Part 26
+------------+--------------------------------------- West | | Longitude | | Degrees of North Latitude. From | | _London_. | | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 ----------+------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+---- Degrees. | | | | | | | | | 4 | | | | | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 10 | Degrees | | | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 27 | of | | | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | | 45 | West | 29 | 29 | 30 | 31 | | | | 55 | Variation. | | | | | | | | 65 | | | | | | 39 | 40 | 41 | ----------+------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
VARIATION _in_ Hudson’s-Bay _and_ Straits, _for the Year 1757_.
+------------+-------------------------------------------- West | | Longitude | | Degrees of North Latitude. From | | _London_. | |52|55|56|57|58|59|60 | 61 | 62 | 63 ----------+------------+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+----+----+---- Degrees. | | | | | | | | | | | 65 | | | | | | | | 39| 40 | 41 | 71 | Degrees | | | | | | | | 41 | 41 | 79 | of | | | | | | | | | | 43 81 | West | | | | | | | | 38 | 39 | 40 83 | Variation. |18|20| | | | | | | 39 | 40 86 | | | | | | | | | 35 | 37 | 92 | | | | |17|17| | | | | 94 | | | | | |17|18| | | | 95 | | | | | | |18| | | | ----------+------------+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+----+----+
We have been informed, that in Hudson’s-Bay, there has been very little alteration in the variation of the compass during the twenty years last past.
XLII. _An Account of some extraordinary Tumors upon the Head of a labouring Man, now in_ St. Bartholomew’s _Hospital. By_ James Parsons, _M.D. F.R.S._
[Read Nov. 10, 1757.]
THIS poor man, whose name is John Tomlinson, gives this account of himself: That he was born at or near Rotherham in Yorkshire, and is now about 25 years of age: that when he was a boy of four or five years old, at play with other children, he received a blow from one of them upon the top of his head; and believes that hurt, he then received, was the beginning of the appearances, that are represented before you. _See_ TAB. XIV. The tumor upon the top of his head, however, grew first, and, after having spread all over the vertex, extended gradually downwards over his right shoulder, and forwards over the _os frontis_, on the same side, till it stretched downwards into a lax flabby substance all over the right side of his face and shoulder: then the upper of the three anterior tumors arose from the large one; the middle one from the _ala nasi_, pulling it down by its weight, as you see it in Figure 1.[198]; and the lower one was pendulous from the inside of the great tumor by a narrow neck. These are the appearances which present themselves at first sight; but those under the great tumor are no less extraordinary; for, upon lifting up the great tumor, and looking up under it, his right eye comes in sight, with which he sees very well, and the eye is clear and sound; but the under lid is pulled down, and stretched to six or seven inches long, to which a tumor hung also, as large as that anterior one at the chin, the lowest of the three; besides several flaps and _rugæ_ of skin, and smaller tumors.
The hairy scalp is so stretched by the vertical tumor, that the hairs are driven asunder; so that the tumor is in some places bald, and the whole is rugged and uneven. At its basis, all round, till we come to the extended part that goes away to the right shoulder, a bony edge may be distinctly felt, as if the skull was depressed at the top: and yet I cannot but believe, that there is no depression of the arch of the inner table, because the man was from his childhood ever very healthy; being never troubled with those symptoms, which usually attend a depression of the _cranium_. From this seeming edge the _os frontis_ shoots out a great way over the _ossa nasi_, perhaps to two or three inches beyond the frontal sinus’s; and is the basis, from which the great pendulous tumor hangs downwards and forwards.
From the root of the nose, under the upper of the three smaller tumors, arises a large trunk of a vein, which ramifies up to the vertical tumor, and to the right over the upper part of the great pendulous one: these are very conspicuous, and serve to bring back the residual blood from the tumors: nor is it unlikely that the arteries bear a proportion with these veins in their size, in order to supply the tumors with the matter, which has given them their great increase; but these, lying concealed, cannot be spoken to with any certainty.
If we compare this growth of the frontal bone with that of other _exostoses_, I believe there may this difference be rationally observed; that other _exostoses_ are generally attended with ulcerous tumors, which are for the most part cancerous; and these may commence at any age. I have now drawings, taken from the right hand of a man of 50, which represent risings of the _radius_ and _ulna_, with the fingers, to a most frightful degree; and these begun but six years before, and are attended with foul running ulcers; and now the bones of the arm and hand, on the left side, are beginning to have the same appearances: whereas the frontal bone of the present subject appears sound, as far as we are able to judge by examination: nor does there appear the least disposition to ulceration in any part of it. When this is the case, the growth generally begins while the subjects are young; upon which we shall be more particular a little further on. His sensation upon every part of these tumors, is exactly like that of every other part of his skin, having not the least uneasiness upon being handled. This poor man worked at day-labour in the fields till some months before he came to town.
