AFFECTIONS OF THE MIND.

Sulphuric acid, one ounce.Water, two ounces.

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Mix the three first ingredients, and pour in the water gradually,when visible streams of gas will be elicited, capable of destroyingthe contagious effluvia generated in the apartment, or about thefurniture, bed-clothes, &c. The saucer, or other earthenwarevessel, containing either of these, may be placed in the middle ofthe room, observing to have, during its use, the doors and windowsclosely shut.

In a conversation with the late Sir John Pringle, for whom Ihad a great regard, he expressed some apprehension that the con-tents of this chapter might deter people from attending their friendsand relations in fevers. I told Sir John that was the very evil Imeant to cure, having always found the country-people too apt tovisit their friends and neighbours in fever, even so as to crowd thehouse, and incommode the sick. Nor could I impute this to hu-manity, but to an inquisitive disposition to learn what was likelyto be the patient's fate, and to ask improper questions of thoseabout him, or of the doctor himself, were he weak enough to an-swer them. In this case, his answer would be sure to come backto the patient, and if unfavourable, greatly magnified-, so strong isthe inclination which some men feel to spread terror, even at therisk of another's life.

Sir John, not having practiced in the country, was not immedi-ately struck with the force of my reasoning, till I told him whathad happened to a family of his own name who lived near Edin-burgh, who had nearly all perished in a fever. The family con-sisted of a father and mother, with nine or ten children, most ofthem grown up and in place. The mother was seized with a feverof the putrid kind, and the children came in turns to nurse her.They all caught the fever : some died ; and others narrowly escap-ed with their lives. The evil did not end there. They carriedthe fever into the families where they lived, and spread the infec-tion far and wide. This I have often known to happen in thecountry, and would advise masters and mistresses never to suffertheir servants to act as nurses or attendants on the sick, even thoughthe latter should be their nearest relations. They had much bet-ter hire nurses, than allow their servants to act in that dangerouscapacity.

OHAP, XI.

AFFECTIONS OF THE MIND.

Mental affections have great influence both in the cause andcure of diseases. How the mind affects the body, will, in all prob-ability, ever remain a secret. It is sufficient for us to know, thatthere is established a reciprocal influence between the mental and