Part of a Letter from John Green, M. D. Secretary of the Gentlemens Society at Spalding in Lincolnshire, to C. Mortimer, M. D. Sec. R. S. Serving to Inclose a Relation of a Girl Three Years Old, Who Remained a Quarter of an Hour Under Water without Drowning

inward Pressure in the Phial being greater than the ambient Pressure in the Digester, wherein were but Four-fifths of Water, the Cork was thereby forced outward; and that the small Difference between the proportionate Quantity of Water and Air in the Phial and in the Digester, being only as Four-fifths to Five-sixths, was the Reason not only why the Bottle was not broken, but also of the Faintness of the Explosion. III. Part of a Letter from John Green, M.D. Secretary of the Gentlemens Society at Spalding in Lincolnshire, to C. Mortimer, M.D. Sec. R.S. serving to inclose a Relation of a Girl three Years old, who remained a Quarter of an Hour under Water without drowning. SIR, Spalding, Feb. 18. 1737-8. THE inclos'd is what I receiv'd this Day from a Gentleman who lives on the Spot, and what you in yours so much desir'd. The Reason of the Child's being able to abide so long under Water is pretty evident: The Child, most likely, was infirm, weak, and sickly, from the Time of her Birth, so that the Foramen Ovale was not grown up. I remember about three Years ago to have seen a Subject, an old Woman 80 Years old, who had the Foramen Ovale so large, that you might easily thrust your middle Finger through it; but she was attended with the above- above-mention'd Circumstance, that is, she never enjoy'd a Moment's Health in her Life. May 16. 1737. Rebecca Yates, of Billson near Market-Bosworth in Leicestershire, had a Daughter about three Years of Age, that fell into the Mill-dam at the Head, near to the Mill-wheel; and, by the Force of the Stream, was drawn under the Water to the said Wheel, with her Legs forwards; one of her Legs went under the Mill-wheel, and by reason of the Nearness of the Wheel to the Floor of its Water-way, the Bulk of the Child's Leg stopped the said Wheel from moving at all. The sudden stopping of the Mill so much surprised the Miller, that he went immediately, and let down the Shuttle; but finding it would not go quite down, he came up again into the Mill, and looked both above and below, to see if he could not find out the Cause; then went and drew up the Shuttle, and let it down again; but as the Gate would not shut quite down, he could not as yet find out the Cause of his Mill standing still; for which Reason he went backwards and forwards betwixt the said Shuttle and Mill-room, as nigh as he can guess, Eight or Ten times, before he found out the Cause; but at last he drew the Shuttle quite up, by which means the Force of the Water drove the Child from under the Shuttle; then he put the Shuttle quite down, and thereby discover'd the Child with her Leg under the Wheel, and lying upon her Face. The first Word she spoke was, Help me, which she repeated three times; the Miller left her Arm for some other Person to hold her, whilst he endeavour'd to remove the Wheel, so as to get out her Leg; and then she said again, For God sake help me out, if you She spoke very briskly, after she was put to Bed. But the Mill wheel had tore away all the Shin, Muscles, Sinews, and Tendons, of her Leg, quite to the Bone, and stript them down to her Heel; besides, the Shuttle was drawn up and let down upon the Small of her Back several times. The Child lived from Monday till Friday, and then died of her Wounds and Bruises; otherwise, in all Appearance, she might have lived to have made a fine Woman. The whole Time of her being under Water (and that at the Depth of four Feet and an half) was near 15 Minutes. Attested by John Bailey, Miller. Rebecca Yates, the Mother. The Mark + of Grace Cooper, the Miller's Maid. IV. The Case of Mr. . . . Cox, Surgeon at Peterborough, who fell into a Pestilential Fever, upon Tapping a Corpse lately dead of an Hydropsy, drawn up by himself, and read before the Peterborough Society, Sept. 1. 1736. communicated to the Royal Society by the Rev'd Mr. Tim. Neve, Sec. Soc. Petroburg. An elderly Gentlewoman, labouring of a Dropsy about 12 Months, underwent the Operation of Tapping four several times, by which 35 Quarts of