RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW. Allan Burns' Surgical Anatomy of the Head and Neck J. P. Frank, Symptoms and Treatment of Intermittent and continued Gas, ... .... Case of Sir Hugh Hamilton of Rosehall, 1754, in which Dr. Cullen mistook Remarks on the Scurvy, from the MMS. of Dr. Cook, Author of Travels in Sir Gilbert Blane Bart. versus The London Medical Repository and the Chemistry. Dr. Thomas Thomson versus Dr. A. Ure and Mr. Brande 400 Dr. Wilson Philip on Indigestion... Clarke, C. M. on Morbid Female Discharges Dr. Colin Chisholm on the History and Treatment of Tropical Diseases Review of the recent Experiments with the Oil of the Croton Tiglium, Pre- Dr. E. Jenner on the Effects of Artificial Eruptions in the Cure of Diseases 421 Richardson and Della Cella on the present state of Medicine in the Levant.. 426 Review of the 12th volume, part II. of Medico-Chirurgical Transactions Dr. Lucas on the Principles of Inflammation and Fever On Varicose Veins with Cases by E. A. Lloyd, Esq. Case of Deformity of the Mouth and Neck, produced by the cicatrices re- Observations and Experiments which appear to lead to the conclusion, that the Facial and Trifacial Nerves are Different portions of the same Pair, and the same in Structure and Function, by William Wallace, M.R.I.A. &c 264 Remarks on Næyus Maternus, with a case, by George Langstaff, Esq Continuation of Mr. Lloyd's Paper on Varicose Veins Case of Diseases of the femur resembling Carcinoma, by H, Pugh, Esq. Case of Spina Bifida, treated according to the Method of Sir A. Cooper, $13 Reflections on the Treatment of Fractures of the Lower Extremity, and of a New Apparatus; with Cases. By J. Amesbury, Esq. History of a Case of Strangulated Scrotal Hernia; with Remarks. By T. Case of an extraordinary number of Calculi in the Bladder Suggestion respecting the possibility of destroying Cancers by the application Case of Adhesion of the Labia Pudenda in a Negro obstructing Delivery .. Case of Traumatic Tetanus, by Dr. H. Case of Suffocation from a tumour, by A. Pettigrew Case of Small Pox after vaccinia directly from the Cow, by W. Smythe, Esq. 610 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. Pouillett's Experiments on Caloric M. Lacoste's Case of Sacro-rectal Hernia.. M. Dagorn's Case of extraordinary Steatomatous Tumours Mr. Breschet's Cases of Acephalic Infants .. Dr. Milnor's Experiments on Nutritive Enemata Mr. Herbert Mayo's Anatomical and Physiological Commentaries Dunglisson's Translation of Baron Larrey's Work on Moxa Mr. A. Rennie, on Whitlaw's Practice in Scrofula, and Cancer... Mr. Pearson's Life of Mr. Hey of Leeds Mr. A. T. Thomson's Lectures on Botany Dr. T. Parkinson's Manual of Midwifery 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. 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. -- 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, |