Part of a Letter from Cheney Hart, M. D. to William Watson, F. R. S. Giving Some Account of the Effects of Electricity in the County Hospital at Shrewsbury

XCIV. Part of a Letter from Cheney Hart, M.D. to William Watson, F.R.S. giving some Account of the Effects of Electricity in the County Hospital at Shrewsbury. Salop, Nov. 5, 1754. Read Nov. 14, 1754. WE have tried the effects of electricity in many different cases, though I cannot say, that we have had much success in its use, except in the case of one woman, whose left arm had been paralytic some years, and remained so, notwithstanding all the endeavours used to remedy it, so as to be ever absolutely motionless, and senseless of heat, cold, or pain. This patient had her arm electrified frequently, and the sparks drawn from it, and the greatest blows given to it for many days successively, whereby in about eight or nine days time her arm grew sensible of pain and warmth, &c. and she had some little motion of her fingers, being able to grasp any thing with her arm down, or before her; but she could not lift it up to her head any better. This encouraged us to continue the electrifying three weeks or a month longer; in which time she had got some little strength in her arm, could open and shut her fingers, and lift it half-way to her head: but the pain she had from the electrifying, and the fear that increased continually of new shocks, made her obstinately to resist using it any longer; and she chose, she said, rather to remain paralytic than undergo such operations any more: for which reasons she was discharged out of the infirmary, with with such little relief as is above-mentioned, and I never have heard more of her. I wish indeed she had tried it a while longer, as it bid so fair to do her service; and this was the only case, which gave us any reasonable hopes from its use. Another young girl, about sixteen, whose right arm was paralytic, on being electrified the second time, became universally paralytic, and remained so about a fortnight; when the increased palsy was removed indeed by the medicines, which her case indicated; but the first diseased arm remained as before. I should have mentioned too, that this arm was greatly wasted, in comparison of the other. However, notwithstanding the former bad accident, I had a mind to try the electricity on her again, which we renewed, and after about three or four days use, she became the second time universally paralytic, and even lost her voice and tongue, and with difficulty could swallow: this confirmed me in my opinion, that the electric shocks had occasioned these symptoms. We therefore omitted it, and the girl, though she grew better of her additional palsy (for so I call it), remained as bad as before of her first; and, after about four months repeated course of medicines of different kinds on her, she was discharged incurable, and still remains as bad as ever. These, Sir, are the only two cases worth noticing, that have occurred to me, wherein it can be said to have produced any remarkable effects at all: for on numbers of others, that have experienced it, I have not observed any thing happen, except that, when the affected palsied limb is touched with the electrical conductor, a convulsive motion is produced imme- diately; but this is over very soon, and they have all remained as motionless and bad as before. And the second case above-mentioned has made us here very cautious in proceeding to its use in many patients, for fear of bringing on worse symptoms than they had before, by it. XCV. A Letter from the Reverend William Brakenridge, D.D. and F.R.S. to George Lewis Scot, Esq.; F.R.S. concerning the Number of Inhabitants within the London Bills of Mortality: Dear Sir, Read Nov. 21, 1754. As I have lately had the curiosity to consider, the number of inhabitants in London and Westminster, whether they increase or decrease; I presume to send you the observations I have made. For as no one understands numbers better than yourself, your approbation will much confirm me in my opinion, and perhaps have weight with many others; when you can easily find out any paralogism or mistake, that I may have made. And if you can spare any time from your great employment, to think upon the subject, and to rectify anything that may be amiss in my method of computing; it will be very obliging. I have consulted the yearly bills of mortality for the last fifty years, which I imagine will be sufficient for my purpose; and from them I have extracted all the numbers of the baptisms and burials, both within the