ries, which men relieved as well as they could by hot spices, spirits, ether, fetid gums, &c. The stomach of persons thus pained by improper food, and then eased by hot spices, then pained and eased again, soon continually became irritable or easily pained. Now, all bitter extractive, with very little or no exception, is deadening upon animal fibre; it is not narcotic, or sleep-giving, but directly deadening; it kills flies instantly, and shows its mortal powers very quickly upon most small animals; when much used in medicine, it too often proves fatal as was the case some years ago with the Portland powder (a strong bitter), and as has been the case too often lately in the use of gentianine, and other very concentrated bitters. These things prove at first very deadening to stomach irritation in pain, relieve the patient from immediate suffering, but ultimately, if persisted in, deaden him altogether; although, from the absence of premonitory symptoms, the treacherous bitter is rarely suspected. The introduction of bitter into diet was, then, from the same people from whom we received the garden-food, so calculated to pain, irritate, and injure the stomach, experience having taught them its use upon their own badly nourished bodiesthis bitter was the hop. It soon followed garden-stuff; and bitter extractive, in some form, has ever since been a portion of the drink, and a principal ingredient in doctors' stuff." 52.

The doctors come in for a share of Mr. Parry's ire against bitters.

"These hot condiments, and bitter drugs, and liquid fire, were not all that was needed; bowel-purges of all kinds came to be much wanted; and in the severe pains, frightful spasms, convulsions, and horrible distortions of anguish, which characterize the diseases now induced, those which purged most rapidly were most appreciated, whether from the poisonous mineral, the scouring wild plants, the griping gums, or the tormenting resins. And the great sum of stomachic physicking lay, and has since laid, in clearing the bowels, giving hot spices or aromatics, and drugging with bitter." 54.

The "cursed weed" meets with mercy in the hands of our author. "By this herb, the hungry cravings of an ill-nourished body are assuaged -the irritated nerves of an overworked man are soothed-and the wretched victim of a bad government indulges in dreams he cannot rationally hope." Mr. Parry tells us that, before mirth can be brought out, cheer must be put in. The body should be well nourished, before the exhilarating materials are imbibed, otherwise even wine may fail to produce merriment.

"The degree of nourishing required, preparatory to exhilaration, is greatly beyond what the medical world has of late years deemed prudent. The system should have some degree of embonpoint; there should be a degree of fatness about the eyes, by which, when the person laughs, wrinkles are made on the outer sides of the orbit; the merry and cheerful man is thus easily discerned; and this is a leading feature known to characterists, or they who depict characters, whether painters or actors. A leanness about the eye, from which it sinks, and a flattened skin upon the prominent outer part of the orbit, is the sign of inanition, weakness, distress, and a leading outline of death, and also a neverfailing mark of him who drinks instead of eats. Laugh and grow fat,' is a common phrase in England; but the order of events is the reverse, and the phrase should be Grow fat and laugh.' 58.

Our author advises every man and woman to exhilarate with good wine, the genuine product of the vine, if possible-if not, with fictitious wine or fermented liquors from sugar-fruits, corn, or even sugar-roots-carefully avoiding all bitters. Next to wine, brandy, diluted largely with water, is the best drink. The catalogue of diseases from intemperance is frightful, but scarcely exaggerated.

"Should the badly managed man escape these palpable manifestations of disease, there is one suffering or blot in his being he cannot miss. He must inevitably become enervous, or enervated; that is, defective in courage, hesitating in decision, irresolute in action." 59.

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Well, the farrago of anti-nervous and stinking medicines may be thrown to the dogs, or rather to the cats. "The only remedy is wheaten bread." "The only permanent tonic to the nervous system is corn." When, says our author, the divine, physician, singer, player, become nervous in their public exhibitions, it is because they doubt their powers and hesitate. They who are well corned, like the highly-fed horse, doubt not." Finally, says he, "the great bulk of enervous cases are dependent upon insufficient corn." 61. Here is a new argument against the present corn-laws, and an excellent topic for declamation by the LEAGUE! We thus see that modern science has verified the old law, that "bread is the staff of life." Our author disapproves of the old adage-" eat when hungry, drink when dry." Regular meals, he thinks, should be taken at regular periods, paying no attention to appetite. He is right. Much has been said, and uselessly said, respecting the quantity of our food. No two people require the same amount. Leave off before satiety, and eat slow. That sentence comprises the golden rule. The quality may be daily varied-but the quantity never exceeded. Rest after the meal of animal food seems necessary in all weakly persons. Digestion is much impeded by exercise.

