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A Register of the going of the clock with the unhammered zinc bar twenty-nine inches in length, determined from observations of the sun's transit over the meridian.

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20. Clock stopped, having been forgot to be wound up.

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24. Clock stopped, owing to a fault in the escapement. It was afterwards altered. February 16, set going again.

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N.B. This register has been made since the foregoing

account was sent to the Society.

IV. Me

IV. Memoirs of the late ERASMUS DARWIN, M. D.

[Continued from vol. xxxi. p. 309.]

DARWINIANA.

HIS Is account, and mode of cure in defective ossification, rickets, distortion of the spine, lameness from the hip-bone, and protuberance of the spine, claim every attention.

Innutritio ossium. Innutrition of the bones.-Not only the blood effused in vibices and petechiae, or from bruises, as well as the blood and new vessels in inflamed parts, are reabsorbed by the increased action of the lymphatics; but the harder materials, which constitute the fangs of the first set of teeth, and the ends of exfoliating bones, and sometimes the matter of chalk-stones in the gout, the coagulable lymph, which is deposited on the lungs, or on the muscles after inflammation of those parts, and which frequently produces difficulty of breathing, and the pains of chronic rheumatism, and lastly the earthy part of the living bones are dissolved and absorbed by the increased actions of this system of vessels.

The earthy part of bones in this disease of the innutrition. of them seems to suffer a solution and reabsorption; while the secerning vessels do not supply a sufficient quantity of calcareous earth and phosphoric acid, which constitute the substance of bones. As calcareous earth abounds every where, Is the want of phosphoric acid the remote cause? One cause of this malady is given in the Philosophical Transactions, where the patient had been accustomed to drink large quantities of vinegar. Two cases are described by Mr. Gouch. In one case, which I saw, a considerable quantity of calcareous earth, and afterwards of bone-ashes, and of decoction of madder, and also of sublimate of mercury, were given without effect. All the bones became soft, many of them broke, and the patient seemed to die from the want of being able to distend her chest owing to the softness of the ribs.

M. M. Salt of urine, called sal microcosmicum, phosphorated soda. Calcined hartshorn. Bone-ashes. Hard or petrifying water, as that of Matlock, or such as is found in

all

all limestone or marley countries. The calcareous earth in these waters might possibly be carried to the bones, as madder is known to colour them. Warm bath. Volatile or fixed alkali as a lotion on the spine, or essential oils.

The innutrition of the bones is often first to be perceived by the difficulty of breathing and palpitation of the heart on walking a little faster than usual, which I suppose is owing to the softness of the ends of the ribs adjoining to the sternum ; on which account they do not perfectly distend the chest, when they are raised by the pectoral and intercostal muscles with greater force than usual. After this the spine becomes curved both by the softness of its vertebræ, and for the purpose of making room for the disturbed heart.

As these patients are pale and weak, there would seem to be a deficiency of oxygen in their blood, and in consequence a deficiency of phosphoric acid; which is probably produced by oxygen in the act of respiration.

Mr. Bonhomme in the Chemical Annals, August 1793, supposes the rickets to arise from the prevalence of vegetable or acetous acid, which is known to soften bones out of the body. Mr. Dettaen seems to have espoused a similar opinion; and both of them in consequence give alkalis and testacea. If this theory was just, the soft bones of such patients should show evident marks of such acidity after death; which I believe has not been observed. Nor is it analogous to other animal facts, that nutritious fluids secreted by the finest vessels of the body should be so little animalized as to retain acetous or vegetable acidity.

The success attending the following case in so short a time as a fortnight, I ascribed principally to the use of the warm bath, in which the patient continued for full half an hour every night, in the degree of heat which was most grateful to her sensation, which might be I suppose about 94. Miss about ten years of age, and very tall and thin, has laboured under palpitation of her heart, and difficult breathing on the least exercise, with occasional violent dry cough, for a year or more, with dry lips, little appetite either for food or drink, and dry skin, with cold extremities. She has at times been occasionally worse, and been relieved

in some degree by the bark. She began to bend forwards, and to lift up her shoulders. The former seemed owing to a beginning curvature of the spine, the latter was probably caused to facilitate her difficult respiration.

M. M. She used the warm bath, as above related; which by its warmth might increase the irritability of the smallest series of vessels, and by supplying more moisture to the blood might probably tend to carry further the materials which form calcareous or bony particles, or to convey them in more dilute solution. She took twice a day twenty grains of extract of bark, twenty grains of soda phosphorata, and ten grains of chalk, and ten of calcined hartshorn, mixed into a powder with ten drops of laudanum; with flesh food both to dinner and supper; and Port wine and water instead of the small beer she had been accustomed to; she lay on a sofa frequently in a day, and occasionally used a neck-swing.

Rachitis. Rickets.-The head is large, protuberant chiefly on the forepart. The smaller joints are swelled; the ribs depressed; the belly tumid, with other parts emaciated. This disease from the innutrition or softness of, the bones. arose about two centuries ago; seems to have been half a century in an increasing or spreading state; continued about half a century at its height, or greatest diffusion; and is now nearly vanished; which gives reason to hope, that the smallpox, measles, and venereal disease, which are all of modern production, and have already become milder, may in process of time vanish from the earth, and perhaps be succeeded by new ones!

Spince distortig. Distortion of the spine is another disease originating from the innutrition or softness of the bones. I once saw a child about six years old with palpitation of heart and quickness of respiration, which began to have a curvature of the spine; I then doubted, whether the palpitation and quick respiration were the cause or consequence of the curvature of the spine; suspecting either that Nature had bent the spine outwards to give room to the enlarged heart, or that the malformation of the chest had compressed and impeded the movements of the heart. But a few weeks ago, on attending a young lady about ten years old, whose spine

had

had lately begun to be distorted, with very great difficulty and quickness of respiration, and alarming palpitation of the heart, I convinced myself, that the palpitation and difficult respiration were the effect of the change of the cavity of the chest from the distortion of the spine; and that the whole was therefore a disease of the innutrition or softness of the bones.

For on directing her to lie down much in the day, and to take the bark, the distortion became less, and the palpitation and quick respiration became less at the same time. After this observation a neck-swing was directed, and she took the bark, madder, and bone-ashes; and she continues to amend both in her shape and health.

Delicate young ladies are very liable to become awry at many boarding-schools. This is occasioned principally by their being obliged too long to preserve an erect attitude, by sitting on forms many hours together. To prevent this the school-seats should have either backs, on which they may occasionally rest themselves; or desks before them, on which they may occasionally lean. This is a thing of greater consequence than may appear to those who have not attended to it.

When the least tendency to become awry is observed; they should be advised to lie down on a bed or sofa for an hour in the middle of the day for many months; which generally prevents the increase of this deformity by taking off for a time the pressure on the spine of the back, and it at the same time tends to make them grow taller. Young persons, when nicely measured, are found to be half an inch higher in a morning than at night; as is well known to those who enlist very young men for soldiers. This is owing to the cartilages between the bones of the back becoming compressed by the weight of the head and shoulders on them during the day. It is the same pressure which produces curvatures and distortions of the spine in growing children, where the bones are softer than usual; and which may thus be relieved by an horizontal posture for an hour it the middle of the day, or by being frequently allowed to lean on a chair, or to play on the ground on a carpet. Vol. 32. No. 125. Oct. 1808.

C

Young

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