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on him. — I often heard his complaints; but, as I deemed them imaginary, or sensations raised by the apprehension, I oftentimes only strove to undeceive his fancy.However, I began to see, by some accidents, that there was more reality than I had believed, and that his first accident had left a disposition of the body susceptible to such impressions.
One day having got home a box of Cerussa, he took out some lumps to examine the quality, and handled them without the least suspicion of harm; but in a few hours after this he was taken with anxiety, palpitation of the heart, and a sense of trembling and weakness of the whole body. He was obliged to go to bed: he took some spirit of Hartshorn, sweated most plentifully, and next day was recovered. Many things of this sort happened to him: but I shall only give you an account of the most extraordinary attack which happened to him June 26th, 1758.
Mr. Butler still wanting to make experiments, but not daring to meddle with the operations himself, directed his wife to make some compositions of blue vitriol, alum, quick-lime, burnt alabaster, and things of this kind.—They were boiled in six several pots, then let stand some time, and the thin or watry part poured off. She brought these pots to her husband to look at: He was fond to try the colours himself, and, without any apprehension, he took some of those precipitations out of each pot, with the middle finger of his right hand, and rubbed them on grey paper to try the colours. He then put them away, and thought nothing more of the matter, drank tea, and was very well till about three hours thereafter. Then he began to be uneasy, and found pain in his
Vol. LIV.
