A Letter from John Huxham, M. D. F. R. S. to Cromwell Mortimer, M. D. Secr. R. S. Serving to Accompany an Account of the Case of One Hannah Hitchcock, One of Whose Ureters was Grown Up; A Present of a Beautiful Stalactites, Now in the Museum of the Royal Society; And a Drawing of an Extraordinary Calculus Taken out of the Bladder of a Boy

XVII. A Letter from John Huxham, M.D. F.R.S. to Cromwell Mortimer, M.D. Secr. R.S. serving to accompany an Account of the Case of one Hannah Hitchcock, one of whose Ureters was grown up; a Present of a beautiful Stalactites, now in the Museum of the Royal Society; and a Drawing of an extraordinary Calculus taken out of the Bladder of a Boy. Dear Sir, I HAVE now an Opportunity of sending you, inclosed, the Case of one Hannah Hitchcock; and a little Box, containing the Stones taken out of her Kidneys. In the Box also I have sent one of the most remarkable Stalactites I ever saw. Perhaps it may be a Curiosity even to you.—It was found in a Cavern, that was discovered amidst the vast Marble Rocks at Cat-dowm near Plymouth.—It hung perpendicularly from the Top of the rocky Cavern, and was a cylindrical Tube of twenty Inches long at least; but was unluckily broke into several Pieces in Bringing to me. This I have sent was by much the longest of them; but Mr. Long (the Master of the Quarries) assured me the Whole was above twenty Inches long, and quite cylindrical, and quite hollow.—I went to the Cave the next Day, and found five or six of such Kind of Tubes, but none above two Inches long.—They all sprang from a broad, hollow, protuberating Basis, in some sort as a Nipple arises from the Breast.— These also were cylindrical and hollow. — There were in the same Cavern many other Petrifications, which had formed a kind of hollow Pilasters against its Sides; and also several large solid Masses, which arose from the continual Dropping of the petrefying Water through the Crevices of the superior Rock. — These all afford very good Alabaster. In the Box likewise you will find an exact Draught of a Stone (see Tab. II. Fig. 10.) lately taken out of the Bladder of a Boy about twelve Years old; which I think of a pretty uncommon Figure; tho' not indeed so very remarkable as that mentioned Philosoph. Transf. No 450 — The Boy died two or three Days after the Operation: So that the Parents keep the Stone as a Relique of their unfortunate Child, and will not part with it. Dear Sir, I have the Honour to be Your much obliged, and Plymouth, Sept. 20. 1744. obedient humble Servant, J. Huxham. The Case of Hannah Hitchcock. Hannah Hitchcock, about Sixty, was from her Youth up a very sober industrious Woman, of a thin Habit of Body, and bilious Constitution: But in her latter Years she became unhealthy, and was frequently subject to Fits of the Gravel, and brought off some small Stones. For about three or four Years before her Death, she was often afflicted with nephritic Colics, great Pains Pains of the Stomach and Back, Suppression of Urine, and sometimes discharg'd bloody Urine. — She at length became ascitical and asthmatic; and, for more than eight or ten Weeks before she died, she had a violent Pain in the Region of the Stomach, and a hard Swelling under the Cartilago ensiformis, with almost perpetual Vomitings, colical Pains, extreme Costiveness, and Difficulty of Urine. The last Fortnight, or more, she vomited every thing, and had a total Suppression of Urine for fifteen Days. — At last, she died comatosè and convuls'd. Upon opening the Abdomen, soon after her Death, there neither appeared Stomach, Liver, or Guts, but a large irregular Mass, spread from one Side of the Abdomen to the other, and adhering firmly to both Sides. — This was, in great part, the