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RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW.

Allan Burns' Surgical Anatomy of the Head and Neck

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J. P. Frank, Symptoms and Treatment of Intermittent and continued Gas,
tric Fevers

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Case of Sir Hugh Hamilton of Rosehall, 1754, in which Dr. Cullen mistook
Scurvy for Stone in the Bladder..

Remarks on the Scurvy, from the MMS. of Dr. Cook, Author of Travels in

Russia, &c

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On Varicose Veins with Cases by E. A. Lloyd, Esq.
An Account of an extensive Nævus Maternus of the Leg, and of the Appear-
ances observed on Dissection, with Remarks on the Treatment, by George
Langstaff, Esq.

On an Improved Gum Lancet by Dr. De Sanctis

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Case of Deformity of the Mouth and Neck, produced by the cicatrices re-
sulting from a Burn

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Case of Adhesion of the Labia Pudenda in a Negro obstructing Delivery
Annals of Name Coining, No. II.

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M. Peschier, on Tartar Emetic in Indammation

M. Andral, Cases of excessive Dilatation of the Stomach, with Dissections .. 612

M. Magendies, Experiments on the Roots of the Spinal Nerves
M. Andral, Dissections of the Lymphatics

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M. GEORGET'S PHYSIOLOGY AND TREATMENT OF NERVOUS DISEASES.*

What has metaphysics to do with medicine? A science which Dr. Armstrong,-we mean the poet,-has characterised as "the art of talking grave nonsense, upon the subjects beyond the reach of the human understanding." But of metaphysics we must speak; for we could not fulfil our duty to our readers, were we not sometimes to advert to these subjects, however unfitable they may be, since they have of late become favorite topics of discussion among some of the leading men in the proprofession. When such men, indeed, as Abernethy, and Home, and Lawrence, and Bell, and Barclay, in this country; and Soemmerring, Hufeland, Blumenbach, Cabanis, Cuvier, and Richerand, on the Continent, turn their attention to the metaphysics of physiology, we cannot-we dare not, pass them by without notice. Nay, we are of opinion, that Dr. Armstrong's severe sarcasm may, in some future day, become quite inapplicable; and that the mysterious jargon, which is still so often met with in metaphysical physiology, will give place to a clear

De la Physiologie du Systeme Nerveux, et specialement du Cerveau. Recherches sur les Maladies Nerveuses en general, et en particulier sur le siege, la nature et le traitement de l'Hysterie, de la Hypochondrie, de l'Epilepsie et de l'Asthme convulsif. Par M. Georget, Docteur en Médécine de la Faculté de Paris, &c. Vol. II. Paris, 1821.

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and practical simplicity, and we shall do our best to aid this consummation. But we must now turn to M. Georget, who, although he commences metaphysically, soon goes on to be practical, and in this course we shall closely follow him.

He prefaces the consideration of the functions of the nervous system by some preliminary notions on the study of PHYSIOLOGY in general. He is one of those who, proceeding in the path of observation, and unwilling to admit the existence of causes without adequate proofs, rejects all those explanations of the phenomena of life, that refer them to the influence of an abstract, occult principle, which has received various denominations from those who resorted to its assistance to explain the difficulties we meet at every step we take in the field of physiology. In a word, M. Georget is a disciple of materialism, and expressly states, that life is but the exercise of the functions of the organs, that is, organization in action. Each organ, he says, has its own life, and the union of these special lives, or actions, constitutes the general life of the being. This is almost a translation of Dr. Darwin's account of vegetable life, which asserts every bud to be a perfect plant, while the aggregation of buds is the plant! The great argument in favor of spiritualism he draws from the singular nature of all, or a part of the vital phenomena. A corpse, it is said, has this moment ceased to breathe; it is asked, what have its organs lost, to account for so great a change? But first, shew by what property the particles of a salt arrange themselves so as to crystallize; try to explain the effects of electricity, of caloric, of the loadstone, and then you will probably open the way to discoveries relative to the motions, the life of vegetables, and by an insensible gradation from the inferior animals to man. You defy me to make matter think; I defy you to make it digest, secrete, bud, crystallize. I will tell you, with Locke, that it is not more difficult to conceive the faculty of thinking given to matter, than to an immaterial principle: I will go farther, by saying it is less difficult, for I can conceive that something may be capable of something, while I cannot conceive that nothing should produce something. This is a mere echo of Diderot, and Mirabeau, and Bichat. We confess candidly, that we cannot comprehend it. But this may be from our own dullness :-such things do happen.

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Perhaps the most extraordinary part of the first division of M. Georget's work, is the history of some facts relating to MAGNETIC SOMNAMBULISM, which have fallen under his own observation; and which, while too well attested to admit altogether of doubt, present a series of phenomena totally inexplicable in the present state of our knowledge. We are aware that to many,

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