1794.] A different Species of Garden Grub.-Literary Queries. 993 in return for which he entertains me R. B. with a fong. [See p. 988.] ones are now shipping here, and to the amount of more than 2000 Winchester bufhels, at the very low price of one fhilling the bufhel, taken at 70lb, weight, the publick muft conclude the cultiva-YOUR Somerset correfpondent will, tion of that useful root is carried to the highest degree of perfection, perhaps fuperior to any practifed in this or a neighbouring kingdom. AB. LEGGATT, Surgeon to his Majesty's garrifon. Mr. URBAN, His OЯ 28. W WHEN I recommended turfs for traps to catch the grubs, whofe depredations your Querit complained of, I apprehended them to be of a very different fpecies from what he defcribes, and which I have fince found to have invaded my territories in great numbers, particularly amongst my carrots. defcription is just; but to it, I think, may be added two eyes. But the grub that I had in view is of another kind, and, I believe, appears generally earlier in the year, committing its ravages up. on the rourg cabby, e-plants, peas, &c. which it gnaws off clofe to the ground, and then leaves, as if it did it only for mifchief's fake. Afterwards it may poffibly be turned to fome fly, p obably the horfe-fly, which it refembles in colour, and anfwers in fize. It is of a dirty brown, without legs, about an inch long, but has a power of extending itfelf like worms and flugs; by which means its motion is effected. It preys in the night when it gets aboveground; for which reafon, when it in vades the fields in defi.uctive numbers, it is no uncommon thing for the farmers to roll their fields in the nighttime in order to deftroy them. This fort having no feet, and confequently not fo capable of making its way into the earth, may probably be glad to take the opportunity of a turf to fecure infe.f against the heat of the day; and in that way I am of opinion it may easily be taken. But the other grub is fo well furnished with feet that it moves apace, and, without doubt, is able to bury it. felf to a fufficient depth in the ground without difficulty, and therefore may well defpile the shelter of a turf; as I have lately found by experience, having caught only one in my traps. There is a little friend of mine that is very fond of them, Mr. Robin Redbrealt, who attends me in the garden, and expects to be treated with a good meal of them; GENT. MAG. November, 1794. Mr, URBAN, 08. 29. perhaps, oblige others of your Antiquarian friends as well as myself, if he can take the trouble to communicate, in addi ten to his very curious drawings of Lullington church, p. 893, an ichnography of that building. From his view, which I have no doubt is correct, it appears to differ widely in its form from the generality of antient churches, particularly in the fixation of the tower, which ftands between what I take to be the chancel and the body of the church, the latter running parallel to at right ang es It might 1 lo be cufrable for the Saxon and Gothic wails, as far as they can be diflinguifhed, o be pointed out by a finall variation in the fhadows. I am induced to take this mode of foliciting a farther luftration of the building in queftion, as it seems, from his defcription, to be a very confirable remain of our primitive architec Yours, &c. ture. Mr. URBAN, F. I KNOW not whether any of your learned readers have noticed a difficulty with which I was lately truck (though it had eicaped me before) on reading a paflage in the first book of Herodotus. It is that in which he relates the converfation that paffed be tween Solon and Crafts; the former of whom, to justify his refufal to allow any to be pronounced happy before their death, alleges the changes which daily occur in the courfe of human life. To place this tru h in the ftrongest point of view, he fupp fes a man to live 70 years; which, allowing 360 days to every year, will quote in the whole 25.200. To thefe he adds 1050, intercalating every other year a month of 30 days; in older (as he fays) to balance the account of the leafons: fo that, ac cording to him, the days in 70 years amount to 26,250; and, confequently, every year upon an average confifts of 375 days. Now, this fo g. catly exceeds the jufl period of the Sun's annual revolution, that no one, though ever fo ignorant of aftronomy, could help being fenfible of it; as the feafons in a short time would perceptibly shift their places, and in little more than 36 years would work their way round to the point from which which they fet out. I am puzzled, therefore, I confefs, with