An Account of a Bristle That Was Lodged in a Gentleman's Foot, and Caused a Violent Inflammation: In a Letter from Mr. Arderon. F.R.S. to Mr. Baker, F.R.S.

IV. An Account of a Bristle that was lodged in a Gentleman's Foot, and caused a violent Inflammation: In a Letter from Mr. Arderon. F.R.S. to Mr. Baker, F.R.S. Read May 15. JOHN WOOD, Esq; of the City of Norwich, being afflicted with great Pain, and a violent Inflammation, in one of his Feet, applied to Mr. Caftil, an eminent Surgeon, for his Assistance; who, upon strict Examination, perceived a few short Hairs sticking out, not far above the Setting on of the little Toe. Their Thickness, and particular Manner of standing out, put him upon taking hold of them with his Forceps; when, to his great Surprise, he extracted a large Hog's Bristle, of the Size shewn in the Margin, where the prick'd Line $AB$ denotes how far it was buried in the Flesh. The Gentleman had immediate Ease, and grew well in a few Days, without any other Assistance. And he can't give the least Guess how the Bristle got into his Foot; unless by some Accident it slipped into his Stocking, and from thence worked its Way in. Had Mr. Wood deferr'd his Application to a Surgeon, till the Bristle had been entirely buried in his Foot, how miserable might he have been? What dreadful Operations in Surgery might he not have undergone, without the least Probability of having having his Malady found out, or obtaining a Cure for it? 'Tis not unlikely, that many desperate Cases in Surgery may arise from such Accidents as this. V. Some Observations on the Spina ventosa; by the late Claudius Amyand, Esq; F.R.S. and Serjeant-Surgeon to His Majesty. Read May 15, 1746 WHAT Practitioners generally understand by the Spina ventosa, is a Caries in the Bone, from the Extravasation of some sharp Juices within it relaxing the Tone of the Fibres, and swelling and increasing its Bulk beyond the natural Bounds. In this Case, the Humour, or extravasated Juices, pent in the Bone, works its Way out of it, through the external Cortex, or into the Joints, or both. By Detention it acquires an Acrimony; and, like Vinegar, and other acrid Juices, it not only relaxes the Tone of the bony Tubes, by mollifying them, but also, like a Caustic, it tears and lacerates them. At this time the Bone swells, tumefies, and spreads; and the Sap flowing, running out through the lacerated Tubes, overspreads the Surface, and adds to the Tumefaction, as the liquid Matter, forming a Callus, is indurated there. So that, when this happens at or near the Joints, the Bones in Contact are knit together, and the Cariosity is incrusted and cover'd with an Exostosis, in as many Places as the Matter confined within the Bone, upon breaking the Cortex of it,