A Brief Narrative of the Shot of Dr. Robert Fielding with a Musket-Bullet, and Its Strange Manner of Coming out of His Head, Where It Had Lam Near Thirty Years. Written by Himself

tain increases, and the next seven decreases; but I doubt their Observation is not exact, and I suspect that they say it, to seem to know something singular. Besides there are none there that have themselves observed it long enough, to affirm any thing of that kind certainly. If there is any ground in that Observation, it seems to be, that in the hottest Summers it increases, and the more moderate ones it decreases, there being then less melted Snow; in which case it is at present, as we know of late the Summers have been moderate. [See Philosoph. Transact. Numb. 49 and 100.] VIII. A Brief Narrative of the Shot of Dr. Robert Fielding with a Musket-Bullet, and its strange manner of coming out of his Head, where it had lain near Thirty Years. Written by Himself. At the first Newberry Fight, in the Time of the late Civil Wars, the Doctor was shot by the Right Eye on the Os Petrosum, by the Orbit of the Eye to the Skull, which was likewise broke, with great Effusion of Blood from the Wound, Mouth and Nostrils. The Surgeon carefully probing the Wound for the discovery of the Bullet, but failing of his intention, on the third day after the Shot, plac'd him Horizontal to the Sun; by which means depressing the broken Skull with the Probe, he could see the Palpitation of the Brain, but could not discover the Bullet. When the Doctor began to grow cold, his Mouth closed up, and so continued for the space of half a Year, till many Fractures of Bones were come out of the Wound, Mouth and Nostrils; and afterwards whenever a Scale of Bone was to come out, his Mouth would would close, insomuch that several Years after he Prognosticated to some Friends, that a Bone was then coming out, which continued so for 6 or 7 Weeks; at which time finding an itching in the Orifice of the Wound, with his Finger he felt a Bone, upon which he made known to some Friends then present, that they should see him open his Mouth, and taking out a Bone no bigger than a Pins Head, he immediately opened his Mouth. At the second Newberry Fight it heal'd up, no Art could keep it open. After this, for the space of Ten Years, or more, a Flux of Sanious Matter issued out of the right Nostril, and then ceasing there, it flow'd from the left Nostril for some Years: At length, for the space of two Years or thereabouts, upon riding, the Doctor would sometimes find a pain on the left side about the Almonds of the Ear, which he attributed to Cold, but more especially after riding in a cold dark Night, which occasion'd a kind of Deafness too; and having stop'd his Ear with Wool to recover his Hearing, one Day, either Writing or Reading, suddenly an Haffe came in the Ear, which made him start, and the manner not to be express, unless you can imagine a Vacuum; this happen'd about March or April 70. Upon this all that side of the Cheek hung loofe as tho' Paralytick, and under the Ear might be felt a hard Knobb. After this, Tumour upon Tumour appear'd on that side under the Jaw-Bone, which occasion'd his consulting some Physicians, two at one time, one of which suspected the Bullet, which, considering the Shot, they thought not credible. At length the Tumours coming to the Throat, if he held up his Head a little, it seem'd as if one with a Hook did pull down the Jaw-bone, and if any thing touch'd the Throat, 'twas as painful as if prick'd with a handful of Needles; being at last persuad'd to make some Applications, a small hole appear- ed, after that another, and a third near the Pomum Adami; by these the Bullet was discover'd, and cut out in August 1672. IX. An Account of Books; viz. I. Praelectiones Chymicæ Oxoniæ habita a Johanne Freind, M.D., Ædis Christi Alumno. THO' the Art of Chymistry is at present much improved, and abounds with many excellent and useful Experiments; yet it must be acknowledg'd, that hitherto there has been made but a very little Progress in the Philosophy of it; and that Men are still to seek for the Reasons of the many strange Phænomena it produces. The Chymists generally making use of such Principles as have no foundation in Nature, it is no wonder if their Philosophy is inconsistent with itself, and is neither to be explain'd or understood. On this Account the Learned Author of this Excellent Treatise, without considering the Principles and Errors of former Chymists, endeavours here to give a clear and easy Account of the chief Operations of Chymistry from the true Principles of Natural Philosophy, and chiefly that of Attraction; which, he says, is no Figment or Hypothesis, but deduced from many plain Experiments, and grounded on the Laws of Nature and that Habitude that is found among Bodies, but particularly from the Observations that are to be made in Chymistry itself. This Principle of Attraction, with several other Lemma's that are borrowed from Geometry and Mechanicks, he explains and lays down as Axioms, which are to be understood, before any Progress can be made in the Science of Nature.