Perhaps it may not be improper to lay down the dimensions of these tumors, as the case is so extraordinary; for the size of them is almost incredible: but I made my drawing in the presence of several of the gentlemen of that hospital, who allowed it to be very exact, and precise in the expression of the parts, as well as in the dimensions. The vertical tumor is about seven inches diameter at the basis, where the bony edge is felt, mentioned before, and about four inches high from that edge. From that edge, or the basis of the vertical tumor, to the bottom of the great tumor, is ten inches; so that the length of both, from the vertex to the end of the great one, is about 14 inches: and upon viewing it, when he turns his side towards you, the whole mass is eight or nine inches over all the way; hard at top, and flabby downwards, hanging in kinds of plaits. From the eye to the opposite outline of the great tumor is six inches; and lower down, from the left corner of his mouth to the opposite outline of the same tumor, eight inches. The upper small tumor, over the nose, is one inch three quarters long by one inch and a half; the middle tumor is two inches long from the _ala nasi_, to which it hangs, and of the same breadth; and the lowest tumor, shaped like a goose’s egg, is four inches and a half long by near three inches over.
This man is under the care of Mr. Crane, an eminent surgeon of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, who has just now taken off the lowest of these three anterior tumors, and also the tumor mentioned, which hung underneath to the under lid of his right eye. He intends proceeding to take off that at the _ala nasi_ next, and so on till he takes away all the smaller tumors first: afterwards the larger will be considered. The substance of those cut off was intirely fat; nor was there the least speck of blood in the lowest of the three smaller tumors; but there was an hæmorrhage from a vessel divided in taking off that hanging to the right eye-lid; which soon yielded to the methods he made use of, and went on successfully till quite healed.
It is pity no one of the people of condition in the country, where this poor man lived, took notice of him while he was a lad; because, when the vertical tumor begun, or even after it had made some progress, if he had been sent up to any of our hospitals, there would have been no difficulty in curing him. This leads me to some precautions, which, I hope, will render my account of the case of some use, considered in a physiological light; which was my intention in thus laying it before this learned Society.
There is a great deal of difference between injuries received in young subjects and in adults. In the latter, the consequences are not apt to be of so dangerous a nature as in the former (except indeed where there happen violent fractures or wounds, which immediately dispatch the person, young or old); because, in such as are so far advanced in years, as that the parts have done growing, or, in other words, are incapable of carrying the person to any larger size, preserving the natural proportion, a tumor arising from a blow on the head would be merely local, without extending to any neighbouring parts in so extraordinary a manner: but in children, as in the case before you, a tumor may increase every moment from a blow, and spread itself to the neighbouring parts, to the ruin of the child, unless timely care be taken to prevent it; because in such young subjects the parts are continually growing, the vessels enlarging in their diameters, and carrying more and more nutrition to every point, in proportion to the nature of each individual organ, always preserving such an equilibrium, in the distribution of the nutritive juices, as is proper to secure the due proportion of every part as it increases: but when a tumor arises from a blow in such a growing subject, if no wound is made, nor suppuration brought on in the tumor, then the parts of the tumor being only weakened, the equilibrium is destroyed, a greater flux of juices than ordinary is carried to it, the due resistance being impaired, and a luxuriancy of growth is produced in the place of the injury, which greatly exceeds that of the rest of the body; and will most certainly continue in the same manner, during the growth of the subject, when once thus begun. In the present subject, this luxuriancy was communicated even to the veins, which are apparent and large, and which were before, in their natural state, scarce visible; and not only to these, but to the very bones of the forehead: and as to the integuments and membranes of the body, their great distensibility is well known to every one. I have seen an _ovarium_ so distended by water, and thickened as it grew, that it had substance enough to bear being dressed by a tanner, and contained nine gallons, which I saw poured into it after it was dressed. And does not every corpulent person shew the same power of distension in the membranes and integuments of the body, as well as wens of all kinds upon the surface?
I thought so extraordinary a case well worth the notice of the learned members of this Society in itself; and the more so, as these few hints fall naturally from it, to render its publication useful. We are taught by this, how necessary it is for all such as have the management of youth under their care, to have an early regard to every accident that may befall children; for many times injuries of this kind have been thought very trivial, which, being overlooked and neglected too long, have been followed by very direful circumstances. I have known about a young gentleman to have great hard swellings about his head, and become epileptic, losing his senses as he advanced in years, from a blow with the back of a book given him by a master. I am, with due respect,
The +SOCIETY+'s Most obedient Servant, James Parsons.
