now add the fhort hiftory and defcription of it, which we find in the commentary on Clafs XIX.

When the Proprietors of this Manufactory carefully inspected fome original Etrufcan Vafes (fhewn them by his Grace the Duke of Northumberland) with a view of imitating them, it was the general fenfe of all the Connoiffieurs and Antiquaries who fpoke of this fubject, that the Art was loft; and afterwards, when Sir William Hainilton's book was published, and with a truly liberal spirit prefented to them by Sir Watkyn Williams Wynn, this fentiment was not only confirmed, but fuch a defcription given of the difficulties of the Art itfelf, as was fufficient to damp all hopes of fuccefs in attempting to revive it but the Proprietors had happily made a confiderable progrefs in their difcovery before they read this difcouraging account; being fet to work by fome proof fheets of Sir William Hamilton's book, put into the hands of Mr. Wedgwood by Lord Cathcart; and having carefully infpected the above mentioned, and fome other collections of Etrufcan Vafes, that were then in England; as well as perufed with attention all that the late illuftrious Count Caylus had written upon Etrufcan Antiquities.

When the Manufacturers had carefully examined the original Etrufcan Vafes, they were convinced that the colours of the figures could not be fuccefsfully imitated with Enamel; and that their fuccefs in attempting to revive this loft Art would chiefly depend upon the difcovery of a new kind of enamel colours, to be made upon principles, and have effects eflentially different from those that were then in ufe, and are of the nature of glafs: the Etrufcan colours being burnt in, mouth, and durable; but without any glassy luftre.

In confequence of this obfervation, and by a great variety of experiments, this difcovery has been made, and a fet of encaufic colours invented, not only fufficient completely to imitate the paintings upon the Etrufcan Vafes; but to do much more; to give to the beauty of defign, the advantages of light and fhade in various colours; and to render paintings durable without the defect of a varnished or glafly furface. An object carnelly, defired by perfons of critical tafle in all ages, and in modern times, without fuccefs.

The ingenious experiments of Count Caylus to make encanic pratures had the fane object as ours, in point of tafte; but his ufe of Wax in compliance with the letter of Pliny, had he fucceeded ever to well in the execution, must have rendered his pictures very liable to be injured by any confiderable degree of heat to which they might have been expofed, and the manner of applying the colours was liable to many difficulties and inconveniences. It is evident this kind of painting in coloured roux, has little or no refemblance to ours but in name.

Our Encaustic Colours can be applied with great eafe and eertainty they change very little in the fire; are not liable to run out of drawing, are perfectly durable, and not glafly; they have all the advantages of Enamel, without its effential defects.

In explaining the twentieth (and laft) article, it is obferved that the Tablets, e. may be applied, and have been applied, to great advantage, in chimney-pieces, and cabinets.

MONTHLY

MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For JUNE, 1773.

MEDICA L.

Art. 16. Medical and Philofophical Commentaries. By a Society in Edinburgh. Vol. I. Part I. 8vo. 18. 6 d. Murray, &c.

1773

HIS work, the compilers inform us, will confift annually of four numbers, one of which will be published quarterly. It will give a concife view of all the difcoveries and improvements which fhall, from time to time, be made or propofed in medicine, or those branches of philofophy most intimately connected with it, as foon as an account of them can be obtained from the tranfactions of public focieties, the writings of private perfons, or an extensive correspondence.

Every number will comprehend four fections, treating of the following fubjects: an account of the best new books in medicine, and thofe branches of philofophy mott intimately connected with it; medical cafes and observations; medical news; and a lift of new medical publications.'

The firit part of the prefent number, contains feventy-fix pages, and comprehends a judicious abftract or abridgment of twelve new publications.-The fecond part confifts of ten pages, and contains three articles: 1. An uncommon tumour of the thigh, fuccefsfully extirpated. 2. The cafe of a woman who fpit up, from her lungs, a great quantity of pure bile: and, 3. A fracture of the fkull, with the lofs of part of the fubflance of the brain, cured.-The third part contains eight pages of medical news, the chief articles of which are, Mr. Hewfon's doctrine of the formation of the red globules, the ufes of the flowers of zinc in epileptic cafes, and the efficacy of the vitriolic acid in the cure of the itch -The fourth and last part furnishes only the titles of twenty-feven new books.

