A Letter from Mr. James Yonge, F. R. S. to Dr. Hans Sloane, R. S. Secr. concerning Several Solid Bodies Voided by Urine

III. A Letter from Mr. James Yonge, F. R. S. to Dr. Hans Sloane, R. S. Secr. concerning several Solid Bodies voided by Urine. Honoured Sir, Yesterday I did again examine the Woman from whom the Bunch came, as also her Daughter, and Servant that attended her when it was ejected; and they all affirm that the Chamber-Pot used was a White glazed one, and very clean; and the Woman tells me she sensibly felt it when it came away, and that a Tumour which she felt in one side of her Belly, did thereupon vanish. That ever since, which is eight Months, she hath been unmolested with those Torments, and other Symptoms which seized her frequently before, as I related in my last: only now and then some small Pains happen about her Loins; and sometimes she brings off Mucilage in her Urine. I am not very credulous, nor did I soon believe it possible for Hair to pass through those impervious ways, by which the Urine is conveyed to the Kidneys, &c. and its natural Cistern. But when I considered all the Circumstances, and how frequently things unaccountable happen, the truth of which we are well assured, and that many like this, and some more strange are related by Authors of the best Credit, and many as surprizing (perhaps much more so) have occurred to me within a few Years in this Country; I make no doubt of its truth. The Authors and Stories are numerous. *Diemerbroeck* Anat. lib. 1. c. 17. mentions divers of his own Knowledge, and many more from *Plutarch*, *Langius*, *Alex. Benedictus*, *J. M. Hessius*, *J. Alexandrinus*, *N. Florentinus*, *P. Pigreus*, and others, That Needles, Lumps of Fat, Iron Keys, Roots, Seeds, Nails, &c. have come off in Urine. To these may be added *Tho. Bartholinus*, Act. Med. Vol. 2. Obs. 125. Vol. 3. Obs. 68. Vol. 5. Obs. 57. 70. As also in his *Tr. de Laët. Thorac.* Cap. 6. 9. *Fabr. Hildanus*, Cent. 5. Obs. 51. who write of Pins, &c. cast off by Urine. But our Country-Man Dr. Farfax, writes of one more strange; A Leaden-bullet swallowed by a Woman for the Cholick, was piss'd off some Years afterward, incrustated with a gravelly, gritty, and stony Accresion. The Story is published by Mr. Oldenburgh, Ph. Tr. No. 40. to which I refer. About twenty Years since I was assured by a Physician practising in the West Part of Cornwall, that he knew a Woman that piss'd out a small Plumb-Stone. But there happen'd at Loo in the same County, about 16 Years ago, a more surprizing Accident of that sort, which I here set you down as I had it from the Pen of the Physician concern'd, who is alive, and the Truth of it well known in and about the Town where it happen'd. *Nathaniel Mitchell of Loo in Cornwall*, aged about 50, was in the Summer 1690, seized with violent Co- lical Pains which he mitigated by Glysters, but could not perfectly free himself of them. About Michaelmas 1691. his Pains being very violent, he was relieved by the same Remedy; and by the persuasion of a skilful Woman, he drank the Powder of Nettle-roots in White Wine: After the first or second Dose he dis- charged a great quantity of Urine, with a very fecu- lent Sediment. About the beginning of November 1691. being Costive, he eat Mallow roots and Corinth's boil'd, and mixed with Butter, (his usual Medicine to render him Laxative.) In a little time after eating it, he was much disordered, and complained of an Oppression by Wind; at length the Wind (as he termed it) settled at the bottom of his Belly, and in a very little time with his Urine he emitted some of the Herbs, with above 40 Corinth's: A few Days after he piss'd off several Parsley-Leaves, which he had a little before eaten. I was called to him about the 12th of November, when his Urine being shewn me, I thought that part of his Excrements had been evacuated that way, and that some Latent Ulcer had made a Passage through the Intestinum Rectum into the Bladder, but found it otherwise; for there was no Fætor in the Urine, he had no Tenesmus, nor bloody, nor purulent Dejections; but to satisfy myself further in this Particular, I ordered him a Glyster tinctured with Indigo, which he retained above half an hour, but his Urine was not at all discoloured with it. I prescribed Pills of—, two of which came off in his Urine November 13. in an oblong form, about the bigness of the end of the first Quill in a Goose's Wing. The Pills I have by me, except the half of one, which I rubbed abroad with my Fingers. Some time after he piss'd off a piece of a Raison. He lived till Midsummer 1692. in which time he ejected at divers times parts of Roots, and other things he eat. His Wife refused all the Importunity that could be made to have his Body dissected: So that a great Secret was buried with him. J. H. Dinnerbroeck, Farfus, T. Bartholine, O. Borichius, N. Blegny, Mr. Pecquet, and others are of Opinion, that there is a concealed Channel for the Urine to the Emulgents, &c. than those commonly supposed; and they think it appears so by divers Phænomena, Experiments, Essays, they have made, (though like the Head of Nile it it be yet concealed,) and that their Objections against the common Opinion are insuperable. It's certain the matter of an Empyema, and the Corruptions in the Thorax in penetrating Wounds thereof, have been piss'd off, and to that purpose Diureticks are used in Vulneraries, &c. See Malpighius, N. Blegny, Serjeant Wiseman, &c. And I have known a large ripe Apostumation in the Thigh sink suddenly, and all the Matter come away by Urine from a Woman. Mr. Leyser hath the like Story in his Observations. See the Philos. Tr. No. 50. I had once a Boy of about 6 Years old, brought me, that piss'd off the most part of his Urine from an Orifice in his Navel. I remember Blasius, or Vesslingius, relates the like, and accounts for it. Plimouth, March 9. 1707. James Yonge