rious, yet we do not think it well founded, for the måtter brought up feems to be emulged from the glands by the ftraining, fince it appears only after fome urging. When this action has been quieted by opium, we have not perceived tire neceflity of an increased evacuation by, fool. To obviate coftiveness, even in isritable states of the ftomach, our auther recommends falts; and we have frequently found them to remain when every thing else was rejected. Boerhaave, we believe, attributed an antiemetic power to falts, even to com mon falt, of which we once faw a ftriking instance. The flate of the ftomach, which produces a fanciful and capricious appetite, is very difficult of explanation. It is very cer tain that the eager delire after any particular food may be repreffed with fafety, though, when the fancy is within proper bounds, no man of tenderness and humanity would fpare any trouble to gratify it. The connection between the mother and the fontus is myfterious.. It is a fat we think well eft blished, that there is no nervous connection; yet if in the maternal part of the placenta there is a feparation of hurtful and improper parts of the mother's blood, a fuppofition highly probable, the agitation of her mind may injare this fecretion, and, in this way, affect the child's general health; but that it can produce a spot on the skin of any determinate co lour, break a bone, or deprive a child of the moft minute part, is a fuppofition that every rational phyfiologist will res volt at. That the child can be infested with phylis, or fmall-pox, except in the paffage during delivery, Dr. Den man is unwilling to believe. We have feen inftances so treng of both infections, that we must admit of the pofbility; bus this only happens when the blood is greatly loaded with vene real matter, or with the matter of fmallpox, as we once had occafion to obferve,,at the moment of the retraceffion of the puftules. It is an ingenious fuppofition of our author, that the opinion of women's longing was decidedly countenanced to fecure them fome additional tenderness at this important period in lefs civilifed times. The following obfervation, for the comfort of the ladies in this difagreeable predicament,. we fhall tranfcribe..

At the latter part of the utero-geftation it is not uncom mon for women to have an incontinence of urine, not perpe tually, but occafionally, when they stand upright, or have any fudden though flight-motion, efpecially if they have a troublefome cough. As far as either the frangury or incontinence of urine depend upon the preffure of the enlarged uterus, it will.

A cafe at this moment occurs, which strongly supports Dr. Denman'as fuppofition.

only be in our power to alleviate them: for the caufe' must `remain till the time of delivery; and the peculiarity of the complaint may be owing to the compreffion being cafually made either upon the neck or fundus of the bladder.. It is fome comfort for women to be informed, and I believe the observations is generally true. that affections of this kind are never produced, except in thofe cafes in which the prefentation of the child is natural."

Our author's explanation of a common obfervation may alfo give them fome fatisfaction. It has been remarked that if a pregnant woman has the fmall-pox, and, during the dif eafe, fhould be in labour, though at the full time, the certainly dies fhe dies, fays he, not because fie falls into labour; but the falls into labour because she is dying. This is Arialy true; and if the disease is not dangerous, there is no danger from the complication of pregnancy: indeed there is no period of a woman's life when she is lefs in danger of dying than during pregnancy.

The volume concludes with our author's Effay on Natural Labour, in fome parts corrected, and in others a little enlarged; but this we have already confidered. On the whole, we think this a very valuable volume: it contains an accurate view of the science, whofe bounds it occafionally extends, and whofe obfcurity it has often elucidated. We could have wifhed that Dr. Denman had fometimes been a little more explicit, and, in a few inftances, more correct in his language but many of these errors we believe to be typographical ones, and we ought to add, that we have difcovered no mistakes that materially affect the fenfe.

Advice to the Female Sex in general, particularly those in a State of Pregnancy and Lying-in. To which is added, an Appendix, containing fome Directions relative to the Management of Children, in the first Part of Life. By John Grigg, Praditioner in Midwifery. 8vo. 34. 6d. in Boards.. Robin fons.. MR.

R. Grigg offers: his afftance to the ladies with the delicate plaufibility which engages their attention on fab jects the most truly interefting. While a numerous race of inefficient or uninformed, quacks eroud round the fair, we are not difpleased, on the whole, that they will probably be fupers feded by a man-of fome experience and of fome information: yet we own that we do not greatly approve of the attempt. It re quires a ftrong mind and a found judgment, to be able to fee unmoved, the various difagreeable accidents which may attend the fituation in which we must be neceffarily placed. Works of

this kind, in the delicate minds of the timid female, may be very injurious; or, by infpiring a confidence that no other affiftant except this volume is neceffary, fhe may mifapprehend the nature and the causes of her complaint, and misapply those remedies which are imprudently brought within her reach. If we examine the Advice' with these views, we shall find that Mr. Grigg has guarded with fome care against the first, but has paid little attention to the laft. The prospects held out are often chearing; and the inconveniencies concealed, as well as various misfortunes incident to the different ftates which he defcribes. The accidents in labour are spoken of lightly: the puerperal fever is fcarcely confidered with more attention, or as more dangerous than a common inflammatory one; while the dangers of a profluvium in the later months are scarcely hinted at. On the other hand, our author speaks with confidence of remedies which often fail: he scarcely ever hints, that peculiar management is frequently neceffary under the eye of a more experienced practitioner; or at what the affrighted woman muft do when he finds her valued formula has failed. The advantage refulting from his former caution renders the fecond part of his conduct still more inconvenient, for what is spoken of flightly, the woman, unless taught by dangerous experience, will not confider as of importance. What then must be the refult? that every popular attempt in the medical line is inconvenient on every fide, always improper, and most often dangerous.

