THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, For MARCH, 1812. STATE OF HIS MAJESTY'S HEALTH. HE Report on this subject, of THE which we gave an abstract in our Magazine for last month, (page 162,) was that of the Committee of the House of Commons; and, of course, should have been connected with our account of the proceedings of that House. "The Report from the Lords Committees appointed to examine the Physicians who have attended his Majesty, touching the state of his Majesty's health," and which was presented to the House by Earl Camden, and ordered to be printed, January 15, contains many interesting particulars, of which we shall now give an abstract. Dr. William Heberden thinks his Majesty's bodily health not far removed from its natural state-his mental health very much disordered his recovery improbable, but not hopeless. Dr. Thomas Monro thinks his Majesty's bodily health tolerably goodhis mental health insane-his recovery very improbable; does not expect his recovery; but does not entirely despair. Dr. Samuel Foart Simmons thinks his Majesty's bodily health very good-his mental health much deranged - his recovery improbable. Q. In what degree do you consider his Majesty's recovery as improbable?" A. "It is difficult to say, bo hopeless?" A. "Not hopeless." Q. Are you physician to Saint Luke's Hospital?" A. "I was for thirty years; and now am consulting physician." Q." Is there any regulation in that hospital with respect to the admission of patients after a certain age?" A. "Till within about three years there was not; persons of any age were admissible, but since that period no patient above seventy years of age is admitted. I have looked over the memorandums of all the Hospital cases that I have, where the ages of patients are accurately marked, prior to the regulation with respect to the exclusion of patients above seventy years of age; and I find that in the course of about thirty years, there were, out of six thousand two hundred and fifty-six patients, only seventy-eight who were of the age of seventy years and upwards; and that of these seventy-eight, only sixteen were discharged cured, which is in the proportion of one in five; whereas, of the others, nearly one half (rather more than four in ten) were discharged cured. It appears that of three hundred and thirty four patients discharged uncured, and re-admitted as deemed incurable, eighteen have been discharged cured, which is about five in one hundred. That, I think, shows the difficulty of fixing the degree of improbability. These eighteen persons had been for several years in a state of derangement. Q. "Were any of those eighteen above the age of seventy?" A. "I think they were not, but I cannot speak positively without referring to books." Q." Does Dr. Simmons know what was the cause of the regulation in consequence of which patients above the age of seventy were cause in some cases recoveries so unexpectedly take place, that it sets all calculations at defiance. The pro portion of recoveries in persons of his Majesty's advanced period of life, is much less than in earlier periods; but recoveries do sometimes take place in persons of a still greater age than his Majesty." Q. "Are you of opinion that his Majesty's recovery is excluded as to the ultimate termination disorder." Q. "Is there an tion of fatuity in his majesi order?" A. There is no st cation; and that I think strong reason for not conside Majesty's case as hopeless "When was Dr. Simmons fir in to attend his Majesty du present iliness?" A. "On of October last." Q." Since riod has his Majesty made a gress towards recovery?" cannot say that there has b obvious progress towards rec Q. "Does Dr. Simmons cons Majesty in a more or less fav state for recovery, from suct order, than most persons of years of age?" A." Not less able than other persons of tha Q"Does Dr. Simmons icons. case as more or less favoura recovery now, than when he fi his Majesty on the 9th of Oct A. "Rather less favourable, fr length of time that has elapse out any obvious progress towa covery." Dr. John Willis thinks his M health such as renders him ind of any kind of public busines "What is the present state of i jesty's bodily health?" A. "Nes same as it has been since I hav his Majesty. I have thought i the whole, rather better since first called in." Q." When w Willis first called in during h jesty's present tillness?" A. first time I saw his Majesty the 9th of October."