this ftatement of Solon's, and fhould be thankful to any of your correfpondents who could help me to account for it. J. M. Farther Obfervations on Mr. ROBINSON's remarkable Cafe of Hydrophobia. THEN I first read the relation of 66 a remarkable cafe of Hydrophobia," by Mr. Robinfon, in your Magazine of Julv laft, wherein he cenfured the price of a brother furgeon for ufing the knife, cauftic, and mercury, inftead of what he terms "be most effic tual remedy of fea-bathing," adding, that "be jbould have flattered himfelt with a more favourable flue bad his plan been adopted," it conveved to me fo fevere a figma on the medical character of this furgeon, who, I have fince learned, is Mr. Havnes, tha: I thought it incumbent on me, as one of the jarcft editors of a treatise on the bite of rabid animals, to defend the conduct of a pra&titioner, whofe treatment of the patient fhewed him to be a gentleman of real medical 1cience and found judgement. This lefence was inferted in your Magizine for Auguft; and I entertained a hop that Mr. Robinson wosia have of fer d fome acknowledgement, and thus ended the conceft. On the contrary, in your Magazine for October, all apology is evared, and recrimination adopted, onferving, that be thought it his duty to fate the principal facts;" hence, I fuppole, meaning to infinuate, that his defig was not to leffen the reputation of Mr. Haynes, but merely to promote public good; not to invade private character. To be fure, this is a curious, if not a novel, mode of promoting good, thus to attempt the hiftory of a cafe which he either did not know, or has frangely mutilated. As the patient had been for nine preceding months under the care of his townfman and brother furgeon, Mr. Haynes, who really knew the whole hiftory, to him application ought to have been made. If Mr. Robinion again means to favour the publick with " principal fas" for the honour of medical fcience it would be advifable first to learn the hiftory of the cafe completely, otherwife, instead of medical fact, we all have medical romances; one of which he feems to have furnished, a the publick will find, when the whole history, which I am preparing with Mr. Haynes's alliance, is candidly related. It will then be feen that, although the fymptoms of hydrophobia in this cafe were no way remarkable, but ordinary; the event, however, confidering the jud'cious treatment of Mr. Haynes, and which will be approved by every medical man of fcience in the kingdom, appeared to me extraordinary, though Mr. Robinfon recriminates upon me for thinking an event extraordinary when the bydrophobic fumptoms were not in the leaft remarkable. My ideas may be inconsistent; but this does by no means exculpate him from the infinuations against Mr. Havnes, which tirit excited my defence of his practice. Mr. Robinfon again recriminates upon me for confusing the practice of bleeding. I had no view of hurting this gep tleman's character. I voluntarily definded an unknown but injured gentleman, who had been charged with mal-treatment of a patient by weakening him with mercury; and yet this acculer deci res that he afterward bled this patient: It was hence unavoidable, in the defence of the accufed, to obferve, tha: Mr. Rebinfon would not be juflified in his affertion, that the patient did from weakness, originating from mercure, when he himself made ufe of a real weakening plan, that of bleeding or fearifying. If there was confure in what I faid, it was courted by Mr. Robinson's cwn infinuation. Had I then known the true hiftory of this cafe, I fhould have been probably more fevere and pointed; for, In w find that, fo far from mercury having weakened this patient, he had not taken any for at least eight months prior to the hydrophobia. How wil Mr. Robinfon explain this principal fact content with what e thought his cury to the publick, and not hi cefign to ftab private reputation ? 2 The only matter now to remark on Mr. Robinfon's recriminations is, charge, that I did not adduce one fact in favour of mercury. It was not neceffary; but, if Mr. Robinfon will make a friendly explanation for his conduct towards a brother furgeon, and really wishes for information refpeing the exhibition of mercury in cafes of the bites of rabid animele, I will comply with bis request. I would, however, recommend him previously to read Dr. Meafe on the Hydrophobia, with the au thorities Le adduces; Jeffe Foot's Oblervations; Dr. Simmonds's Commentaries and Medical Facts; Sauvage fur la Rage; and, above all, the large 4to volume 1794] Relief of Hydrophobia.-Cafe of the Regimental Surgeons. 