Scrofula is a disease that will but too frequently run its course, and at certain periods of the year will often suddenly disappear, when the medicine the patient happened to be taking at the time, obtains the merit of curing the disease; hence, many old women, and herbs which possess no antiscrofulous property whatever, have been celebrated for cures with which they had nothing to do.

We answer for it, that no regular physician or surgeon either of Saint Bartholomew's hospital or any other Medical Institution in London, (excepting those of Mr. Spilsbury's Dispensary,) would give a patient a solution of corrosive sublimate of mercury to take at random, or keep one under its influence twelve months. When the scrofulous diathesis runs high in the system, a little mercury is sometimes beneficial, but its continued use we have observed uniformly to weaken the system, and thus aggravate the disease; but where the diathesis is corrected, the internal and external use of corrosive sublimate of mercury, will generally cure the local ulcerations which are sometimes of an obstinate phagedénic nature. It is therefore probable that the scrofulous diathesis of the system was so far destroyed by the medicines Sarah Eckford took, under the directions of medical men, at St. Bartholomew's hospital, as to yield to the use of Mr. Spilsbury's drops, and would probably as readily have given way to a restorative diet and country air as to Mr. Spilsbury's medicine. We think Mr. S. has rather exceeded the bounds of propriety, in publishing this case, which we cannot but consider a libel on the character of the physicians and surgeons of that institution, and as calculated to operate to the injury of the first hospital in this kingdom.

If the cases of the patients that are discharged cured every week from that hospital, were published in the papers, we can assert, that no Sunday paper would contain them. We can state, from our own knowledge, that many hundreds have received perfect cures in the hospitals in London, which would otherwise have lost their lives by trusting to medicines of unprincipled advertisers of specifics, which they were taking at the time of their admission. Mr. Spilsbury may contend, that in proper doses, his medicine is innocent; but we say, that such potent medicines should never be put into the hands of ignorance, much less advertised for the cure of diseases, which in certain periods and constitutions must be productive of the most serious consequences.

We perfectly recollect when the ague prevailed much in Lincolnshire, a solution of arsenic was puffed off as an infallible remedy, under the title of ague drops, and certainly cured a great number of people. But the peasants supposing from the insipidity of its taste that it must be very inoffensive, concluded, that if ten drops three times a day would cure a patient in four days, double the quantity would produce the same salutary effects in two days, and others, to save trouble, would take the quantity at once, which was ordered for four doses. By these liberties, it is a well-known fact, several people were poisoned. The same may happen with Mr. Spilsbury's drops if the people are not acquainted with their composition.

We consider a medicine of this kind in the hands of ignorance, must often be attended with serious mischief, inasmuch as great attention is necessary to be paid to diet, and avoiding cold, which the patient is very likely to neglect, from the supposition that the medicine is innocent. We likewise

doubt much, whether mercury be entitled to the term of antiscorbutic. In true scorbutic cases, few surgeons that has seen much practice would venture on its use. Besides, it certainly is necessary that the effects of mercurial medicines should be attentively watched, and for this purpose patients should be seen at least every third day. We should think a regular practitioner very censurable if he neglected to see a patient under a mercurial course longer than that time.

We consider this medicine abominably dear, as four pennyworth of muriated mercury would make half a dozen of the five shilling bottles.

We cannot conclude our account of this medicine without expressing our surprise, that the practice which Mr. Spilsbury's dispensaries in different parts of London, have not yet taught him that the eruptions which are vulgarly termed scorbutic in this country, arise from a variety of causes, and are generally of symptomatic or a critical nature, and therefore not only require different remedies, but often great skill and judgment in their prescriptions and applications. It is a wellknown fact, that numbers lose their lives by improper treatment of cutaneous affections.

Why a patent should have been granted to the proprietor for a medicine that has not the least claim to it, we cannot conjecture. One would have supposed that government would have ascertained the real merit of the nostrum before they granted such a protection.

MODENA FOSSIL,

Prepared and sold by the Inventor and Proprietor, MR. EDWARD OXLEY, OF HULL,

Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in London, &c.

"For hooping-cough, palsy, rheumatism, cramp of "the stomach, white swelling of the joints, scro phulous swelling or king's evil, pains, hardness, "schirrus and approaching CANCER of the breasts

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of women, and of the glands in general, asth"matic fits, and difficulty of breathing, pains, "weakness and wasting of the back, joints, and "limbs, sprains, bruises, and chilblains, nervous "head-ache, &c." Price 5s. 5d. 11s. 6d. duty included.

The title of this nostrum so much puzzled Mr. Chamberlayne in examining the schedule of the late Act of Parliament, that he could not determine whether it should be erased or not, supposing that it might be a newly discovered Fossil. In his late valuable publication on the medicine act, he has therefore made a note on this article" Nescio."-Amber is now supposed to be a fossil, and having probably been obtained near Modena in Italy, our advertiser thought that the title of Modena Fossil was not altogether inapplicable to his nostrum, and from its novelty very likely to attract the attention both of the medical profession and the ignorant !!!

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The title and long list of diseases sufficiently bespeak the character and views of the proprietor. We consider this practice disgraceful to the College of Surgeons, of which he states himself to be a member; we shall advert to this subject in the next number, when we have to notice the advertisements of Mr. Bree and Kierman.

Oil of amber has been long employed in embrocations for the hooping-cough and diseased joints, but as an application for schirrous tumours, we conceive no surgeon that has seen much practice would countenance it, as the friction and stimulating properties would be more likely to hasten its progress to cancer than disperse it. If the

Modena Fossil be capable of curing cancer, he need not incur the expense or disgrace of advertising it. A person that can cure that disease, would not only amass a considerable fortune by his practice, but would also receive a very handsome remuneration from parliament. In the reward of such important discoveries, our government has been rather too forward than otherwise. We do not find that this wonderful discovery has increased the advertiser's practice in Hull, or that he has obtained any celebrity for the cure of those diseases for which it is advertised.

In the direction for the use of this nostrum, is given the proprietor's court of arms, consisting of a phoenix, three bells, and the common phoenix, motto of "Denuo animare." The bells no one will dispute his right to, but we think a duck would have been more in character than the phoenix.