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THE .

LONDON MAGAZINE.

JANUARY, 1755.

An Extract from the Memoirs of the Life and Writings of that Learned Physician, the late Dr. R. MEAD, prefixed to a Werk of his, just published in English, intitled, Medica Sacra; or, a Commentary on the most remarkable Diseases mentioned in the HOLY SCRIPTURES.

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UR learned and celebrated phyfician was defcended from a distinguished family in Buckinghamshire, and born at Stepney, August 2, 1673. His father, Mr. B Matthew Mead, was held in great esteem as a divine among the prefbyterians, and was poffeffed, during their ufurped power, of the living of Stepney; from whence he was ejected the fecond year after the restoration of king Charles II. Nevertheless, tho' he had fifteen children, of whom our Richard was the feventh, he found means with a moderate fortune, to give To this them a compleat education.

purpofe he kept a tutor in his house to inftruct them, and they were taught Latin rather by practice than by rules.

In 1683, Mr. Mead, (the father) was accused of being concerned in fome defigns against the court, and knowing that

at fuch a time he could not rely upon
his innocence, he chofe for his fecurity
a retreat to Holland; having first placed
January, 1755.

his fon Richard at a fchool under an able mafter of his own principles, where our young gentleman made fo quick a proficiency, that at 17 years of age he was fent to Utrecht, to be further inftructed in liberal knowledge, by the celebrated, Grævius, with whom he continued three years. After this he removed to Leyden,

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where he attended Dr. Herman's botanical lectures, and was initiated into the theory and practice of phyfick, by the eminent Dr. Pitcairn, then profeffor of phyfick in that univerfity, who foon difcovered our young ftudent's affiduity and natural capacity, which commenced a friend hip and correfpondence between them, that lafted during their joint lives.

From thence he travelled into Italy, and as he paffed through Padua, he, on August 27, 1695, took the degree of doctor in philofophy and medicine in that univerfity, after which he vifited Rome, Naples, &c. with much greater advantage than our travellers ufually do; and returning home about the middle of the year 1696, he fettled at Stepney, where, tho' but 23 years of age, he prefently came into great repute by his fuccefs in practice.

In 1702, our young doctor exhibited to the publick, a manifeft evidence of his capacity for, as well as application to medical refcarches, in his treatife in

titled, A mechanical account of prisons; an abstract of which was thought deferving a place in the Philofophical Tranfactions, No. 283, for January and February, 1703.

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4 The LIFE and WRITINGS of Dr. MEAD. Jan.

In 1708, he published a fecond edition with fome additions; and 1747, a third with many additions and alterations, by fome of which he was ingenious enough to confefs and to correct fome errors he had committed in the former editions.

In 1703, he communicated to the Royal Society a letter published in Italy A in 1687, (a copy of which he met with in the course of his travels) from Dr. Bonomo to feignor Redi, concerning the worms in human bodies, and for proving that from thence proceeds the difcafe we call the itch; foon after which he was chofen a member of that learned body, and the fame year he was elected one of, the phyficians of St. Thomas's hospital; and alfo the fame year he was employed by the furgeons company to read anatomical lectures at their hall, which he continued to do for fome years.

In 1704, appeared his treatife de imperio folis et lunce in corpora kumana, et morbis inde oriundis, of which he gave a new edition in 1748, with many additions and improvements; and being thus diftinguished for learning as well as practice, his Paduan diploma for doctor of phyfick was, in 1707, confirmed by the univerfity of Oxford.

In 1708, he first introduced the practice of opening the body with a gentle purge upon the decline of any malignant fort of fmall pox, which practice was approved of and fupported by Dr. Freind and others, but tho' now become general, was at first violently oppofed by feveral phyficians, particularly Dr. Woodward.

As our young door, foon after his first appearance became a favourite of Dr. Radcliff's, in 1714, upon the death of that famous phyfician, he fucceeded him in his houfe, and the greater part of his practice, having for fome years before, refided in Austin Friars, after quitting Stepney.

In 1716, he was elected fellow of the College of Phyficians, and ferved all the offices of that body, except that of prefident, which he declined when offered to him in 1744; and in 1719, when an epidemick fever was making great ravages at Marfeilles in France, he was confulted by order of the lords juftices of this kingdom, in the abfence of his late majesty, to know, whether it was contagious, and what were the most proper methods for preventing its being communicated to us, or for putting a ftop to its progrefs, in cafe it should; on which occafion he published his Difcurfe or the Plague, of which no less than feven impreffions were fold off in one year; an eighth, with an additional preface in

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1722, and a ninth with feveral additions in '744.

In 1723, the doctor was appointed by the College of Physicians to make and fpeak the anniversary Harveian oration before them, in which he took occafion to wipe of the obloquy thrown upon the profellion of phyfick, by pretending that none but flaves or freedmen were of that profettion among the old Romans; and as this oration, which was published in 1714, with a differtation annexed, upon feme ceins ftruck by the Smyrnens, in honour of phyficians, was finantly attacked by Dr. Conyers Middleton, it produced a literary controversy, between one of the doctor's friends and that learned gentleman; and it was thought that the doctor himself intended to have further cleared up this point in a work which he left unfinished, defigned to have been intitled, Medicina verus collefiitia ex auctoribus antiquis non medicis.

Soon after his prefent majesty's acceffion in 1727, the doctor was appoint. ed one of the royal phyficians, having had the honour to ferve his majesty, whilft prince of Wales, in that flation; and tho' towards his latter end he in a great measure retired from practice, yet he fill continued his application, even in the decline of life, to the improvement of phyfick, and the benefit of mankind; for he then had time to perfect his Difcourse on the small pox and measles, which he published in 1747, with a Latin tranflation annexed, from the Arabick of Rhazes's treatife on the finall-pox and measles, a copy of the original having before been obtained by him from the celebrated Dr. Boerhaave, with whom he had long entertained an intimate correfpondence.

