms, if the complaint be not abated in time. Bleeding in the arm or foot is recommended in both cafes, provided the patient be feverish. And after this operation, recourfe must be had to clyfters, made with one ounce of coloquintida, two drachms of fenna, half a handful of annife feeds, and as much common falt boiled with water to ten ounces for one injection, which fhould be repeated a fecond and even a third time if needful, till a ftool is promoted. But as the pain oftentimes continues, even after the clyfters have operated, about three jills of new milk must be made to boil, to which, juft before it is taken from the fire, fix grains of opium fhould be added to make a clyfter, which ought to be retained as long as poffible. Poppyheads boiled with the milk will answer the end equally with opium. A mineral water must then be prepared, by diffolving fifteen or twenty grains of Roman vitriol in about a pint and a half of fpring water; of which a wine glafsful must be drank on the following morning fafting, which commonly caufes the patient to vomit; half an hour after another glafsful of the fame mixture must be given, and the like quantity at the end of the next half hour. This courfe of vomiting must be repeated for three or four fucceffive mornings, or fo long as any uneafinefs is perceived within. A pain at the ftomach often re At the first view, one would expect but little good to enfue from the internal use of Roman vitriol. Yet in the disease we speak of, as well as in hysterical and hypochondriacal complaints, under certain circumstances, and alfo in dropfies, that arife from a laxnefs and atonia, obftinate intermittents, bilious or ferous diarrhoeas of long standing, I have given it in finall dofes with fuccefs, after other remedies had failed. When therefore, any extraordinary degree of general or even of local weaknefs takes place, as in the catarrhal confumption, exceffive discharges of the menfes and fome other disorders, and likewise when a continued over distention (but without any inflammation) prevails in the abdominal veffels, as is common in hysterical and hypochondriacal complaints, I fcarcely know a better medicine than this vitriol, fo it be given with caution. For it not only difcharges the veffels of whatever might be redundant, but likewife braces them by its constricting quality; the effects extending, by a sympathy of parts, to the folids in general. But were it not for the evacuations it promotes, it would be a dangerous medicine in the nervous colick, and some other diseases. A woman received twenty purging powders from an ignorant perfon in the country, with directions to take one every third day, for the cure of a carious ulcer on the tibia. Sixteen of these being ufed without the expected advantage, the came to me, and amongit other things defcribing the manner in which these powders operated, I defired to see them; the then produced the four which remained, each of which, confifted of about twenty-five grains of Roman vitriol, without any difguife, and but coarfely prepared: no unlucky circumstance perhaps for the patient. But though they al ways |