995 volume of Mémoires de la Socié é Royale de Médicine; and he then will have no occafion to confult Medicus Londinenfis, or any other phyfician, whether mercury has been used with fuccefs or not. To conclude, Mr. Urban, having got poffeffion of the genuine hiftory of this cafe of hydrophobia, I purpose, in a future Magazine, to communicate what means ought to be purfued to prevent the rabies after the bite of a rabid animal, as well as the treatment of hydrophobia, whenever fuch a melancholy initance fall occur; and, unfortunately, it has of late often occurred. And, as your work is generally read, and as generally esteemed, I fatter myfelt thefe directions may be copied into other periodical publications, and tuck upon the door of every church in the kingdom; for, to extend what little knowledge we poflefs on thefe fubje&ts, that more may be acquired, is the wish of I BEG room in your extenfive Publication for fome remarks, which proceed from an hearty zeal for his Majefty's fervice, and from motives of benevolence to an ufeful clafs of men atched to it, viz. regimental furgeons. Common report fays, that thefe gentlemen are to confider themftives in future as at their ne plus ultra; that they are no longer to look up to fuperior ap pointments; that the vacancies on the medical staff (therefore the appropriate rewards of their long fervices) are to be filled up, to their entire exclufion, by a fucceffion of young London furgeons. If this be really the cafe, it is a manifeft proof that the adviters of the meafure have never feen actual fervice; and, being utterly ignorant of the nature of it, their advice fhould be overruled as detrimental to the army; for, I will affirm to their teeth, and every experienced officer knows it, that greater abilities, experience, act.v.ty, and prefence of mind, are required in a regimental furgeon in batre (who must have every refource within himfeit) then are abfolutely necefiry in a fafffurgeon in a general hofpitat, fur,ounded by aflitants, and every conven ence for the cafy difcharge of his duty in fafety and tranquillity. And yet, Mr. Urban, ft ange to tell! the very reverfe of this opinion is the ground on which the new fyftem is faid to reft; and its abe:ters think to be believed. Serjeant-furgeon Ranby, however, who acquired his experience from actual fervice in the field, thought very differeatly on the fubject, which no man better underfood, whatever gentlemen, whofe campaigns have not extended beyond the found of the Horle-guards clock, may think. This great furgeon relied entirely on the skill and exertion of the regimental furgeons in battle, for preventing the neceflity of crowding the general ho fpital with greater numbers than it ought to contain, caufing contagions far more deftructive than the enemy's fire. He required of them, in all wounds of the principal joints, to amputare immediately upon the fpot. It was by their effeЯual precautions and timely afiflance, in and after an engagement, that the Serjeant- furgeon expected (to ufe his own emphatical expreflions) "that poor creatures under the extreme mifery of large lacerated wounds, bleeding arteries, and fractured limbs, bould efcape the abrupt prepofterous removal, which brings on the molt fatal fymptoms, fuch as there would not be the leaft appearance, or even apprehenfion of, when properly and immediate y affitted in the field of battle. Let (lays Mr. Ranby) when the army is forming for engagement, the furgeons, with their respective mates, of the three or four regiments next to each other, collect themselves in a body (the fame to be obferved throughout the whole line), and take. their station in the rear. Here let the wounded be put under their immediate care and management;" the highest profeflional trut belonging to furgery! What the regimental furgeons are thus engaged in the field of battle, fome of your readers will be defirous to know where the new teff.furgeons are to be found, whofe fupertor alertnefs and activity is to fuperfede their Labours, to the great improvement of the king's ferv ce, and the relief of the wounded officers and folders in thele emergencies. They are to be found at the general hofpital, perhaps (fometimes) within the distance of 20 or 30 miles, but as often double or treble that d-ftance from the fcene of action. All the important, all the difficult parts of fur. gery are anticipated by the immediate attention of the furgeons of the line; who, if they are equal to this important charge, become, by long practice in it, the propereft perfons to fucceed to the vacant |