supposed to have received the infection like the poor people of the city, fell sick and died in twenty-four hours; and the same day a son, the only child who remained, was attacked, and died also in a few hours. The rest of the children of this physician had all died in the month of September. Every one was touched with such a series of misfortunes, which seemed to fall the more severely on a gentleman who had himself suffered several attacks of the disease, and who by this last stroke was left entirely desolate.'

The work of M. Bertrand does not afford us the authentic documents which might be wished, or indeed expected, relative to the total number of persons who were carried off by the disease. We are told, in a general way, that it was computed that in the latter end of August and beginning of September, more than a thousand perished every day;' and it is afterward grossly estimated, that the whole mortality amounted to 50,000, being one half of the population of the city. An account is given of the losses sustained by the different trading bodies, which seem to justify this calculation:

Of 100 master hatters, 53 died; and of 300 journeymen who remained in the city, the rest having fled, only 30 escaped. Of 104 master joiners, 84 died. Of 138 master taylors, 78 died. Of. 200 shoemakers, 90 only survived; and of 400 coblers, only 50. The masons were reduced from 500 to 150. If we descend to more servile occupations, such as porters, &c. not more than one in six escaped. With the women and children it was still worse, for the disease was always more fatal to them than to the men. By this we may form some idea of the general mortality, which certainly, on a moderate computation, carried away half the number of our inhabitants.'

M. Bertrand devotes the last part of his work to an account of the different publications that were written on the disease; many of which are controversial, principally discussing the question whether it was produced by contagion. We have been disappointed by meeting with little medical information respecting this formidable epidemic; its symptoms and progress are only incidentally mentioned, and in the most cursory manner; and the author gives scarcely any statement of the practice adopted either by himself or his colleagues, or of the effect produced by any of the remedies or plans of treatment. We must, indeed, confess that, in other respects, the publication has not afforded us all that interest and information which we anticipated. A large portion of it is occupied with a relation of petty squabbles among the magistrates and the physicians, and an account of contentions between the religious orders, with the

Mons. Bertrand, the author of this narrative.'

arrangement

arrangement of their ceremonials; subjects which at all times must have been of comparatively trifling importance, and are now totally uninteresting.

ART. XIV. A System of Arrangement and Discipline for the Medical Department of Armies. By Robert Jackson, M. D. 8vo.

pp. 50. 12s. 6d. Boards. Murray. 1805.

WE E noticed in our 46th Vol. (p. 60.) a publication by Dr. Jackson, on the constitution of the medical department of the army; and to many of his remarks we then cordially assented, particularly to those in which he strenuously recommends that every inducement should be offered, that may engage the most respectable members of the profession in the military service. To some of his proposals, however, especially that of establishing a medical school in the Isle of Wight, we took the liberty of objecting; and we also passed some strictures on the singularity of his style and phraseology, which appeared to us both affected and obscure. In the present volume, the subject is discussed more at large, and the author enters into the consideration of all the minute parts of his plan. He begins by pointing out the defects of the present system, and chi-fly in respect to the expenditure of the public money; and he in forms us that he addressed a letter to the minister, stating in forcible terms the grievances which exist in this department. He certainly by this act manifested a laudable zeal in the cause of his profession: but we think that he displays no great knowlege of the world in avowing his disappointment when he found that his communication was not noticed. It was in consequence of his letter remaining unanswered, that Dr. Jackson determined to lay his sentiments on this subject before the public; and the work which he has produced contains so much valuable matter, that we can scarcely regret the circumstance which gave rise to it.

The first chapter treats on the constitution of a medical staff;' and, after some remarks on its regulation, the Doctor proceeds to specify the kind of education which he deems peculiarly necessary for the military practitioner, and the principles which have directed the different nations of Europe in the arrangement of their medical code. He displays in a forcible manner the evils which are connected with general hospitals, and strongly enforces the superior advantages of regimental establishments; and the grounds on which he forms this preference are, we think, extremely plausible, if not absolutely convincing. He states it as an acknowleged fact, that, in the

general

general hospital, the mortality is greater, and the recovery more protracted even when it is finally effected. The circumstances, in which the patients are placed in these establishments, appear sufficient to enable us to account for this difference in their effects: since, in the one case, the assistance is prompt and immediate, the sick remain surrounded by their friends, and in general have abundance of fresh air: while in the other case, a day or more may elapse before the physician takes his accustomed round, the patients are placed under the care of strangers, and although the building may be spacious, its parts are frequently crowded, and the air rendered impure.

Dr. Jackson next considers the number of medical officers who would be sufficient to administer the necessary assistance on his system; and he concludes the chapter by a proposal for the institution of a medical school, in which the students should receive such instruction only as may be particularly adapted to a military life. To this suggestion, however, we must object, as we did to the plan of education which he offered in his former volume. We are of opinion that no single department of the medical profession can be learnt without an acquaintance with every branch of it; and as to Dr. Jackson's idea that an uniform medical creed should be established, to which all the teachers are to conform their instructions, such an arrangement would be obviously so subversive of all improvement, that we are surprised to see it proposed by any man of judgment and ability; peculiarly by one whose own doctrines and opinions differ so materially from those, which are adopted by the majority of his contemporaries.