The most obvious remark which occurs with refpect to this periodical work, is, that the compilers have promised too much.-It is faid, a concife view of all the diftoveries and improvements in medicine, or thoje branches of philofophy most intimately connected with it will be given, as foon as an account of them can be obtained from the tranfactions of public focieties, or the writings of private perfons.-Now most readers will be ready to afk,- Is there not a ingle discovery, is there not a fingle improvement, in all the twenty-even articles which make up the prefent quarterly catalogue?-in the Philofophical Tranfactions, for inttance ?-cr many other valuable works which make part of these twenty-feven articles ?"

Our compilers would more eally and ufefully take in the whole field of medical publications, by adopting the following plan ; viz, tở telect from the various works, every fingular fact, every useful ime provement, and every important discovery, and tranfmit thefe to the public rather than generel abtracts. Their work would then be a valuable collection of medical records; in which the reader would at

once

once fee the progrefs of the healing art, and at the fame time know to what work he might apply for more particular information.

We shall only add, that there appears to be an impropriety in the title-page of this publication.-Medical Commentaries.--Are abstracts of new books, Commentaries?—Are detached hiftories, Commentaries? -Are short articles of medical news, Commentaries ?—Or has a mere catalogue of books any claim to the title of Commentaries ?

The fecond number of this work is published; and is now under perufal.

Art. 17. Confiderations on the Ufe and Abufe of Antimonial Medi cines in Fevers and other Disorders, &c. Read in a Society of Phyficians, and published by Order of the Prefident and Council, 8vo. Murray. 1773.

This Performance will naturally excite in the Reader an idea not very diffimilar to that prefented by Horace's

-turpiter atrum

Definit in pifcem Mulier formofa fupernè.

Our medical Orator for a long while prefents himfelf in the pleas ing form or femblance of a benevolent and intelligent phyfician, laudably inveftigating an interesting chemical fubject, in a ́liberal and scientific manner: but towards the end of his Őration, his cloak drops off, and the cloven foot of quackery fuddenly appears, and Locks the fpectator. The change too is in the highest degree unexpected and abrupt; though the Speaker endeavours to foften the unnatural and difgraceful tranfition: but he does it in fuch a manner as cannot fail to excite ftill further difguft, by the aukwardness and transparency of his attempt to impofe on our understandings.

After a fufficiently accurate but concife account of all the various antimonial preparations in common ufe, accompanied with obfer. vations on their refpective defects, the Author closes the lift with the recipe of Dr. James's powder, as delivered by himself upon oath; and justly obferves, that the abfurd and unchemical process (where antimony, for instance, is moft profoundly directed to be calcined with animal oil; and quickfilver to be distilled thrice from crude antimony, &c.) would even difgrace the receipt-book of the most ignorant old woman. He then tells the fociety that the grand defideratum feems to be, to procure a preparation of antimony, which is perfectly foluble in water, invariably of the fame ftrength, and the dole fuch, that the difference of a grain or two fhall be attended with no danger or disappointment.'

Ihall now proceed, fays our Orator, to lay before the fociety the intire procefs by which I have produced the febrifuge powder, which now lies on the table;' and which, we are afterwards told, poffeffes all the above-mentioned defirable requifites,-and is, in fhort, if we may credit the paper of directions annexed to this fpeech, nearly an univerfal medicine.

We take it for granted that our Orator kept his word with his felect bearers; but here the impatient, mortified, and poffibly indignant reader begins to find what kind of company he has got into; for instead of the intire procefs, he is now prefented only with a biatus valde defendus,-containing however about three dozen of

afterisks,

afterifks, regularly difpofed in three rows; under which hierogly phics he must be content to fuppofe that the mighty fecret is enve Toped. If he has temper to proceed any further, he may learn the weighty reasons our confiderate Author affigns for this conduct, and will be aftonifhed, with us, at the Singular apprehenfivenefs, and con cern for the public health, which dictated this referve; as well as at the method which he and the fociety have found themselves neceffitated to pursue, in order to effect their benevolent purposes.

Having communicated to his hearers the procefs of the Opus magnum, he then pleads for their indulgence, while he makes what may poffibly be thought, a very extraordinary and improper propofal;'but which, fays he, probably a little fober reflection may reconcile to our delicacy. He then humbly moves that the procefs for mak⚫ ing this powder be carefully concealed from the public.' His beft, indeed his only reafons are, that the public are not honeft enough to be trafted with a medicine of such importance,'-and 'Chemifts, alas! are no honefter than their neighbours,' and will probably adulterate it. He then proposes to the affembled doctors, that it be prepared in their own laboratory under their own inspection, and that fome one creditable perfon in Edinburgh and London be appointed to vendit.