--Consi Majesty's recovery as very im ble, but not hopeless. not hopeless, I mean to say, I consider recovery as impo Q. "Has Dr. Willis known ma sons to recover, when afflicted particular species of derang under which the King labours "Yes; I have known many from the particular species of de ment under which the King lal Q. "After they had arrived excluded from St. Luke's?" A. "About the same time that the reguSion took place for the exclusion of persons above the age of seventy, a rule was also made for the exclusion of children under the age of twelve. It was found that of old persons a much smaller proportion recovered than of the other patients: many of them soon fell into a state of infirm bodily health; they died in a larger proportion from palsies, and other diseases incident to old age; and therefore it was thought better to confine the admission to the middle ages of life." Q. "Was the improbability of cure the cause of the regulation?" A. "I think not; because we have had persons of a more advanced age (one of eighty-three) discharged from the Hospital as cured. The age of the patients, merely, was certainly not the reason of the regulation." Q." Does Dr. Simmons recollect whether any of the persons above the age of seventy, discharged as cured, were blind?" A. "I cau speak with certainty that they were not; because the number of blind patients that I have had an opportunity of seeing, has been very small; not more, as far as I recollect, than six in the Hospital, and two in private practice." Q. How many of those blind patients recovered?" A. "I recollect no instance of perfect recovery." Q. "Do you expect that the king will recover?" A. "I can hardly say that I expect it." Q. "Upon what grounds do you deem his Majesty's recovery improbable?" A. "I believe I have already stated the reasons, one of which is his age." Q." Is the age of his Majesty the only ground upon which Dr. Simmons considers his Majesty's recovery as improbable?" "Not merely his age -the general turn of his disorder." Q. "What are the grounds upon which Dr. Simmons considers that his Majesty's recovery is not hopeless?" A. "There are many grounds upon which I consider the case as not hopeless-the regularity of his Majesty's former habits of life-the present good state of his general health-his recovery from former attacks of his disorder-the accuracy of his perception in many points, particularly with respect to his food. His Majesty's memory, likewise, seems so perfect, that it cannot fail to give some hope through the whole of his illness i EDIT. Dr. Simmons attended his + Dr. John Willis (with his fat late Rev. Dr. Francis Willis) at his Majesty in the first attack of order in 1789. EDIT. 1812.] King's Health.-Collectors of Natural Curiosities. age of the King?" A. "No, I cannot say that." Q." Has Dr. Willis ever attended any patients who were blind" A. "No, I have not." Dr. Matthew Baillie thinks that, except for a little exacerbation within the last two or three days, his Majesty's bodily health has been little disordered-considers his recovery extremely improbable. Sir Henry Halford thinks his Majesty's bodily health by no means good-his mental health extremely disordered; and his recovery very improbable. Dr. R. D. Willis thinks his Majesty's bodily health better than under all the circumstances of the case might be reasonably expected--the present state of his mental health as bad, or perhaps worse, than at any period of the complaint-considers recovery as extremely improbable-all but impossible-has never attended any patients in a state of mental derangement who were blind. Notices and Anecdotes of LITERATI, COLLECTORS, &c. from a MS. by the late MENDES DE COSTA, and collected between 1747 and 1788. 1. Mr. Baker the Bookseller, in York Street, Covent Garden, informed me that Dr. Mead's Library produced about 55001. 2. Mr. Buddle's Horti Sicci are in the British Museum, also all Petiver's collections, and Mr. Charlton's, alias Courteen, to whom Lister dedicates his" Historia Conchyliorum." 3. Fettyplace Bellers, esq. F. R. S. the remains of his Collection are in the hands of Ingram, esq. at Northleach, in Gloucestershire, (N. B. MSS. 1747.) 4. The collection of the famous Charles Dubois, esq. remains in the family, viz. in the hands of Peter Uraldo, esq. of Mitcham, in Surrey, (N. B. MSS. about 1760, when I saw it.) 5. Aubrey's Surrey, Vol. II. p. 107, mentions a Mr. Hind, Vicar of Banstead, in Surrey, who had a collection of Natural and Artificial Curiosities, which his sister sold to Mr. Livingstone, an Apothecary, at Epsom, for twenty shillings. I enquired about it in 1741, and Mr. Livingstone was dead. 6. Sir Francis St. John, bart, who died in 1756, left his collection by will to his son-in-law Sir John Ber. 203 nard, Bart. who has not the least taste for virtuosoship. 7. Mrs. Kennon (the late Queen Caroline's midwife) died in 1755; her collections were sold at Langford's in 1756. 8. Mr. Sadler died about 1754; all his collections, except his elegant one of coins, were sold at Langford's in April 1757. The following Collectors and curious ENGLISH. 