Sept. 18. 1757.
XLIII. _An Extract of the Register of the Parish of_ Great Shefford, _near_ Lamborne, _in_ Berkshire, _for Ten Years: With Observations on the same: In a Letter to_ Tho. Birch, _D. D. Secret. R. S. from the Rev. Mr._ Richard Forster, _Rector of_ Great Shefford.
[Read Nov. 17, 1757.]
Great Shefford, near Lamborne, Berks, July 8. 1757.
Rev. Sir,
WHEN I settled in the country, abundant leisure enabled me to keep an exact parish-register. I have now finished ten years, I trust, with sufficient care, having examined every thing accurately myself. The sight of three letters, lately published in the Transactions, upon the subject of political arithmetic, put me upon overlooking and methodizing my own account; which I here send you, to make what use you think proper of it.
From Lady-day 1747. to Dº. 1757.
{ Males 73 } Baptized { Females 75 } 148
{ Males 44 } Buried { Females 39 } 83 --- Increase 65
{ Under 2 years of age 25 { Between 2 & 5 4 { 5 - 10 3 { 10 - 20 4 { 20 - 30 5 Buried { 30 - 40 9 { 40 - 50 4 { 50 - 60 4 { 60 - 70 9 { 70 - 80 11 { 80 - 87 5 -- 83 --
And but one alive above 87, who is 91.
The Number of People 425. The Number of Houses 90. The Number of Acres 2245. whereof ⅙ is waste.
I do not offer such trifling numbers as these, as a fit subject to build a canon of life upon; but only as they may furnish us with a few particulars, which may throw some small light upon a subject hitherto very little cultivated: and as what has been advanced this way has been always taken from great cities, a little from the country perhaps may not be disagreeable.
The first observable in my numbers is, that the two infancies of human life are exactly equal; i. e. as many die above 60 as under 2 years of age; and that these two periods of life are by much the most sickly, five eighths of the whole, nearly, dying in these two stages, which renders the intermediate numbers very small.
This will give us some reason to suspect, that capital cities are very improper to estimate the probabilities of life from. The continual flux of people from the circumjacent country, to seek for employment, makes the decrements of life seem much larger than they really are. London is very remarkable upon this account; and Breslaw must receive pretty large accessions, as a very considerable manufacture is carried on there.
The second thing I would observe from my table is, that it confirms what Dr. Brackenridge observes of the Isle of Wight; _viz._ that the births are to the burials as 2 to 1 almost; ours being as 15 to 8 nearly. Now if this is the case of all the country places in England, it will give us a strong presumption, that the increase of mankind is much quicker than Dr. Derham’s proportion of 1 to 12; especially if we consider,
Thirdly, That of the living not 1 in 50 dies yearly; and this in a village not very healthy. We are situated upon the celebrated Lamborne stream, which dries up generally in August, and leaves a stagnated water, and stinking mud, at a critical season of the year, which bring on a putrid fever, and make our place sometimes very sickly. In the year 1751 we buried 17, and in 1756. 11: and therefore we may presume, that in the healthiest parts of the nation, the proportion is still greater, perhaps not one in 60. In order to clear up this, it were to be wished, that the actual number of the people was known, where-ever the bills of mortality are exhibited. All reasoning without this preliminary is really not much better than groping in the dark.
A fourth thing observable from my numbers is, that the quantity of people allotted to a house is too big in all former calculations: for if we divide 425, the number of people, by 90, the number of houses, it gives but 4.72, which is not quite 4¾ to a house; and therefore 5 to a house, I believe, is as much as ought to be allowed, taking the nation all together. Now if the number of houses, taken in Queen Anne’s time, be any thing near the right, with one fourth more allowed for cottages, according to Dr. Brackenridge’s computation, we shall make the people in England, allowing 5 to a house, to be only 4,556,550. which appears, at first sight, to be too small a number. However, of Shefford I would beg leave to observe, (and it is far from being the poorest of villages) that more than two thirds of all the houses are downright cottages, and must be excluded, one as much as another, from any proposed assessment. Upon this foundation we must grant, that at least half the houses in England, take towns and all together, must be cottages, and plead an exemption from taxation all alike. And thus the number of houses will be 1,458,096. which, multiplied by 5, will give us the number of people, 7,290,480. If to this we add the proposed increase, 789,558. we shall have 8,080,038 for the number of people now alive in England.