Chapter II. relates to hospitals, and contains many judicious remarks on their situation, dimensions, construction, and arrangement. Though the details into which the author enters are too numerous to allow us to lay them before our readers, they are on this account the more valuable; and we would strongly recommend them to the attention of all those who are engaged in the establishment of hospitals of any description. In one particular, however, though a circumstance of subordinate importance, we must differ from the author: viz. when, in giving directions for the ventilation of the wards, he recommends that the windows should be carried down to the floor; because, as he says, the noxious part of the atmosphere, or something dissolved or suspended in the atmosphere possessing a noxious quality, seems to be among the heaviest portions of the air.' We have some doubts of the accuracy of this opinion; and we apprehend that windows of the kind which Dr. Jackson advises would be attended with serious incon

venience:

venience while the usual windows, if they be large enough, and the apartments be not too much crowded, should relieve him from all fear of the air accumulating in corners. Experi ments shew that the slightest agitation, or current, is sufficient to produce an uniform mixture of the air in any given space.

The opinion which we mentioned above, respecting the little advantage to be derived from the formation of general hospitals, is confirmed by some facts which are stated in the notes to the 2d chapter. In the year 1793, a different arrangement took place in the constitution of the army medical board; and one of the steps adopted under the new system was the establishment of general hospitals. It appears from Dr. Jackson's account, that some of these, having been found totally useless, are converted into barracks, and that none of them have by any means fulfilled the purpose for which they were erected.

The 3d chapter is intitled 'medical management.' After some observations on the importance of classing patients according to the character of their diseases, we are led into general remarks on pathology, in which we meet with the same singu larity of opinion and expression that we noticed in Dr. Jackson's former publication. His language is so different from that which is generally adopted, and is to us so obscure and unintelligible, that we cannot pretend to give an accurate analysis of his peculiar speculations; we are indeed strongly inclined to suspect that, in many cases, they possess more originality in the expression than in the substance. We next meet with a number of valuable details on subjects connected with the management of hospitals; among others, on the method of making out regular returns of the sick, provision of medical officers, discipline of the nurses and the other attendants, rules for the administration of medicines, and directions for the best method of providing them, with an estimate of the necessary expenditure. Chapter IV. which treats on economical administration, is in like manner principally composed of minute speci fications; furnishing an account of the number of servants of all descriptions necessary in a medical establishment, with some good observations on diet, and on the best method of obtaining a regular supply of provisions.

To conclude; we regard this as a publication of considerable value and importance. It is evidently the production of a man who writes from personal observation, whose opinions on many points are original, and who proposes them with unrestrained confidence. Probably his ardor may have led him into some inaccuracies, but his statements are certainly such as deserve the serious attention of those who superintend the army arrangements. If we have been more concise in our account of

the work than its merit might seem to deserve, our brevity will be excused by the expectation that the notice, which we take of it, must cause it to be perused by every one who is interested in the discussion.

MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For OCTOBER, 1806. .

EDUCATION.

Art. 15. The History of England, for the Use of Schools and Young Persons. By Edward Baldwin, Esq. With thirty-two Heads of the Kings, engraved on Copper-plate, and a striking Representa tion of an antient Tournament. kins. 1806.

I'

12mo. pp. 224. 45. Hodg

this gentleman be not a happy and successful preceptor of youth, the failure is not owing to a want of either ability or information, but, we apprehend, to a misconception of the nature of the function. He appears to be of opinion that what is easy in the perusal is composed with facility, the directly opposite of which is known to be the case by persons of sound taste and judgment; in no performances, not excepting those of the most scientific and didactic kind, ought accuracy and precision to be more sedulously observed than in those which are destined for children; and in no works are aukward playfulness, coarse expressions, and dubious sentiments to be more carefully avoided. We also think that authors, who devote their labours to children, should be sparing of opinions, and confine themselves very much to facts. If the bias of a writer, however, should tinge productions of this sort, we should least quarrel with it when, like that of Mr. B. it is in favour of the rights of the subject.

Mr. Baldwin has also published Fables antient and modern, for children, of which we mean speedily to take notice.

Art. 16. The Juvenile Preceptor: or Course of Moral and Scientific Instructions. Vol. II. containing Spelling Lessons from two to seven Syllables, &c. 12mo. 2s. 6d. Symonds.

This second volume, we are persuaded, will be received by the public with as much approbation as the former. (See Rev. Vol. 37, p. 210.) The stories are in a great measure compiled, but they are well selected, and impress good and virtuous sentiments.

The poems and hymns introduced are such as parents, of whatever bias in religious opinions, may wish to inculcate on the minds of theirt children.

A second edition of Vol. I. has been published: in which no word is inserted in sentences that has not before been used in spelling columns. Mr. Nicholson, the printer, of Poughnill, near Ludlow, avows himself as the compiler of this publication.

Art. 17. Domestic Recreations; or Dialogues illustrative of Natural and Scientific Subjects, by Priscilla Wakefield, Author of Mental Improvement,