A Letter Written by an Intelligent and Worthy English Man from Paris, to a Considerable Member of the R. Society in London, Concerning Some Transactions there, Relating to the Experiment of the Transfusion of Blood

The Contents. The Extracts of Two Letters, one written from Paris concerning some Transactions there, relating to the Transfusion of Blood; the other, from Plimouth, giving an Accompt of the hindrance of opening the Big-breasted Woman after her death. An Appendix to the former Discourse of the Salt-Work. A Relation, touching the Quick-silver-Mines in Friuli, confirming and enlarging the Accompt formerly given of the same. A Narrative of an odd Lake in Carniola. An Accompt of some Books: I. MECHANICA, sive de MOTU Tractatus Geometricus, A. Joh. Wallis SS. Th. D. &c. II. NATH. HIGHMORI de Hysterica & Hypochondriaca Passione Responsio Epistolaris ad Doct. Willis. III. NOUVELLES EXPERIENCES sur la VIPERE, par M. CHARAS. IV. ATHANASI KIRCHERI ARS COMBINATORIA. V. THEODORI KERCKRINGII M.D. Spicilegium Anatomicum, nec non Osteogenia Fatuum. A Letter Written by an Intelligent and Worthy English Man from Paris, to a Considerable Member of the R. Society in London, concerning some Transactions there, relating to the Experiment of the Transfusion of Blood. SIR, You have such a Relation to the Royal Society, that I think myself obliged to impart unto you the Honourable mention, I heard of that Nob'e Institution in the Grand Chambre of the Parlement here, on Thursday last, that Society being then publicly instanc'd in for the Source of Noble Experiments, and having the Precedency of those in Germany, Italy, and other places of Europe; in that order, wherein the Orator thought fit to rank them. The occasion of mentioning it was, That one Monsieur Denys, a Physician, had been question'd before the Lieutenant Criminal here for the Death of his Patient (a Man that had been stark Mad for several years) who had expired under his hands, while he was Transfusing Blood into him, according to the New Experiment. The Operation had been twice perform'd with good success; the Patient having had thereupon a good interval of two Months after the first, and all hopes of a longer after the second, had not been for the debauches in Wine and Brandy, that he fell to, soon after the Operation. He was a Brittan by birth, and the Original of his Madness, Love. That which Mr. Denys, his Advocate, very much gloried in, was, that (besides that the Experiment had been practised with good, at least with no ill, success, in England, Germany, Italy, Holland, &c., and defended in Theses in almost all the Universities of France) there were two persons, a Man and a Woman, present in the Audience, that received a benefit to Admiration from the Experiment, after they had been abandon'd by all Physicians and other helps. In Justifying the Introduction and Use of New Experiments he said, That the Most precious Life to this State (viz. That of his Most Christian Majesty) had been saved by the Administration of a lately invented Emetique. This Advocat was the Son of Monsieur le Premier President de la Moignon. The same was, not long since, in our Court, and is, I perceive, well known to it, and infinitely satisfied with the Civilities he had received from several persons there. Though this was his first Action, yet his performance was a Master-piece, and he had an Audience suitable; all Friends, I suppose, to his Family: among them were the Duke of Enguyen, the Dukes of Luynes, Mortemar, Chaulne, and a World of other Great Persons, Men and Women. The Pleading for the Widow Plaintiff will be on Thursday next; but any odds would be laid on the Defendants side; though some Some partial Men here are more than suspected to set on the Widow. Pardon, Sir, this Interruption, and believe me, Paris, Nov. 30. 1669. An Extract of a Letter Written by Dr. Durston from Plymouth Novemb. 28, 1669, giving an Account, why the late Big-breasted Woman was not open'd after her Death. SIR, IT was design'd to have examin'd the Viscera of Eliz. Travers, but her Aunt, who was with her and took care of her, fell into such a passion upon the proposal of opening her, that she seem'd to be for the time besides herself; and I could not by any art get her out of the Chamber, where the Corps was laid out, till she saw her nail'd up in her Coffin. I never saw such fondness shewn to a dead Body; and I was sufficiently troubled to be thus disappointed by a fond extravagant Woman: But yet I believe, if I had examin'd the Entrails, I should have seen little or nothing extraordinary. For, to the last, I could perceive no ill smell from her Breath, or straightness upon the Chest, or painfulness in her Breathing; and the Egesta per urinam, &c. were well enough. If anything worth Observation do further occur in these parts, I shall upon every opportunity communicate it to you, who am, &c. An Appendix To the Discourse concerning the Salt-work, publish'd in Numb.53. communicated by the same Doctor Jackson, in a Letter of Novemb. 20. 1669. Qu.1. Whether those Salt-springs do yield less water and more of the Salt, in great Droughts, than in wet seasons? Ans. Our Springs do not sensibly alter in their decrease or increase in either dry or wet seasons; for being plentiful Springs, we have always the Pitt full: Only this is observ'd by the Briners, that they make more Salt with the same quantity of Brine