ftopped; and, as I found the child must have been dead fome time, the cuticle stripping all off with what little force I used, I was fearful, from the great resistance I then met with, that I should pull the body from the head, and leave the head in the pelvis. I wrapped a cloath round the body, and gradually pulled, at the fame time alternately raised the body upwards, and moved it downwards. Finding I gained some little advantage, I perfevered till I came to the fhoulders; then cleared both the arms. After this I paffed my finger into the child's mouth, and here found greater refiftance than ever. At length I overcame it, and, to my great surprise, found a large tumour growing behind the head, of nearly the fame fize with the head.

The origin of this tumour was exactly at the lambdoidal future, and it hung by a stalk of about half an inch long, and two inches in circumference, and then immediately enlarged to the fize of the child's head. The external covering of this tumour was very red, and exceedingly vafcular, but had no hair upon it: The integuments were very thick, and it evidently contained a fluid. As I could not prevail upon the friends to let me have the foetus, I was determined to exa

mine

mine the contents of the tumour, to which they reluctantly gave confent. I divided the integu ments near to the basis of the tumour, and found that it contained about a pound of thin blood of a very black colour, and somewhat foetid. There was also blended with it a large portion of the medullary fubftance of the brain; but I am dif posed to think, that the brain was not a part pe culiar to the tumour, but that the dura mater was become putrid, and by that means fuffered a part of the brain to pass into the preternatural tumour, and fo it came to be mixed with the inclosed fluid. The lower part of the back look, ed exceedingly livid, and the lumbar proceffes of the fpine were much bent inwards and broke, It seemed that this part of the child had suffered fome violent injury, so as to be the cause of its death, which, from the age of the foetus, and the appearance of putrefaction, must have happened at least one month before delivery. Up on afking the woman if she had received any injury during her pregnancy, the informed me that he had received a violent blow upon her belly, about two months before, falling down upon the edge of a large cloaths basket.

Upon

Upon the whole, the history of the case must ap pear fingular, when we confider that the presentation of the child was fuch as, I believe, has never been described by any profeffor of midwifery. A point of one fhoulder, the hand, arm, and fhoulder of the other fide, the infertion of the funis umbilicalis, and one leg lying across the fide, were all to be distinctly felt at once. The leg that was first discovered was bent, and turned quite upwards from the knee; fo that the fituation of it had impeded the circulation of blood into that, limb, and occafioned that leg and foot to be fo much less than the other.

IV.

Obfervations on the internal ufe of the Vitriolum
Album, in a Cafe of Epilepfy, and in Diarrhoea.
By Mr James Johnson Surgeon in Lancaster,
Communicated to Dr Duncan.

A *

Young woman, in the 24th year of her age, who had been afflicted with epilepfy for near the space of three years, applied to me about the end of March 1776.

VOL. V. No. 19.

Xx

At

At first her fits returned only after intervals of about fix weeks, and then they were not very fevere. But, by degrees, they returned at fhorter intervals, till fhe had one every fortnight; and they had, at the fame time, become much more .fevere.

Before fhe came under my care fhe had taken feveral medicines, particularly valeriana, ruta, and pæonia, but without any mitigation of her affection. I had, at first, thoughts of trying the flores zinci. But, in imitation of the treatment which I had feen followed by Dr William Saunders of Guy's hospital, and in consequence of the recommendation which he gives in his lectures of employing the white vitriol in preference to the zinc, I determined on the use of that medicine. I accordingly began with the ufe of the white vitriol about the first of April, and continued it till about the middle of October. at first took five grains twice a-day; but the dofe was gradually increased till at length she took twelve. She continued this medicine uniformly from the time that fhe began it, ufing it without any interruption even during the flow of the menfes. It had no fenfible operation, excepting that now and then it produced a flight degree of

She

naufea

naufea for a few mornings after the dofe had been increafed.

After she began this medicine, she had three or four fits at about the distance of ten days from each other; and these were more fevere than any to which the had before been subjected. After this fhe had frequently the fymptoms of an ap proaching fit, but had no real fit for the space of two months. After this fhe had one fit, which was very fevere; but, fince that, fhe has continued for the space of twelve months without any return. Before fhe began this medicine, the was told that it was only by perfevering in the ufe of it for a confiderable length of time, that fhe could expect any benefit. Yet I hardly expected that, even from such continuance, in the event, it would have been fo fuccefsful.

Befides the prefent cafe, I have given the white vitriol in fome other cafes of epilepfy, which indeed were flighter. In th fe also it has been employed with fuccefs. And I cannot help think. ing that it will fucceed in most cafes, if it be perfifted in for a fufficient length of time. But, without proper perfeverance, nothing is to be expected.

X x 2