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"Facts, they say, are stubborn things; the writer will therefore evince his assertion with one. Poor Mr. Vapourish was a gentleman, a man possessed of tolerable good sense and knowledge, and he was a man of classical learning; but, at times, and that frequently, was dreadfully affected with the hypochondriacal malady. Able apothecaries administered drugs, famous physicians wrote him prescriptions, but all was without effect, at least without the desired effect; for the poor suffering patient received no remedy from either medicine or advice. He was frequently wretched in the extreme: he rung up his servants at midnight; said he was then dying as fast as it was possible. He was afraid of every thing. One thing was too hot, another too cold; one too thick, another was too thin; one loaded the stomach too much, another too hard of digestion; one was too sweet, another too sour; one was too flatulent, another too inflammatory; every thing gave alarm and much uneasiness, and his life was a grievous burden to himself; yet he was terribly afraid of dying, which would have terminated his wretchedness. When he felt himself in tolerable good health, then he was under continual fear and alarm; he was afraid of eating or drinking, or of doing any thing, lest the act should tend to derange his system. In short, he was in continual bondage, and the worst of slavery; for he was a slave to his own fears and apprehensions, and a plague to every body about him.

Good fortune brought him to the acquaintance of an old woman, who afforded him greater relief than all the world had done or could do. She had felt every pain; bad laboured and groaned under every wretched sensation; had experienced all the fears and doubts he could possibly mention; knew exactly how he felt, and what thoughts were apt to harass his breast during the paroxysms. She had been subject to the whole for more than thirty years; and yet, thank Heaven, she would say, notwithstanding all, I am alive still, and am now in my seventieth year. Come, come, my good sir, do not be habberghasted; you are not a-dying, nor will you die yet: I know what it

cinating to accomplish this; which something the old woman possessed in a sufficient degree. She was every thing at times, and in season; she was gloomy as December, tearful as April, serene as October, pleasant as June, just as occasion seemed to require; for her words, looks, and whole deportment, were sure to correspond, and be well suited to the company she was with. Besides, she was never at a loss: she had a why to every wherefore; had always ready an old saying, to strengthen and corroborate her remarks, and a proverb to illustrate and confirm her assertions or opinions. Her discourse was serious and religious: comical and facetious; and all in the space of a few minutes: nor were the subjects of her conversation less mutable; for she would turn from what may be said of heaven, to the dark regions below, and thence to this busy world, and to any of its concerns and transactions instantly. These astonishing abilities are the prerogatives of old women; and by the help of them, this wonderful old woman frequently cured poor Mr. Vapourish of his maladies. She diverted his thoughts from preying upon his mind, and he would breathe more freely, and consequently felt himself more comfortable. The old woman was well acquainted with his feelings, and saw his amendment so soon as he felt it. She would then clap her hand on his knee, and say, "Come, sir, shall you and I cuff a pipe together before I go home." If you think it will do me no harm," he would reply, "I do not care if we do." She had much to say in recommendation of smoking; so to smoking they went. The fumes of the tobacco, a pot of ale, and a noggin or two of his mead or alder wine, made them both quite happy; and poor Mr. Vapourish would sometimes continue pretty well for weeks. When fresh attaked, the old woman was sent for, and always recovered him; that is, as long as there remained in him any life or spirits. She was unable to raise the dead: she survived him, though his senior by twenty years.

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Whether this story be true or ficti tious, it unquestionably is founded on a

is, and can and do pity you from my heart and profound study of human nature, and may be very usefully pondered on by medical --Yours, &c.

soul. Here the poor sufferer had a little consolation; a pleasing prospect stood before him; an old woman of seventy, who, had suffered all his miseries for more than thirty years, and yet was likely to hold it ten or twenty years longer. He conceived hope. But hope, how powerful and efficacious soever it may be, is insufficient to give relief long, or much, to the wretched bypochondriacal sufferer. No, there must be something more stimulating and fas

men.-

AN ADMIRER OF GOOD NURSING.

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Springs, for restoring health to the invalid, and affording amusement to the man of leisure and the lounger, we are still behind some of our European breth ren, who have hit upon a plan which holds out a promise of health and pleasure at the same time. In a small town in Switzerland, called Leuk or Loeche, six leagues from Sion, and situated on the right bank of the Rhone, are sulphuretted thermal springs, of temperature from 111 to 124 degrees of Fahrenheit, which are received into a large basin, divided into four equal squares, each of them capable of containing thirty bathers. These square baths have dressing cabinets, two of which, are kept at an elevated temperature, by means of stoves.

