ART. IX. An Inquiry into the remote Caufe of Urinary Gravel. By Arthur Philip Wilfon, M. D. Soc. Med. Edin. Soc. 8vo. pp. 200. 3s. 6d. fewed. Johnson.

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HIS author firft prefents us with a number of experiments to afcertain the effect of exercise and diet on the urine, particularly on the depofitions which take place in that liquid as it cools. Thefe depofitions are, according to Dr. W. 1. the lithic acid of Scheele, or the fandy depofition which foon falls to the bottom; and, 2. the cream-coloured fediment. The latter, as to its appearance, is thus characterized: Urine, left to itfelf, depofits either a whitifh matter, rendering it muddy; and this often in an hour or two after it is made; or chrystals of lithic acid.' As to its compofition, this fediment is faid to be the neutral falt, [what neutral falt?] containing the lithic acid;' the author forms this opinion, because acids precipitate more lithic acid from urine with cream-coloured fediment than other urine; because, the more it contains of cream-coloured fediment, the more time do acids take in rendering it limpid, and the longer is the lithic acid in being entirely depofited; and because, in this laft cafe, one can eafily perceive the gradual change induced on the cream-coloured fediment, which altered its colour, and, being at the fame time precipitated, changed it into a dark-red fandy-looking matter. This, we own, to our taste, is bitter-bad chemistry.-The inferences, refpecting these two depofitions, are, that they did not both exift in confiderable quantity in the fame urine; that the lithic acid was most abundant in the urine of perfons ufing acefcent diet, and the other in that of those who used the contrary diet: that the latter is more foluble in urine than the former; and that acids act more on the lithic acid than on the other fediment.-We do not fee any good foundation for the opinion that these fediments are to a certain degree mutually incompatible. Why may not much of the acid, and much of the neutral falt too, be formed? We think that this often is fo in fever.

To give the reader an idea of the effect of diet, as ftated by the author, we may obferve that, having lived on a mixture of animal and vegetable food, he collected 1 gr. of lithic acid from a certain portion of urine, for two fucceffive days: but, on eating lemons, and living on acefcent food, be collected 3 gr. from the fame quantity of urine for two fucceffive days. In one experiment on a lad who lived on lemon juice and acefcent food, much cream-coloured fediment, and no lithic acid, appeared but this variation in the refult is imputed to the diaphoretic effect of the vegetable diet; and it fhews, fays Dr. W. how little acefcent ingefta predifpofe to gravel, where the action of the fkin is vigorous.

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The theory, founded on thefe premifes, is, that the cause of gravel is the precipitation of the lithic acid from the urine, which precipitation is affected by another acid generated in the body, often independently of acid or acefcent food. Hence the formation of infoluble concretions in the urine is to be prevented by a vigorous action of the skin and kidneys; in which cafe, no precipitating acid will be accumulated in the body. Since M. Berthollet's obfervations, it is well known that the liquid exhaled from the skin is acid.

Having laid down this principle, Dr. W. reviews the predif pofing caufes of gravel; and, under this head, we are obliged to object to the juftnefs, without being able to compliment him on the ingenuity, of his reafoning. Men, he fays, are more fubject to gravel than women; whole bodies are more lax, and confequently contain lefs earthy matter. Where is the proof that laxity of temperament is caused by deficiency of earth?but, in thefe clay-burthened mortals, 1. The circulation is languid; 2. As they have naturally greater firmness, perfpiration will be earlier checked by the obliteration of capillary vessels of the skin and kidnies. The only natural vents** being thus blocked up, the perfpirable acid matter will be accumulated, and at laft forced off, gufh, by the kidnies;' where, precipitating the lithic acid, it will lay a foundation for a fit of the gravel,' or worse.

From this fpecimen, the reader will guefs how the Doctor makes his other predifpofing caufes perform their part; they are old age, exceffive labour, high living, indolence, and too much heat. The manner in which Dr. W. would counteract this accumulation we do not think it neceffary to ftate ;-only remarking that, bold man! he would not be much afraid of throwing off the load of acidity by mercurial ointment.

