when the ruptured vessel is small, which was evidently the case in this instance.

The subject of the 5th and last case is that of a young lady (the initials are omitted) about 18 years of age. "She was first seized with a tearing cough, which visibly became worse, under the best advice. She was affected with all the symptoms of Pulmonary Consumption: a statement of which was sent by her country apothecary. She took fifteen of the Hectic Pills in the course of the day, and in four months she was perfectly cured." Nitre, camphor, and James's powders were also administered, as the symptoms required. Five weeks after taking the Pills, she experienced a return of the dangerous symptoms, which induced him" to cease giving the Pills, and in place of which she took ten grains of purified nitre, and one grain of camphor twice a day, and 2 grains of James's powders, and one grain of calomel in the afternoon," which, he says, "abated the symptoms, and the fever, always attending on cold vanished in a few days;" and yet, in another place, he acknowledges" he did not see the patient"!!!

Of the several remarkable cases, the last is the only one which can be deemed Consumption of the Lungs. Now as we are convinced, from an analysis of the Pills, that they do not possess any property that can be termed antiphthisical, we will agree to give Mr. Laurance Hope a purse, containing fifty guineas, provided a state

ment of the young lady's case was transmitted to him by her apothecary, and that it should appear by it as well as by the evidence of the young lady, that she was afflicted in the manner he represents her to have been. If he does not accept of this proposal, it will of course appear evident, as we suspect to be the case, that the whole is an infamous fabrication. If Laurance Hope or Mr. Walker are desirous of ascertaining the properties of the Pills by the test of experience, we propose to select four fair cases of Pulmonary Consumption, in the first stage of the disease, and if his Hectic Pills succeed in one case, we will further agree to present to him, with fifty guineas more, a proposal, which we will bind ourselves to fulfil by the strictest agreement, and to which, if his views are really what he so solemnly declares them to be, he will of course readily accede; but if his object is to enrich himself, at the expense of the lives and happiness of his fellow-creatures, he will decline it: and of course it will be our duty, as philanthropists, to expose him in his true colours in our next number, which, if such be the case, we shall certainly do, and further declare that legal means shall be taken, which will probably discover his real name and address.

In order to insure the confidence of the public, and the better to impose his trash on the credulous ignorant, he assures them "that almost every tincture, elixir, extract, with many other compounds now adopted in regular practice and

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the materia medica, were originally sold by the inventors as a private, or quack, medicine" !!! Now we defy him to point out any one recipe in the Pharmacopoeia of the London or Edinburgh college of Physicians that was discovered by a quack!! Surely such a scandalous and gross falsehood deserves the most condign punishment. The case is, as we have satisfactorily proved in our first number, that the regular medicines of the Pharmacopoeia are daily advertised by unprincipled men, under spurious names. Where is the quack that does not say that his nostrum is sanctioned and employed by the most eminent physicians? The learned and candid author does us the honour to acquiesce in opinion with us (when speaking of the Medical Observer) but thinks that it is not sufficient to tell the public that the medicine sold under the title of Balsam of Liquorice is not what the title implies; but Paregoric Elixir. So ignorant is he of chemistry, that he supposes possible to separate the essential oil, and extractive matters of vegetables with which the nostrums are impregnated!!! Any apothecary's boy could have informed him better, had he thought proper to have made the inquiry. In our next number we expect to be enabled to lay before our readers some interesting facts, if any further proof be necessary, which will completely expose the real views of the author, which at present we are not sufficiently authorized to do. 1. S.

it

TINCTURE OF THE PERUVIAN BARK,

Prepared by A. FREAKE, Apothecary, Tottenham Court Road, and sold by the principal Venders of Quack Medicines.

A man must possess no small degree of impudence, publickly to boast of being able to make so simple a preparation as a tincture, better than any other apothecary or chemist. If Mr. Freake be thus proud of his superior knowledge of one of the most insignificant processes in pharmaceutical chemistry, (if chemistry it can be termed) which any old woman that has once made a cup of tea, might conduct, it is a fair conclusion, that he is but very superficially acquainted with those of a more intricate nature. Mr. Freake, however, by his simple preparation, has obtained the distinguished honour of having his name enrolled with those of a Dr. Solomon, a Dr. Brodum, a Leake, &c. and with them, transmitted to posterity in the respectable list of Quack Medicines attached to the late act of parliament for regulating the duties on advertised nostrums, &c.!!

Mr. Freake's Tincture of Bark, although much dearer than that sold by other apothecaries and chemists, is in no respects, as we can discover, better prepared, or superior as a medicine. It is

not so well prepared as Mr. Brown's tincture of the yellow bark, noticed in this number; and any tincture, not so strongly impregnated with the properties of the bark, we should pronounce to be a bad preparation. The best menstruum for extracting the medicinal virtues of the Peruvian bark, is proof spirit, to which its resinous and gummy principles are readily imparted. Mr. Freake, or any other druggist, cannot do more in making a tincture, than macerate good Peruvian bark in such menstruum for a proper period, and at times, to agitate the vessel. This process is so very simple, that it is rather common for ladies to prepare their own tincture of bark, by infusing four ounces of Peruvian bark (bruised) in a quart of brandy, for a few days, within the heat of the fire, which, in no respect is inferior to the tincture of bark puffed off by Mr. Freake. The tincture of Peruvian bark, however strongly impregnated with its virtues, is a bad medicine, because, the proportion of spirit, to the quantity of extractive matter it contains, is much too great; and in cases of indigestion, particularly, must prove highly injurious. It is on this account, that the tincture is so seldom prescribed by regular practitioners.

Mr. Freake has lately favoured the public with a dissertation on the efficacy of the Hop, in Gout and other diseases: the preparations of which, he