"The combination of a late dinner and a heavy meat supper is fraught with apoplexy and many horrible effects, as nightmare, frightful dreams, &c. Further, the active man will find it imperative upon him to be systematic in all the parts of his dieting, and he will do well not to submit to temptations which may present themselves. Bread as often as he pleases in the morning, meat once in the even, exhilaration occasionally at night, is the system he must act upon. If the method be reversed, and exhilaration be made in the morning, he will frustrate all." 68.

The following passage is amusing, and there is much truth mixed with error in it.

"I shall conclude this portion of my writing by waiving all anatomical descriptions, all physiological discoveries, and all medical theories and hypotheses. The grounds excluding these are, that all stomachic theorists become dyspeptic; and the body corporate of physic, who have most of this knowledge, are the most dyspeptic portion of the people; that since Dr. Fordyce's clever book upon digestion, indigestion has increased wonderfully, and is still increasing. Anatomy, dating from Vesalius, has had little or no connection either with diet or physic in practice. The College of Physicians and Company of Apothecaries know this; inasmuch as they compel all students to study physic from Greek and Latin authors, who knew nothing either of anatomy or physiology. Experience, observation, and natural good sense, were sufficient to produce the greatest practical men we are acquainted with; and although, as a surgeon, I highly value anatomy, and, as a philosopher, I have an intense interest in physiology, chemistry, and other branches of the profession, yet, as a dietician, I know them to be worse than useless for the slightest error in induction upon the facts of those sciences leads to errors fatal to strength, health, and life; and I have arrived at the conviction that a knowledge of the qualities of various articles of diet is more important than a knowledge of structure and function, because it alone involves the practice of the dietician." 69.

VII. Labourers' Diet.-To meet this hard, long, and fatiguing work, the labourer should make his prop or support the highest coarse corn of the country in which he lives-always preferring wheat. If it be what is termed heavy, close, compact, it may be a little more indigestible; but it will be nutritious. Still he imperatively demands and requires "flesh, for the temper of his body;" and, unless he obtains a fair proportion of this, he becomes a premature infirm old man. Swine's flesh, of course, is objected to by our author; but, under existing circumstances, it is impossible for the poor man often to get anything better than pork and bacon-not always even that! Our author recommends the labourer to eat very little salt with his meat, and if he can, to return to the old custom of his ancestors

giving the zest or relish with sugar." For drink, he advises the hard labourer to use water-sugar and water-or sweet fresh beer." Bitters, of course, are prohibited.

"Neither should the labourer, when thirsty, ever drink hastily; it makes a man not firm in principle or act, to do thus. I have known several deaths from this error, and shall therefore persuade the labourer, when parched with thirst and tempted by a cooling stream, to lap like a dog, not draught it in like a cow." 75.

His toil over, the labourer may, if he can, exhilarate, but not get drunk, on good ale-especially of his own brewing.

"Under irritation or over-excitement, he may cautiously smoke tobacco, and exhilarate when recovered; but to smoke and drink together is tomfool's waste, and contrary to sound sense; tobacco being a sedative, and spirit a stimulant, and the combined effect generally intoxication, or poisoning, and sure poverty.” 77.

VIII. Active Professional Man's Diet.-This man, whose mind and body are strained in the multiplicity of his occupations, will fail in health and powers, if he make not his dependence for sustainment, prop, or support, upon a plentiful supply of wheat food." "The basis of an active man's diet must be corn." Soups and meat broths, however, are useful and nutricious, when used as condiments to bread. Our author does not approve of strong concentrated soups-weak broths are preferable. But, although he makes bread the staff of life among professional men as well as others, he admits the auxiliaries of meat, fish, game, &c. in moderation. We have only room for one more short extract.

IX. "IN DIETING FOR INTELLECTUAL ATTAINMENT, great support should be made upon corn food, while a very moderate tempering only should be given with meat. Exercise should be regular, but very short of actual fatigue. As great freedom of air should be given as possible, and sleep should be rather prolonged. Luther wrote his great work upon bread and water. Newton his work upon light upon bread and water, and Byron his best productions upon biscuit and water, and in Spain, the muleteers follow the mules forty and fifty miles a-day upon bread and onions or grapes. It is good food for the intellectual or not over-driven man." 118.

We have extended our notice of this little work farther, perhaps, than our readers may deem it necessary; but there is more of eccentricity and novelty in it than usually falls to the lot of much larger tomes that successively take their stand on our library table. Many of Mr. Parry's die

tetic opinions are opposed to the generally-received dogmas of the Doctor and the public but it does not follow that they are therefore baseless or erroneous. The book is well worthy of perusal, and we think some good advice is contained in it.

THE PRINCIPLES OF SURGERY. By James Miller, F.R.S.E. F.R.C.S.E. Professor of Surgery in the University of Edinburgh, Surgeon to the Royal Infirmary, &c. &c.