The work concludes with remarks on dyfpepfia; of which, after a learned argument, the author difcovers the cause in deficiency of gaftric liquor; and that of anorexia in the absence of this liquor. He thinks it might, in certain circumftances, be advifeable to difpel hunger, which, as he believes, is occafioned by the gastric liquor gnawing, or attempting to gnaw, the ftomach, by fairly ejecting this liquor.-As there are probably, alas! tens of thoufands in this country, who every day feel the unpleasant effect of this troublesome inmate, we confider Dr. W.'s hint as happily timed: for perhaps fome benevolent perfon may, in confequence, conceive the idea of advifing the poor, when hungry, to excite vomiting, as Dr. W. did in himself, by lukewarm water, which will give them

Has Dr. W. forgotten the lungs ?

difguft

disgust for food' for feveral hours; at the expiration of which time, they may repeat the cheap emetic, in cafe they should then be able to procure no food; after feveral repetitions, they would want none.-We have not observed what Dr. W. does with the gastric liquor, when anorexia follows unfatisfied hunger, as it often does.-It should not be omitted that the Doctor lays much ftrefs on the ufus veneris modicus for curing dyfpepfia; juftly lamenting, however, the pleasantnefs of the remedy, fince it may be abused. We might have objected to him that the acids of the perfpiration and urine are probably formed by the exhalants and kidneys. We might alfo have remarked that, if Dr. Austin's theory of the formation of calculus be true, Dr. Wilfon's must be falfe:-but, having fufficiently attended on Dr. W. we haften to pay our respects to other authors.

ART. X. A Journal during a Refidence in France, from the Beginning of Auguft to the Middle of December 1792. To which is added, an Account of the most remarkable Events that happened at Paris from that Time to the Death of the late King of France. By John Moore, M. D. Vol. II. 8vo. pp. 617. 8s. 6d. Boards. Robinfons. 1793.

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WE gave an account of the first part of this Journal in our 11th vol. N. S. p. 179. The fecond now makes its appearance; and thofe who formed their expectations from it by a perufal of the firft will not meet with difappointment. Dr. Moore enjoyed many of the requifites for giving an undisguised and inftructive account of the late extraordinary proceedings in France. He had received part of his education in that country, in which he has fince paffed feveral years at different periods; and he had viewed and defcribed the French character, while the knightly virtues of royalty and gallantry were in their full bloom. In his former publications, he was inclined to view with a favourable eye even the failings of that lively and volatile nation. At the fame time that he commended their attachment to abfolute monarchy, which then seemed congenial to the French character, he appeared himself, as became a Briton, a zealous friend to political freedom; and being, in his quality of foreigner, unconnected by hope, fear, or intereft, with the domeftic parties of France, he was likely to give a more fair and candid narrative of the public tranfactions in that country, than could be expected from the pen of a Frenchman.

The prefent volume begins with the retreat of the Auftrians from before Lifle, and ends with the death of the late king. Inftead of fatiguing his readers by general defcription, the

Doctor

Doctor paints the temper and manners of the times by particular incidents.

As the principal events of the grand period to which the prefent volume relates are fo recent, and fresh in the recollection of our readers, any extracts from fuch parts of the work would not have the merit of novelty: but we may transcribe a few paffages from incidents of a more private nature, which fell immediately under the writer's perfonal obfervation; and which, though feemingly of inferior importance, will not perhaps prove unworthy of the attention of thofe who know the real value of anecdotes that often mark nations, and times, and individuals with their trueft characteristics.

