prising, as the disease usually occurs most frequently in habits worn out by intemperance and high feeding,) demonstrated its superiority over the ordinary method of treatment by local stimulants and a reliance on general remedies to overcome the tendency to gangrene. I think the practitioner, by adopting it, will soon become convinced of its efficacy, and that we have, in this instance at least, deviated, without good reason, from the practice of the ancients. Case of Intermittent Fever, treated with Coffee. By · B.-P.-in August, 1820, returned from a school in the neighbourhood of marshy lands, in the country, with a strong intermittent fever of the tertian type, which I succeeded in overcoming in a few weeks with bark. He had a renewed attack six weeks after, which was likewise cured, but by opium. He remained well until the 21st April last, when a paroxysm recurred of a very violent character, producing great intellectual derangement during the febrile stage, which was very severe : I prescribed an emetic and a calomel purge, with the intention of employing the cinchona. The patient was unruly, obstinate, neglected taking part of the medicine ordered, and refused all others; when noticing in the Edinburgh Med. and Surg. Journal, No. 63, p. 29, three cases of intermittent fever cured with coffee by Dr. Thompson, and having long entertained an opinion that this vegetable might be usefully employed as an article of the Materia Medica, I was only waiting for a favourable case for its employment: I determined, therefore, to use it in this; and made a strong decoction with 3j of the dried unburnt coffee, reduced to powder in 3 xij of water,which was boiled to 3iv, which I commenced exhibiting in doses of 3 ss every VOL. 6. 59 hour at the time the paroxysm usually came on, and increased it to 3j during the remainder of the day. The chill was trifling, no fever followed, and the patient (a boy 10 years old) continued playing about until night, when the medicine was discontinued. It had the effect of increasing the pulse to 126 strokes, rendering it soft, and produced a gentle perspiration, after a few doses. He took 3iiiss of the decoction, and has had no attack since. Case of Emphysema, arising without any known cause, and spontaneously disappearing. Communicated by John S. Westervell, M.D. On Wednesday morning, May 24th, 1820, I was called to John Kelly, a boy between five and six years of age, of a delicate habit, and but recently recovered from an attack of simple fever, which had considerably debilitated him. My patient was slightly feverish, with some degree of swelling about the throat, and on the side of the neck, which I did not particularly examine, supposing it to arise from an enlargement of the superficial glands, from cold. He complained of no pain whatever; I prescribed a cathartic, ordered some liniment applied to the throat, and did not make another visit until the evening of the next day, when I discovered the swelling very considerably increased, filling up all the space between the chin and breast, extending up, to the cheeks and other parts of the face, and down, over the pectoral muscles. The tumefaction upon examination was discovered to be an effusion of air in the cellular substance, for which, after the strictest inquiry, none of the usual causes of this affection could be assigned, as the child had not received any injury, neither were any symptoms present, which could indicate a morbid connexion between the lungs and cellular substance May 26th, the swelling had extended over every part of the body, and continued to increase during the two following days: 29th, the skin was greatly distended, the scrotum enormously enlarged and slightly diaphanous; the whole body was at least one-third larger than natural. There was no perceptible augmentation of the disease, during this and the few following days. The remedy used in this case was an emollient fomentation to the surface generally; the state of the bowels and kidneys being also attended to. The patient's skin was of a natural temperature, and was kept soft and moist by the fomentations; his appetite was somewhat impaired, and the urine diminished in quantity. The distention was not at any time deemed sufficiently great, to make it prudent to puncture the skin, and let out the air: 31st, remedies continued; the swelling was not perceptibly diminished; appetite was improved, and as much urine discharged for the last twenty-four hours as natural. June 1st, the swelling began to diminish, and the distention was taken off. The disease now spontaneously disappeared in about the same length of time it had required to arrive at its greatest extent. It left considerable debility, in addition to that the patient previously laboured under; but he recovered his strength rapidly, and in a short time became a robust, healthy lad. A Remarkable Case of Spontaneous Hydrophobic Rabies : Reported by L. F. Gasté, D. M. P. of Neuf-Brisach. (JOURNAL UNIVERSEL, APRIL, 1821.) Translated for the Medical Repository. A legionary soldier, aged 30 years, of a dark complexion, spare habit, and middle size, was so fond of ardent spirits, that to obtain them, he would undergo the greatest fatigue. His health and reason were much impaired thereby, and for some days he appeared morose and silent. On the 3d of February, 1821, while cleaning his military accoutrements, he was suddenly seized with a progressive violent pain in the left hypochondrium, and an unusual constriction of the throat. He was next day sent to the Hospital, where I found him much oppressed in breathing, with a fixed pain in the left side of the thorax, and complaining that the constriction of the throat stopped his respiration. His look was wild; pulse full and hard; skin moist, and little warmer than natural. His bowels having been constipated for some days, I ordered an emollient injection, and as a drink I gave a solution of gum arabic. In a few hours his throat became again constricted, and its anterior muscles strongly contracted. The patient uttered frightful screams, and at the sight of drink, or the vessels containing it, became violently agitated, and fell into convulsions, which were renewed by the least noise of persons walking in the room. His face and neck were bathed in a profuse cold sweat; his pulse was hard, rather chorded and intermitting; his tongue tremulous and milk-white. With the consent of Mr. Valeu, Surgeon of the legion, a pediluvium of a strong infusion of mustard was prescribed, by which a complete subsidence of the symptoms was obtained, giving us an opportunity to examine the fauces, which we found inflamed, and to attempt to make the patient take a spoonful of an antispasmodic mixture: but he desired us not to speak of drink; and afterwards, when we offered him the cup, the convulsions were immediately renewed. The whole body of the patient was bathed in a clammy sweat. We drew ten ounces of blood, which was dark, and flowed slowly from a large orifice; and we ordered a blister to the nape of the neck, a warm emollient cataplasm sprinkled with camphor to the throat, and sinapisms to the legs. During the night, a considerable vomiting occurred after violent retchings, and there was a suppression of urine. Next morning the patient had a frothy spitting, which gra dually increased, and he occasionally fell into fits of raving, during which he at one time demanded to be raised from the bed; at another, seized a glass of beer presented to him at his own request, dashed it over himself, and fell into convulsions, that were renewed by the sight of the drinks given to other patients. He would now attempt to injure some of his comrades, and then converse rationally with others about his approaching dissolution, arranging little legacies, and making preparations for the event. He died at two o'clock in the afternoon, without agonies or violent convulsions. I arrived shortly after, and observed several of the muscles of the breast still contracting strongly, especially the fleshy bundles over the clavicles, which were affected long after the rest with rapid convulsive movements protracted for nearly ten minutes. Notwithstanding the appearances of death, I applied live coals to the soles of the feet, hartshorn to his nostrils, &c., but all in vain. Twenty six hours after death we proceeded to examine the body, which presented nothing remarkable externally. We found the mucous membrane of the pharynx of a deep red colour, forming a singular contrast with the natural hue of the oesophagus. The root of the tongue was unusually thick; the pupils of the eyes were dilated; the veins of the neck distended with a dark and liquid blood; the larynx, the trachea especially, was inflamed externally, and stuffed with a snow-white frothy phlegm, resembling well-beaten albumen of eggs; the lungs were sound, and crepitant, though congested with blood. On the exterior surface of the heart there were many of those white spots spoken of by Corvisart, in his essay on the diseases of that organ. Internally the stomach resembled wet parchment, and contained a grayish moist substance, like coarsely ground mustard seed. The intestines were distended with flatus, and inflamed in several places. The appearances in this case were so striking, that my |