9. Hugo Morgan, Serenissimæ Regine Angliæ Elisabethæ Pharmaco paus. 10. Richard Garth, Cancellaria Londinensis Prinicerii. 11. Sir Francis Drake is mentioned ; but, what is extremely remarkable, (though Clusius was in England in 1581) neither Sir Walter Raleigh, the great Lord Bacon,or the Tradescants, father and son, (the first Englishmen I know who made professed collections) are any wise noticed by him. DUTCH. 12. Francis Peninius, Apothecary, at Amsterdam. 13. Emanuel Swerts, citizen of Amsterdam, diligens in exoticis conquirendis. 14. Wallichius Syvertz, Apothecary, at Amsterdam. 15. John Rutger, the son, citizen of Amsterdam, in suo museo variis Conchyliorum generibus ac aliis peregrinis rebus bene instructo. 16. Peter and Jacobus Garetus, brothers, Apothecaries, at Amsterdam. 17. William Parduyn, at Middleburgh. 18. Tobias Roelsius, M. D. at Middleburg, his museum mentioned. 19. Bernard Paludanus, M. D. of Enckhuysen, in instructissimo suo museo. 20. Christian Porretas, Apothecary, at Leyden. 21. Theodore Clutius, Præfect of the Botanic Garden of the University of Leyden. 22. Peter Paaw, head professor of Physick and of Anatomy at Leyden. 23. Henry Hoieri, M. D. of Bergen, Norway. 24. Jacob Plateau, instructissimo suo museo of all kinds of curiosities. 25. Simon de Tovar, M. D. a Spaniard, a famous physician. 26. Ephe 26. Ephemerides Naturæ Curiosorum, vol. IV. appendix, p. 41, says, that Dr. David Krieg was sent by, aud at the expence of, the Royal Society of London, to travel through the British Colonies in America, and make observations. 27. Dr. Isaac Lawson, Physician General to the Army, published, and indeed wrote the greatest part of Cramer's Ars Docimastica, and was the first patron and introductor of the celebrated Linne to the learned world, for by his means Linnè, as it were, emerged from obscurity, being little countenanced. Dr. Lawson was extremely well skilled in fossils, had an extensive correspondence, especially in Germany, and had made large and elegant collections of fossils. In 1767 I bought a large parcel of his collection, and numbers of specimens his brother gave away and were lost, (MSS. I Number 1775.) 28. Counsellor William Franckombe, an accurate and learned fossilogist, chiefly in petrefacta, and had a numerous and well-chosen collection of fossils, was born at Bristol, on the 6th August 1734, and died of an over-fatness, asthma, &c. on the 3d of September 1767. His collections of books, fossils, &c. were sold immediately after his death by Samuel Paterson; Mr. Ingham Foster bought his diary or catalogue and observa tions on his fossils, a MS. 29. Mr. Richard Guy, Surgeon, (famous for his cure of cancers) died on Sunday 27th September, 1767, of a sudden stroke of the gout in his breast. He was well in the morning, and dead in the evening. He was buried 4th October, 1767. His collections were sold about 1773 by Paterson. 30. Mr. Mark Catesby, author of the excellent and celebrated work, "The Natural History of Carolina," &c. died in December 1749. I compute he was about 70, tall, meagre, hard favoured, and sullen look, and was extremely grave or sedate, and of a silent disposition; but when he contracted a frendship was communicative, and affable. He left a widow, and a son and daughter. He often told me he believed he was descended from the Catesby of Richard III. 31. John Tradescant; for an account of him, his tomb, &c. &c. see Philosophical Transactions, vol. LXIII. pp. 1. 79, art. 12, by Dr. Andrew Ducarel. 32. Henry Baker, esq. F. R. S. F. S. A. &c. born in Tooke's or Quality Court, Chancery Lane, died on Friday Nov. 25, 1774, of a decay of nature, aged 76. He had been confined to his room in an infantile state about two years. He was buried on Tuesday 29th November, 1774, in the New Church yard, in the Strand, near the iron rails next to the Strand, without any tomb stone or memorial over his grave. He married a daughter of the famous Daniel Defoe, and had two sons, who both died before him, and left the son of. the youngest his heir, then about 11, under guardianship of his executors Roycroft, esq. and Mr. English. He was son of a clerk in the Six Clerks' Office, and bound apprentice to a bookseller in Pall Mall. All his loose papers were burnt without mercy by his executors, even to his correspondence, which, though loose, were laid ready for binding in guard books, and only the bound or guard books were preserved. 