If we confider the work itself, we must pronounce it to he plaufibly and neatly written. The authorities are numerous, but not always well chofen ; for fome volumes are pretty largely copied which do not add to the value of the compilation; and fome medicines feem to be introduced merely to bring forward particular names. Who, for inftance, before Mr. Grigg, ever confidered the mangel wurtzel as an emollient? The whole is extended, by a ftyle more copious in words than we remember ever to have seen.

As Mr. Grigg depends much on Dr. Denman, Dr. Hamilton, and M. Puzos, we need not fay that his obfervations are often valuable and ufeful. What relates to the more domef tic management of labour we fhall tranfcribe, for we wish to make it more generally known.

According to the prefent improved state of midwifery, as foon as a woman is in actual labour, a few neceffary friends attend her, and not before, neither does the accoucheur interfere with his affiftance, unless the cafe abfolutely requires it. Her drefs, which is generally troublefome, is exchanged for another more convenient and lighter, and in which the may ex

ercife

erife her muscles with more eafe and freedom. The door and even windows of her chamber, in the fummer time, are kept open during the day, and in the winter, no more fire is allowed than may be fufficient to render her apartment agreeably warm. She is neither confined to her hed, until it is judged necellary, nor kept ftanding against her inclination, but is at liverty to walk about, and occationally to fit or lie down.

The mind is particularly attended to, and it is found to be of the greatest importance to foothe and divert it, during the intervals of pain, with prudent, rational, and encouraging converfation.

• If, upon the intermiffion of pain, the patient is inclined to fleep, this is encouraged as ufeful in predifpofing to labour, and if the falls into fome refreshing, though perhaps fhort flumbers, the may happily forget what fhe has before fuffered, and not anticipate the uneafy fenfations fhe has yet to experience. To indulge fo favourable a circumftance, especially if he has before undergone much fatigue, the room is ordered to be kept quiet, her friends are requefied to withdraw, except fuch as may be useful, and a perfect filence is enjoined.

During this feemingly inactive ftate, nature is very affiduous in difpofing the parts to dilate, and bringing about those changes, which are neceffary, in an almoft imperceptible manner; as the aim which he endeavours to accomplish cannot be obtained without pain, fo the rest of the patient is often thereby interrupted, and the not unfrequently finds every fucceeding pain more confiderable.

If he is of a weak constitution, and inclined to faint, fome mild nourishment is given, fuch as a little panada with wine, a bafon of warm caudle, broth, or any thing elfe, that is proper for her; but, in general, the best refloratives are cool air and diluting liquors, efpecially where the faintnefs proceeds from long continued labour. Cordia's of a fpirituous kind are dif approved, unless the patient has been accustomed to them at other times, and appears very low, but if they have not the effect of increasing the pains, which is rarely the cafe, the repetition of them is feldom allowed, for, upon the advancement of labour, fhe acquires an increafe of fpirits and greater refolution.'

The practice of whispering while the patient lies feemingly afleep is very pernicious: it will roufe from light flumbers, and always gives fufpicion, during the labour, of fomething apprehended. Nurfes are frequently guilty of this fault, and we have known them talk to them felves for want of a companion to address their difcourfe to. The management of children is on the whole well defcribed, but chiefly copied from fome of the last and most valuable fyftems.

A Tour

A Tour through Sweden, Swedish Lapland, Finland, and Denmark. In a Series of Letters. Illuftrated with Engravings. By Matthew Confett, Efq. 410.

Goldfmith.

10s. 6d. in Boards.

WE have many companions in a northern tour: in Eng

land, the fentimental Wraxal has led us to various fcenes in the Baltic: the philofophical Maupertuis carried us, in pursuit of an important object, the menfuration of a degree of the meridian within the arctic circle, to Tornao, and enlivened his drier problems with fome account of his adventures, and the customs of the inhabitants. Various miffionaries, with the laudable defign of promoting the knowledge of the Chriftian religion, have added to our acquaintance with the inhabitants of these dreary regions; and Linnæus, in bis different itineraries, particularly in his Flora Laponica, has told us of the customs of the Laplanders, and of their nearest neighbours. Mr. Confett, with fir H. Liddell, engaged, in the fummer of 1786, in an expedition to the northern kingdoms. There feems to be fome mystery in their plan and their defign, which it is not our business to examine; but they embarked at Shields on the 24th of May, returned there on the 17th of Auguft following, ran in that interval to Swe den, and from Gottenburgh, at least 1600 miles, in a country where delay is unavoidable, and accommodations by no means frequent; fo that they could not have found much time for the examination of particular objects. Added to this, we do not perceive that this party, from previous knowledge of what had been already done, or the experience of their predeceffors, were inftructed to turn their eyes to objects not already explored. In fhort, we must look on these remarks as the hafty observations of travellers, who ftaid not to examine, and who communicated the first impreffions which they received with fpirit and fidelity. If we meet with complaints and inconveniencies often in the foreground of the picture, we can affure the young eager traveller that he must acquire philofophy by habit, if nature has denied it, before he will be able to overlook or to forget them.

Our fift attention, in this volume, was directed to the king of Sweden, an object of the firft importance in the prefent political fyftem of the North. From his general conduct, and his behaviour to Mr. Wraxal, not recorded in his journal, we confidered him as able, intelligent, and enlightened. Mr. Confett seems to represent him as impetuous and inconfiderate. The event of the prefent war may furnish the folution of this difficulty; for, without knowing his founda