Omentum, grown, as it were, cartilaginous, and as tough almost as Leather; having up and down in it, several large, very hard, scirrhous Nodes, and some Tubercles, full of fetid Pus. The Stomach was very much contracted, but its Coats were very thick; and, near the Pylorus, very much inflamed, almost mortified; its Glands, in several Places, scirrhous, and as large as Peas. — The Passage from the Stomach to the Guts was shut up, partly by the Inflammation and Thickness of its Coats, and partly by its odd Coalition with the Liver and Omentum. The Liver was much shrunk and scirrhous, and roll'd up into a kind of conical Figure; in the Vertex of which appeared the Gall-bladder, of a dark-green Colour, and very turgid; and yet the Ductus communis communis Cholodockus was near four times as large as usual. The Ilium was thrust down much lower than ordinary; and the Convolutions of the Gut were, in several Places, grown firmly together: The Colon also, on both Sides, was strongly attach'd to the Peritoneum. 'Tis almost constantly observed, where the Omentum is either consumed, or greatly depraved, that the Convolutions of the Guts grow together, and adhere to the adjoining Parts, for want of that oily Mucus, which, in a natural State, in great Plenty transudes from the Omentum, to lubricate them, and render them fit for the regular Performance of the peristaltic Motion, &c. In the Cavity of the Abdomen there were near six Quarts of putrid Water, somewhat ting'd with Blood — in the right Cavity of the Thorax about a Pint. The urinary Bladder, quite empty, and half rotten, did not contain a Drop of Urine, but was smeared over with a sort of purulent Matter. In the right Kidney was found the bigger Stone, which took up almost all the Pelvis renalis.—In the right Ureter were two or three small Stones, which, with a sort of very tough Mucus, had shut its Passage intirely.—Indeed the great Stone in the Pelvis had well-nigh quite bung'd up the Mouth of the Ureter. In the left Kidney was the smaller Stone, which had so entered the Ureter with its conical Part, as adequately to stop it, like a Cork in a Bottle. When we had removed this Stone (tho' we found no other in the Ureter), we could not force any Water thro' it it into the Bladder, altho' a strong injecting Syringe was used; for the Ureter was greatly contracted, and there seem'd an absolute Coalescence of its Sides. 'Tis certain, the Canals of a human Body, that cease to have any Fluid transmitted thro' them, soon coalesce; as is particularly evident in the Canalis arteriosus, Urachus, umbilical Vessels: — Nay we see the external Coats of the Intestines soon grow together, if they are not constantly lubricated with their proper oily Mucus that prevents it. This will be much sooner effected in the Ureters, if they happen to be excoriated by small Stones, or Gravel: For we find even the Fingers, or other excoriated Parts, soon grow together, unless prevented by due Care.— I am persuaded this is sometimes the Case in fatal Ischuries; tho' more frequently they arise from obstructing Gravel, Stones, grumous Blood, tough Mucosity, or the like. IMP·CAES·M·AVRELI·SEVERO·ANTONINI·PIO·FELICI·XXG·PARVUS·MAX·BRIT·MAX·GERM·MAX·PONTIFICI·MAIOR·TRIB·POTEST·XVIII·IMPERATOR·COS·III·PROCONS·PP·QVINTI·FIDA·VARDVUL·CREDO·NNANA·FECIT·SVB·LEG· Fig. 1. p.158. Fig. 2. p.160. Fig. 3. p.238. Fig. 4. p.238. Fig. 5. p.177. Fig. 6. p.177. Fig. 7. p.177. Fig. 8. p.195-200. IMP·CAES·M·AVRELIO SEVERO·ANTONINO PIO·FELICI·XXG·PARTHIC· MAX·BRIT·MAX·GERM· MAX·PONTIFICI·MAXIM· TRIB·POTEST·XVIII·IMP·II· COS·III·PROCONS·PP·COH·I· FIDA·ARDVL·CREO·XANO NNANA·FECIT·SVB·CVRA·IO LEG·XX·GR MARTI VICTORI VLIVS LI IVS TRIE V·S·L·M. DEO·HER SAEGON T·TAMMON SAE·TAMMON VITALIS HONO