Round each bath runs an estrade or bench, on which, or on chairs, as may be most agreeable, persons of both sexes, suitably attired, take their seats. Thus situated-partially immersed in the hot water, they converse, read, or even take refreshments, according to their several tastes. Many bathers have before them a small floating table, on which are placed their breakfast, glass, handkerchief, snuff box, books, and newspapers. One may readily conceive of this being an excellent school for politeness, and for acquiring a certain easy, graceful, flexion of the body, and movement of the hands and arms, either by doing the honours of the tea-table, or seconding the expression of admiration at a favourite passage, by just giving your table impetus enough to float it to some fair lady opposite, whose acceptance of a bouquet of Alpine flowers you may at the same time solicit. For these tables are frequently decorated thus by the Valaisan girls,-and the vapour of the thermal water preserves for a long time, the pristine verdure and beauty of the plants and flowers exposed to it. To insure entire equality, and keep away jealousies and discord, which might arise out of the emulous adornment of dandies and belles, every bather is required to put on a dress, which for its plainness, would meet the approval of St. Francis himself. It consists of a large flannel gown, covering the whole body,

and a tippet of the same to protect the shoulders from the cold.

Three weeks is the period of bathing, short of which a cure cannot be promised. It is customary to begin by an hour in the morning on the first day, two hours on the second, and so on, augmenting the time successively, till the patient continues in the bath eight hours a day,four in the morning and four in the afternoon.-Alibert. Patissier sur les eaux minerales de la France, &c.

Some might prefer (particularly in the present season) the practice of the inhabitants of Cumana, as related by Humboldt. They go down to the Manzanares river with chairs, and seat themselves in companies in the water, where they chat away the evening. Such a situation must certainly be favourable to the effusions of sentiment and love, as furnishing so many apt allusions and illustrations. L. August 19th.

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VARIETY.

In the 40th vol. p. 295, Gent. Mag. is paper by a Mr. T. Row, in which he says, "It is asserted by the Park-keepers here, and spoken with some confidence, that if a Buck be shot at and killed, at the distance of 30 yards, the ball will not pass through his body, but be lodged in the skin on the opposide side; that, if he is killed at the distance of 60 or 80 yards, the ball will not only pass through both skins, but kill another deer, or two, that may happen to stand in the proper direction."

He asks, properly, if the fact is so? and if so, how it can be explained?—I have looked over the other volumes to find a reply to the observations, but have met with none. How far can our huntsmen confirm, or negative the assertion?

July 16, 1768-" A woman was buried this evening in St. George's, Hanover square, who had been dead 19 years; a near relation having left an annuity of 125 a year, to be paid as long as she should remain upon earth. In consequence of this legacy, her surviving hus

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Among the deaths mentioned in the supplement to the Gent. Mag. for 1793, p. 1215, we find that of " William Lewis, Esq. in the act of drinking a cup of Welch ale, containing about a wine quart, called a tumbler maur. He made it a rule, every morning of his life, to read so many chapters in the Bible, and in the evening, as a digestion of his morning study, to drink full eight gallons of ale. It is calculated that in his life-time he must have drunk a sufficient quantity to float a 74 gun ship. His size was astonishing; it is supposed the diameter of his body was no less than two yards. He weighed 40 stone. He died in his parlour; a lucky circumstance, as it would have been almost impossible to have got him down stairs: as it was, it was found necessary to have a machine, in form of a crane, to lift him on a carriage, and afterwards to have the same brought into the church-yard to let him down into the grave," &c.

CARDANUS was the bastard son of a woman of condition, and born at Pavia, in 1501. It was said that his mother, in order to conceal her shame, attempted in early infancy, to destroy him by a poisonous beverage, which injured his intellects. He was, however, expensively educated, and became a proficient in ju

dicial astrology, and mathematical science. He published many books, obtained a pension from the Pope, and died in 1576. He calculated his own nativity, found he should die of hunger, and starved himself to fulfill the horoscope.

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OIL OF TURPENTINE.

In an essay "on the propensity of several nations to hard drinking," in the 2d vol. of the Literary Magazine, it is stated that, "another time Adair was so long persecuted by a Savage, for brandy, that he was obliged at last to give him a quart of the strongest spirit of turpentine. The American presently gulped it down, began to foam at the mouth, and few days quite recovered by the hot bath fell senseless to the ground, but was in a and cooling drinks."

Dr. Rowley, some years ago, (1793,) published a work on an explanation of the causes of the great number of deaths in putrid scarlet fevers, &c. in which, among other charges against many of our highest medical authorities, we find Sydenham accused of prescribing "leaf gold” --a healthy strong young man as a bedfellow, in putrid epidemic fevers; a young puppy to be applied to the belly," &c.and on looking into Swan's Sydenham, the assertion seems well founded. When men like Sydenham uphold such fooleries, we cannot wonder at the extension of panaceas, catholicons, and so forth; and at the exercise of so much credulity as is generally apparent at the present times amongst us.