33. James Parsons, M. D. F. R. S. F. S. A. &c. author of " The Analogy between Animals and Vegetables," "The Remains of Japhet," &c. and some 4to numbers of " A Theatre of Seeds," with figures, and many papers in the Philosophical Transactions. Was undoubtedly (but he always denied it) born in Ireland, and of an Irish family; studied at Trinity college, Dublin, and at the University of Paris or Rouen. He died April 4, 1770, aged 65; and most of his collec tions were sold at Paterson's soon after. A fine and curious collection' of seeds and fruits, scientifical and perfect. Gentleman's Magazine for December, 1780, p. 566, says he was a native of Ireland, was a learned, communicative, and agreeable man, a good anatomist and man-midwife. His last publication was "The Remains of Japhet," in 1767, in 4to. He was buried at Hendon, 17 days after his decease. A portrait of him, by Mr. Wilson, is now in the British Museum; another, left unfinished, is possessed by his widow. He was married many years, had only a boy, who died young, i. e. six or seven years old, to the great grief of the Dr. and his Lady. 34. Mr. Peter Collinson died in August ར 1812.] Literati, Collectors, &c.—State of Parish Registers. August 1768, aged 75. Dr. Fother gill wrote a tract of his life, and gave a print of him. London Magazine for January 1776, has a very good portrait, and like him; says (and I have made additions) he was great grandson of Peter Collinson, who lived on his paternal estate called Hugal Hall, near Windermere Lake, ten miles from Kendal in Westmoreland, born in 1693. Dr. Derham, Dr. Woodward, Mr. Dale, Sir Hans Sloane, Mr. Catesby, Mr. Dubois, &c. &c. were his acquaintance. Elected F. R. S. December 12, 1728. A mercer by trade, at the Red Lion, in Gracechurch Street. F. S. A. from its first institution. Died at Lord Petre's, at Thorndon, of a total suppression of urine. 35. Mr. Charles Dubois died between 1735 and 1740, very aged. His heirs were Mr. Waldo, who married his neice, and her sister. Was a great and celebrated botanist, and had an excellent botanic garden to his house on the upper green, where the fair is kept, at Mitcham, in Surry. He had collections of shells, fossils, &c. of which I saw some at Mr. Waldo's, junior, about 1760. 36. Mr. George Edwards died about 1778. 37. Cromwell Mortimer, M. D. died January 1752 of a dropsy. Many years secretary to the R. S. and was succeeded on the 5th February following, by ballot, by the Rev. Thomas Birch, D. D. (against Gawin Knight, M. B.) and held it till 1765. 38. Mr. Saiter, founder of Saltero's Coffee House at Chelsea, and of the collections there. Notice of him is taken by Sir Richard Steele, in his Tatlers; viz. No. 34, in vol. I. His Daughter, Mrs. Hall, continued in it till about 1758 or 1759, when others took it, who made a catalogue, and still keep the curiosities carefully. 1781. 207 by established rules of legal consanguinity, the faithful preservation of records of baptisms, marriages, and burials, ought to be held as an object of the highest importance in the contemplation of the Legislature; and the neglect with which such records have been treated, and the mischiefs consequent on that negligence, are so notorious and evident, that there are few persons who have seriously turned their thoughts to the subject, who will doubt the necessity of a speedy and vigorous remedy. And I must confess I am astonished to find a Clergyman of the Church of England (p. 149) speaking of the obligation of an oath, to verify the fidelity of his discharge of his duty in the office of registrar, as a degradation of the Clerical character, and levelling him with lower orders of persons on whom oaths are necessary to be imposed; for this would imply that oaths are fit only to bind the vicious and ignorant, and are an insult to the virtuous, the intelligent, and enlighttened. But I heartily agree with him that it would be an affront not only to the Church Establishment, but to common sense, to make the bare declaration of a Dissenting minister an equal legal test of veracity with the oath of a minister of the Church of England; for it is in direct hostility to the true principles of toleration to establish such a distinction; and however salutary might be the general provisions of a bill for better regulating parish registers, I must confess, I should wish to see it perish if it must inevitably be loaded with an enactment so invidious. As one proof, however, that something is really wanting for the better preservation of parochial registers, I send for insertion in your Magazine a part of the pedigree of the family. of South, of Kelsterne, in Lincolu shire, many of the proofs upon which are taken from the register of Kelsterne (a village about seven miles from Louth), which register, about five or six years ago, I found in the possession of the Rector of Weldon, in Northamptonshire, who told me it came into his hands with the registers of the parish of Weldon. T. B. *This shall appear in our next. EDIT. Μετα |