THIS work" contains the substance of the Author's systematic Lectures on this subject," and is "intended to exhibit a condensed view of the Principles of the Healing Art." Mr. Miller appears to have written it chiefly as a text-book, as well as of reference for his own pupils, yet hopes it may prove of service to others, "as a concise exposition of the Science of Modern Surgery."

Our brethren of the North appear to feel themselves called upon to show the professional world that the position of honour, to which they may recently have been elevated, has not been unworthily bestowed: thus among others, we have the two Surgeons from Scotland, now holding high office as Teachers and Hospital Surgeons in the Great Metropolis, shining forth as authors of works on Surgery; and, within a year or two afterwards, the subject of our present remarks appears. We strongly object to the too-prevailing practice of professional works being written solely for the sake of the author, the only justifiable reason-we had almost written excuse for a medical practitioner to obtrude his work upon the public, is the conviction of its usefulness, and that such a volume is really a desideratum: this can hardly be conceded to both the works to which allusion has been made; and the mere mention of a third treatise on surgery from the same school, and within so short a period, certainly gave rise to some feeling allied to regret. This feeling was however completely removed by a reference to the book itself; for, while we found little more than detail, or practice, as it is generally termed, in Mr. Liston's and Mr. Fergusson's works, we here meet with general principles, with more expanded views of the real science of disease, doctrines upon which the details of practice may easily be engrafted; hence, although it probably will not be studied by the pupil preparing for his examination so readily as more practical essays, it will be received by the more advanced student and the practitioner as an important and valuable addition to his library, condensing, as it does, what is really known of pathology up to the present time.

Although we can speak very favourably of Mr. Miller's production, and strongly recommend it, not only to the perusal, but to the careful study, of all medical men, we shall take the liberty, in the review of the book, to apply our strictures, we hope in all fairness, where we think them due.

A "Historical Notice," that is, a History of the Progress of the Art of Surgery, which was written by Mr. Miller for the Encyclopædia Britannica, introduces the work. We have no objection to an occasional disserta

tion upon the origin and advancement of our art appended to volumes, though professedly written upon its science or practice, inasmuch as we fear the medical student and practitioner are in general both sadly deficient in the literature of our profession, and not nearly sufficiently acquainted with the writings, or even the names of the worthies that have preceded us; we should, however, lament to have such an introduction generally imposed upon medical works as unnecessary and irrelevant. This sketch of the history of surgery is very well composed, and Mr. Mil. ler has given honour where honour is due, and has restored the credit to some of the older surgeons, which it has been the unworthy endeavour of a few moderns to appropriate to themselves. A spirit of truthfulness and candour pervades this history, which is very refreshing. It was hoped that all attempts to maintain the unnatural and arbitrary divisions of medicine and surgery-at least so far as the study of the profession was implicated, whatever might be thought with regard to its practice,-were at an end, never to be revived, but the late recently chartered, and proposed legislative enactments, appear to have the tendency to perpetuate this baneful anomaly: with these impressions we read with gratification that its (surgery's) complete separation from medicine would now be attended with the utmost difficulty; (would it not be impossible?) nor is it desirable that the attempt should be made, because its success, however partial and imperfect, would be most hurtful to both. They are now, and it is to be hoped ever will remain, one and inseparable. Their principles are the same throughout, and the exercise of their different branches re quires the same fundamental knowledge; but their details are so numerous and intricate as to render it most difficult, if not impossible, for any one individual to cultivate all with equal success." The separation, however, is not one of acquirements, but merely of practice. It should never be forgotten, that the physician, before he can be either accomplished or successful in his profession, must be intimately conversant with the principles, if not with the practice, of surgery. And most certainly no one can ever lay just claim even to the title of surgeon, far less hope for eminence or success, unless he be equally qualified to assume both the appellation and employment of the physician." We pass over the consideration of the historical notice the more readily, as Mr. Adams's translation from the Greek of the "Seven Books of Paulus Ægineta, with a commentary embracing a complete view of the knowledge possessed by the Greeks, Romans and Arabians, on all subjects connected with Medicine and Surgery," from which Mr. Miller has drawn some of his particulars, is or soon will be, in the possession of most of the profession, it be ing now in the course of publication by the Sydenham Society.

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Our author has divided his work into four sections without intending, it is presumed, to convey a nosological arrangement. The first Section includes what he has termed "Elementary Disease;" this is subdivided into six Chapters, including "Perverted Action of the Bloodvessels," Infiamation and Congestion; "Perverted Action of the Nerves," Irritation, &c.; "Perverted action of the Absorbents" without inflammation; "Suppuration;" "Ulceration," including Granulation & Cicatrization; and "Mortification." The second Section treats of "Perverted vascular action in certain tissues;" first in the Integument; second, in Bone; third,