Here enfues a folemn paufe in the oration, preparatory to the fcene that follows; and at this period a general blush appears to us to have fuffused itfelf over the countenances of the whole affembly: -for here our Orator exclaims- The propofal hurts you; I fee it does; but, he denounces, there is no alternative.' The ingenuous emotion however, excited doubtlefs by a regard to propriety of character and decorum, in time fubfided, and gave way to more cogent and feeling confiderations. The Orator now makes two propofals;-either to fix the price fo low, as merely to defray the expence of ingredients and preparation: or,' he adds, if you think it more advifeable to gain 1omething to the fociety, let the furplus be appropriated to any useful purpofe, fuch as purchafing books towards forming a medical library.'

6

How thefe delicate doctors acted under the hard neceffity to which, merely by the roguery of chemifts, they were reduced; and what part of the alternative they finally adopted, may be now seen in their printed hand bills, and in the most difgraceful columns of our newspapers: where their miraculous powder, fabricated from that coftly drug, antimony, is announced at a price which, if the scheme takes, and the phyficians in all countries' adopt their powder, may furnish the partners, as we may now call them, with a noble Surplus for the • furnishing a library,' as well as for other useful purposes."

We have taken more notice of this production than it migh otherwife feem to merit, on account of the novelty of this manoeuvre which may poffibly be adopted and ftill further improved upon, and extended to fome of the nicer chemical preparations, by other graduated affociations. We might now leave the Reader to his own inferences: but we must add, that never, to the best of our recol· lection, did Quackery appear in fo very auguft and dignified a form. We have long indeed been accustomed to fee the folitary names of individuals, with the annexed titles of Licentiates, Batchelors, and Doctors of Phyfic, fingly gracing and authenticating the fuperlative

2

virtues

virtues of their respective arcana: but we have never till now beheld a noftrum ushered into the world, as in the prefent inftance, under the high Resolves, and Orders' of the Prefident, Council, and Fellows of a Society of Phyficians; who modestly indeed conceal their names, and leave us to guels at their place of refidence; but expect we are to fwallow their grand arcanum under the united and weighty fanction of numbers and titles. The cautious and rational practitioner will however, we imagine, require better authenticated testimony, in proof of its virtues, than the fpeech of an anonymous orator, delivered before the anonymous prefident and council of an anonymous fociety, exifting he knows not where, and who are to pocket three fhillings for every packet they can difpofe of. The common and numerous dabblers in quack medicines too will, we apprehend, expect the Atring of affidavits ufual on thefe occafions, to confirm and quicken their faith. They too are fond of knowing the names of the great doctors whofe compofitions they fo glibly fwallow. Great, indeed, is their faith, and their love of myftery; but, in the prefent inftance, we think this fecret and fhy fociety have greatly over dofed them. Art. 18. The prefent, Practice of Midwifery confidered. 8vo. 2s. Baldwin. 1773. ! We have already faid, and hinted, more than perhaps was neceffary, or decent, on the unfeemly subject handled in this pamphlet, when we transcribed and commented upon fome of the reveries of a former furious antagonist of the men-midwives. The prefent Writer fupports the fame fide of the argument, with less excentricity, and with fomewhat more temper; though he fometimes reminds us of his predeceffor, by the extravagance of fome of his fuggeftions, and his great apprehenfiveness for the purity of the ladies. He alarms us too with apprehenfions of another kind. In one place he tells us that political arithmeticians have obferved that the number of the people in these kingdoms has been greatly leffened within these last hundred years; and then profoundly remarks, that it is nearly fo long fince men-midwives have busied their heads and their hands, in preferving the lives of our women and children.' He very wifely, however, does not take upon him to determine, whether they are chargeable with this depopulation.

In difpute with Dr. Slop, uncle Toby, in his laconic way, started this very kind of argument ;-not offenfively, good foul' against the men-midwives, but merely as it ftruck his pericranium that multiplication jogged on at a very tolerable rate, before the tire-tête and forceps were in fashion. I wife, Dr. Slop, fays he, taking his pipe out of his mouth, you had seen what prodigious armies we had in Flanders.'-Dr. Slop, you must know, had been wondring how the world had fubfifted fo long, without the apparatus of these male gentry.

The pamphlet is not ill-written, and the Author feems to bave Audied Sn ellie, and to have taken fome pains to make himself mater of his fubje&t: but in many parts of his fatire against the malepractitioners, he is either uncandid, or ill informed. Some of the abufes however which he notices, particularly the unneceffary previous

* See M. Review, vol. xlvii. October, page 320.

examinations