fymptoms of an approaching diffolution; which accordingly happened next morning.

Tho' the above cafe terminated fatally, it, in my opinion, affords the most convincing proof of the powerful and falutary effects of the flowers of zinc in convulfive and fpafmodic diseases. I have had an opportunity of using them in three other cafes of this nature; in two of which they were evidently attended with confiderable advan tage; but, in the third, they entirely failed.

SECT.

IN

duction to the Theory and Practice of Phyfic, by Dr David M'Bride, lately published at Dublin, among other additions which may be confidered as entirely new, is a case of Angina Pectoris. This case, we are told, was communicated to Dr M'Bride by Dr Smyth of Dublin, who still continues at the head of his profeffion in that kingdom; a station which he has defervedly held for near thirty years.

As Dr Smyth feems to be the first who thought of a radical cure for this diftemper, by means of iffues and alteratives; and, as this practice may be inftrumental in preferving many useful lives,

we

we have little doubt that this cafe, extracted at full length, from the work we have mentioned, will be acceptable to our readers.

"A. B. a tall, well made man; rather large than otherwife; of healthy parents, except that there had been a little gout in the family; temperate; being very attentive to the business of his trade, (that of a watch-maker,) led a life uncommonly fedentary; had, from his boyhood upwards, been remarkably fubject to alarming inflammations of his throat, which feized him, át least, once in the course of the year; in all other respects well.

In 1767, (then 48 years of age,) he was taken, without any evident cause, with a sudden and very difpiriting throbbing under the fternum. It foon afterwards increafed, and returned upon him every third or fourth week, accompanied with great anxiety; very laborious breathing; choaking; a fenfation of fulness and distension in his head; a bloated and flufhed countenance; turgid and watery eyes; and a very irregular and unequal pulfe. The paroxyfm invaded, almost constantly, while he was fitting after dinner; now and then he was feized with it in the morning, when walking a little fafter than ufual; and was then

obliged

obliged to ftop, and reft on any object at hand. Once or twice it came on in bed, but did not oblige him to fit up, as it was then attended with no great difficulty in breathing. In the afternoon fits, his greatest ease was from a fupine posture; in which he used to continue motionless for fome hours, until, quite spent and worn out with anguifh, he dropt into a flumber, In the intervals between these attacks, which at length grew fo frequent as to return every fourth or fifth day, he was, to appearance, in perfect health.

Thus matters continued for more then two years; and various antifpafmodics were ineffectu ally tried for his relief. In 1769, there supervened a very fharp, conftrictory pain, at the upper part of the fternum, ftretching equally on each fide, attended with the former fymptoms of anxiety, dyspnoea, choaking, &c. and with an excruciating cramp, as he called it, that could be covered with a crown-piece, in each of his arms, between the elbow and the wrist, exactly at the infertion of the pronator teres; the rest of the limb was quite free. The fits were fometimes brought on, and always exafperated, by any agi tation of mind or body. He once attempted to ride o❜horfeback during the paroxyfm; but the

experiment was near proving fatal to him. The difference of season or weather made no impreffion upon him. Still, in the intervals, his health was perfectly good; except that his eyes, which, before his illness, were remarkably (trong and clear, were now grown extremely tender; and that his fight was much impaired. He had no flatulency of ftomach, and his bowels were regu. lar.

"In this fituation, Feb. 22. 1770, he applied to me for affistance. I had feen, I believe, eight or ten of these frightful cafes before. Two of the patients dropt dead fuddenly. They were men between forty and fifty years of age, and of a make somewhat flefhy. The fate of the others I was not informed of; or, at least, cannot now recollect.

' Having found the total inefficacy of blifters, and the whole clafs of nervous medicines in the treatment of this anomalous spasm, I thought it right to attempt the correcting, or draining off, of the irritating fluid in the cafe now before us; to this purpose, I ordered a mixture of aq. calc. mag. c. with a little of the aq. junip. c. and an alterative proportion of Huxham's antimonial wine; I put the patient on a plain, light, per

spirable