At Aire, Dr. M. found the retreat of the Auftrians differently related; and, not trufting to the information obtained at his wretched inn, which happened to be the leaft frequented in the place, went to a coffee-houfe, and addreffed a grave-looking I foon difcovered man who smoked his pipe at the door. (fays the Doctor) that he knew nothing of the matter, and was more difpofed to ask questions than able to give answers. He faid he perceived I was a ftranger; and he asked where I lodged. I answered, at the Three Kings. "At the Three Kings!" repeated he with a grimace, "truly, Sir, you have chofen your lodgings with people who are not much in fashion at prefent."

The impetuofity of the French character, under the impreffions of their prefent political enthufiafm, is well reprefented in the following flight incident:

For the first two pofts after leaving Peronne, we were continually meeting small bodies of the Gens d'Armes who were haftening to the relief of Lille: they march in a very ftraggling manner. The battalion confifts of a thousand men; I do not fuppofe there was above two hundred in a body, with the colours. They cried as we paffed, Vive la nation! vive la république ! and in a manner that fufficiently denoted that it was expected we should do the fame, which we did accordingly; but this ceremony becoming a little fatiguing, one of the fervants refrained from joining in the cry when he was invited.-A foldier obferving this, feized the bridle of his horfe, and ordered him to repeat the words; with which as the man did not immediately comply, another levelled his piece, and would probably have fired, if Lord Lauderdale had not darted his head out of the window of the carriage, calling out that the man did not understand their language, that he was un Anglois; on which the foldier raised his musket, and a young officer waving his hat and calling out Vivent les Anglois! we paffed on. Although there is no danger of a man's lofing his money by robbery on the highway when he travels in France, he is in confiderable danger of lofing his life, if he happens not to be attentive and obedient to the word of command on occafions like this.

REV. FEB. 1794.

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It was fifty to one that this fervant was not hot through the head, or thrust through with a bayonet for his tardiness in the prefent inftance; and if he had, fome one would have obferved, as the man did at Clermont, C'est un homme de moins, and no farther notice would have been taken of the incident.'

The following anecdote feems, in fome degree, to mark that trait in the difpofition and character of Frenchmen, which has been thought to diftinguish them from other nations, viz. their apparent infenfibility to many of the misfortunes, difagreeable circumstances, and viciffitudes, to which human nature is fubject:

I heard a petition read in the Convention from the widow of a fword cutler of Charleville. A report had been spread that he furnished arms to the enemy: this immediately roufed the people, and in the first fury of their civisme, as it is called, they cut off his head. Very foon after it appeared that the report was falfe, and that the unfortunate fword-cutler had always been a zealous patriot. Some of the deputies feemed very much fhocked at this; but I heard one obferve, with great coolness, that he was forry for what the people of Charleville had done; and then added, with an air of fagacity, "but the best people in the world are liable to be mistaken."

However ready the French are to accufe individuals, the inhabitants of the most defpotic country are not more afraid of speaking treason, than the French are of faying any thing to the difadvantage of the people: no nation was ever more indulgent to the caprices of its tyrant, than France is at prefent, to that most capricious and bloody of all tyrants, Le Peuple Souverain.'

Although Dr. Moore embraces every occafion of expreffing the horror he continually felt on feeing the almost unceafing affaffinations and bloodthed, to which the unhappy French have been expofed, in confequence of their want of union among themfelves fince the epoch of the Revolution; yet he frequently manifefts his impartiality in his reflections and reprefentations on this head. An inftance appears in the paffage here fubjoined:

In a converfation with a member of the Convention, I delivered my fentiments pretty freely upon the subject of the murder of Mr. de la Rochefoucauld, and fome fimilar events which have taken place of late in France: he expreffed the utmolt horror at them, but added that fcenes of the fame kind had been acted in every country of Europe in times of revolution and diffention, when great interefts were at stake, and when the human paffions were inflamed and agitated in the highest degree. He mentioned certain barbarous cruelties which had been committed, on both fides, during the conteit between the white rofe and the red in England: he enlarged on the maffacre in Ireland in the reign of Charles the First, and on the perfidious affair of Glenco in Scotland in the reign of King William. He added that, every thing confidered, perhaps it belonged lefs to

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