MEMORANDA.

Portland. (Me.)-The Fever which has broken out in this place and which has carried off many of the inhabitants, is said by the physicians to be Typhous, and not Yellow Fever as was at first reported.

Detroit.-July 29, hottest day this year. Thermometer stood at 1000 in the shade at 1 P. M.

Boston.-Thermometer-(1 P. M.) Aug. 8=82°: 9=75°: 10-82o: 11=78°: 12=76°:

13-739: 14-68°:—mean 76°:-Amount of rain 1.38 inches.

New York.-113 deaths for the week end

ing August 21. Consumption 18. Dropsies

10. Dysentery 15. Fevers 7. Flux InfanFlux Infantile 12. Inflammation of Bowels 4. Intemperance 2. Small Pox 1. Teething 4. Whooping Cough 3.

Baltimore.-42 deaths for the week ending

Aug. 23. Consumption 3. Convulsions 3. Cholera Infantum 8. Infantile unknown 7! Bilious Fever 4. Typhus 3.

Virginia.-A fatal disease, is said to be now prevailing along most of the water courses in Virginia-but of what nature is not mentioned.

Charleston.-35 deaths from Aug. 8 to Aug. 15. Consumption 3. Diarrheea 2. Yellow Fever 8! Bilious do. 4. Whooping Cough Thermometer (3 P. M.) Aug. 8=81°: 85°: 10=85°: 11=79o: 12=820: 13= 81: 14-800:-Rain 5 days out of the 7.

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The Board of Health reported 4 new cases of Yellow Fever on the 17th of August! -5 new cases on the 18th!-3 on the 19th!no new case reported on the 20th owing, it is believed to mistake.

Savannah.-7 deaths from Aug. 11 to Aug. 18. Fevers 5. The city however is said to continue unusually healthy.

Huntsville. (Alab.)—The medium height of the thermometer for the month of July was 911°.

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* In the south generally, the present summer is said to be the hottest experienced for many years.

Natchez.-By the latest accounts this place was extremely healthy.

New Orleans.-38 deaths from July 20 to July 26. Dysentery 2. Fever Yellow 1! malignant 3! Bilious 2. Typhus 2. Ataxique 1. Simple 1. Consumption 2. Teething 3.

*** July 28. No other case of Yellow Fever than the one reported was said to exist.— On the 29th there were several cases reported, but no alarm existed.

Thermometer (2 P. M.)-July 25=91o:

26=93o: 27=92o: 28=94°: 29-92o: 30= 83°: 31=87o:—frequent light showers.

London.-Thermometer-Average. From June 17 to June 23-55 1-2o:-Amount of rain .4 of an inch. From June 23 to June 30 -58°:-Amount of rain 1.875 of an inch.

1621 deaths from May 19 to June 22. Of these 509 were under 2 years, 109 between 70 and 80; 50 between 80 and 90; 6 between

90 and 100; one over 100.

Having before us the state of the Thermometer for several successive years, beginning with 1790, we have thought, (as such comparisons are always more or less

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The article Necrology in our present number is unusually copious: we had collected more than half in time for last week's Register, but want of room compelled us to omit it. There are probably many physicians in the United States, of whose deaths we are not in the way of hearing: we extract ours from those newspapers to which we have access at the Athenæum and elsewhere, but as these do not embrace every thing from all parts of our extensive country, our information is of course limited.

NECROLOGY.

Dr. Luther Smith, æt 40 yrs. lately in Hillsborough.

Dr. Charles Brown, Harper's Ferry lately. Dr. B. left the principal part of his estate to the Medical Hospital at Philadelphia.

Dr. Samuel Stewart, at 37. Bucks Co. (Pa.) Aug. 27.

Dr. Wm. H. Mc Calla, et 32. Woodbury, (N. J.) Aug. 16.

Dr. John de Graffenreid, of Chatham Co. (N. C.) at the Sweet Springs (Va.) July 23. Dr. Tilman Davis, Concord, (N. C.) of Measles, July 29,

Dr. Frederick B. Tudor, Charleston (S. C.)

lately.

Dr. Marcus D. Erwin,——Madison, (Geo.) July 22.

Dr. Ezekiel Brown, æt 30. Clinton, (Me.) lately.

Dr. James G. Hanlin, æt 23,lis, (Ohio) Aug. 4.

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-Gallipo

Dropsies Drowned

Dr. James A. Boggs, at 22. Marietta, (Pa.) Aug. 18.

Dr. Nathaniel House, æt 81, lately at Hud

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Drunkenness Dysentery Eruptions

Fevers

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PUBLISHED (EVERY THURSDAY)

BY ROBERT DESILVER.

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At $3 per annum, payable in advance.

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