The fifth and last thing I would observe from my numbers is, that we may hence guess at the number of people in the whole kingdom: for if 1871, the good acres in Shefford, demand 425 persons for their cultivation, then will 25,300,000 good acres in England require 5,704,168 for the cultivation of the land only. Now supposing one third part of the people only to live in towns, above what is necessary for the cultivation of the land belonging to such towns, then we must add 2,852,084 to the above sum, which gives us 8,556,252 for the number of people in England. It may probably here be said, that this is but little better than reckoning at random. Indeed I allow it is so. But then I must beg leave to observe, that it has full as good a foundation to stand upon, as any calculation, that I have seen hitherto advanced. It has one _datum_, viz. a certain number of persons to a certain number of acres. It ought to be noted at the same time, that we are an inland place, have no sort of manufacture carried on, and consequently no accession of strangers.
If we examine the calculation arising from the consumption of wheat, we shall see some reason to suspect, that the number of inhabitants in England is not short of eight millions. I am persuaded I do not exaggerate, when I affirm, that three fourths of the people north of Trent, and in Wales, do not eat wheat: and as this is near a third part of England, it will follow, that one fourth of the whole is left out of the calculation, and that we must add near two millions to it to make it complete.
Again, I compute, that in my parish there are killed annually 160 fat hogs, _viz._ above one to three persons; and that this humour of pig-killing prevails over half of England at least, and is in some measure indulged in all parts. Now we will suppose, that there are but six millions of people in the nation, and that what is killed in the northern half makes up for what is deficient by reason of towns in the southern half; we must from hence conclude, that a million of fat hogs are killed in England every year. Now one hog with another takes two quarters of corn, sometimes barley, sometimes pease: if we put half barley, we shall be under the truth. And here we shall have a million quarters of barley, not only to balance the exportation of wheat, but also to be equivalent to, as much bread-corn as will maintain a full million of people.
Farther, it is well known, that the greatest part of the corn-trade is, of late years, got into the hands of millers: and it has been whispered about for a considerable time, and, I think, now the millers do not deny it, that _some_ whiting is carried to all the great mills. The excuse alleged for it is, that it makes the flour _wet_, and consequently _bake_, the better. I am rather inclined to be of opinion, that it is to give a colour to something that wants colour. And indeed, who-ever tastes the common bakers bread against a piece of genuine wheat-bread, will have some reason to suspect, that all is not gold, that glitters. Every body knows, that the millers buy large quantities of barley and pease, they say, to fat hogs: but then they have pollard, middlings, _&c._ to fat them with; and so may possibly mix the barley and pease with wheat to grind. But as this is all surmise, I would have no more weight laid upon it than it deserves.
The next article is of the same nature; I mean, something of a mystery in trade; and therefore to be touched very gently. What I would hint is, that it is the opinion of many very intelligent persons, that a good deal of malt is made, which does not pay the excise. I do not pretend to ascertain the quantity: perhaps one eighth may not be an extravagant supposition. And if this be the case, we shall find as much barley, as will weigh against bread for half a million of people.
But here, in all probability, you will object, that if all these articles be admitted, we shall make the number of people near eleven millions; which is undoubtedly too much. I am ready to grant it. And here, if I might take the liberty to speak my mind, I think, that the allowance of one quarter of wheat to three persons is too scanty, and must quite starve the poor, whose chief provision is bread: and therefore, two persons to a quarter may be pretty near the truth. And then the numbers will stand thus:
Such as eat wheat, by supposition 4,500,000 In the North, and in Wales 1,500,000 Against the fatting article 1,000,000 Against the two last articles 1,000,000 --------- 8,000,000
I cannot conclude this long scroll without recommending it strongly to the members of the Royal Society, who have many of them seats in parliament, and most of them interest in those that have, to get an Act passed for perfecting registers. The trouble is trifling; the expence nothing. It would be of great service likewise to number the people: and this might be done with great ease. I was not three hours in finishing mine on foot; tho’ it is, perhaps, as extensive, for the number of people, as most in England, being near five miles in length. I am,
Reverend Sir, Your affectionate Brother, and very humble Servant, Richard Forster, _Rector_.
XLIV. _A remarkable Case of an Aneurism, or Disease of the principal Artery of the Thigh, occasioned by a Fall. To which is prefixed a short Account of the Uncertainty of the distinguishing Symptoms of this Disease. By_ Jos. Warner, _F.R.S. and Surgeon to_ Guy’s Hospital.
[Read Nov. 17, 1757.]
WHEN the coats of an artery become by any means præternaturally distended, when they become wounded, or when they become ruptured in such a manner as to discharge and deposit their former contents under the neighbouring integuments, under the aponeurosis, or tendinous expansion of a neighbouring muscle, or still more deeply under the muscles themselves; the natural consequence attending this accident will sooner or later be a degree of elevation, or tumor: which species of tumor is known by the term _aneurism_.