The year 1749, likewife furnished us with two new productions of the doctor's, á tranflation of one of which is annexed" to these memoirs, and the other is intitled, A difcourfe on the feuray, affixed to Mr. Sutton's 2d edition of his Merbed for extracting the foul air out of jhips. And in 1751, he published his Moxita et præcepta medica, which fhewed, that length of years had not in the leaft impaired his intellectual faculties. But from this time he grew daily more fenfible of the infirmities of old age; and with the utmost tranquillity and refignation, quietly funk into the arms of death on February 16, 1754.

Although the door was himself, from his education, a zealous whig, yet he never allowed party principles to influence his attachments, being convinced, as all men of fenfe are, that a man might be a man of great capacity and true worth,

1755.

Produce of the PUBLICK REVENUE.

notwithstanding his differing from him
in fome points of religion or politicks;
therefore there fubfifted always an intimate
friendship between him and Dr. Garth,
Dr. Arbuthnot, and Dr. Freind; for
the last of whom he became bail, in or-
der to procure his enlargement from the
Tower, where he had been committed A
in 1723, on fufpicion of being concerned
with bishop Atterbury in fome practices
against the government.

In confequence of the fame good fenfe, the deferving in all arts and sciences, without regard to their religious or political principles, had not only free accefs to him, but always found a wel

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the magnificence of a prince, with the pleasures of the wife; nor was his pri-> vate generofity ever wanting to any learned or ingenious man in diftrefs; nor his. intereft, diligence, or purfe, to the promoting of any useful or literary under-> taking.

Thus his reputation became general not only in this kingdom but throughout Europe, an inftance of which was, in the king of the Two Sicilies fending him: the two first volumes of M. Barjurdi's account of the antiquities found in Herculaneum, with the additional compliment of asking him in return, only a compleat› collection of his works, and with an in

come reception at his table, where might be B vitation to vifit that newly discovered fub

daily feen together the naturalift, the antiquarian, the mathematician, and the mechanick, with all of whom he was capable of converfing in their respective terms; and as his income from his practice was extenfive, his generofity was equal, fo that here his guests faw always united

terraneous city.

In short, his character abroad was fo well known and established, that a foreigner of any taste, would have thought it a reproach, to have been in England without feeing Dr. Mead.

To the AUTHOR of the LONDON MAGAZINE. SIR,

IN

N one of our news-papers I lately faw a general calculation of the annual amount' of all our taxes, which excited my curiosity to enquire particularly into that matter; and having for my own fatisfaction drawn out an account of it, I have fent you a copy of it, as you may, perhaps, think it worthy of a place in your Magazine. In drawing up this account, I have omitted every fraction as not worth our notice, except when it amounted to very near an integer, and then I stated it as fuch. I do not know that I have committed any error, but if I have, I hope fome of your readers will correct it, without imputing it to any defign in him, who is

January 15, 1755.

Yours, &c.

The annual Produce of the prefent publick Revenue, calculated from the laft State of the National Debt, and Account of the Sinking Fund, delivered into Parliament. EXCHEQUER.

I.

NNUITIES for long terms, be

Aing the remainder of the original

fum contributed and unfubfcribed to the South-Sea company, which annuities were purchased at the rate of 163 or 170l. for every 141. annuity, but I have computed the whole at 141. ann. for every 170l.

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2. Ditto for lives, with the benefit of furvivorship, being the original fum contributed, which were purchased at the rate of 100l. for every 71. annuity

3. Ditto for two or three lives, being the fum remaining after what is fallen in by deaths, which were purchased at the rate of 121. per cent. for two lives, and rol. per cent. for three lives, but I have com. puted the whole at the rate of a little more than 111. per cent.

4. As the duties on falt were wholly appropriated to the paying off the principal as well as the intereft of the money borrowed upon them, and confequently no furplus could from thence accrue to the

Principal Money. Annu. or annual Produce £..

1836275

108100

90805

£.

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27. Now as all these articles, except the 4th, 6th, and 7th, are to be fatisfied yearly, together with whatever belongs to the civil lift, before any furplus can be carried to the finking fund, it is evident, that the taxes appropriated for this purpose must produce so much nett yearly; and as they produce yearly a very large furplus, now called the finking fund, therefore we must add this finking fund, which by last year's account, after all deductions, amounted to 28. To all which we must add the civil lift revenue, amounting yearly to at least

Total nett amount of our prefent taxes

But befides this, there is raifed upon the people yearly, a very large fum for defraying the expence of collecting and managing the taxes. This expence cannot be exactly calculated, because when an account of the grofs and nett produce of any tax is laid before parliament, there is never a diftinction made between what is applied towards the payment of drawbacks and bounties, and what goes towards the expence of collection and management. But upon all our taxes, except the land and malt, this expence is ufually fuppofed to amount to 25. in the pound of their nett produce, and confequently must amount to the yearly fum of

Therefore we must reckon, that the people of this kingdom contribute yearly for the expence of the government, befides what they pay for the poor, &c. com. monly called parish rates, the fum of

From the WORLD, Jan. 9.

Mr. FITZ.. ADAM,

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S all forts of perfons are at this preA fent juncture defirous of becoming Speakers, I fhall fubmit my plan to your infpection, which will fhew you that I teach rather how to handle antagonists A than arguments.

I diftinguish what kind of man to cut with a fyllogifm, and whom to overwhelm with the forites; whom to enfnare with the crocodile, and whom to hamper in the horns of the delemma. Against the pert, young, bold affertor, I direct the argumentum ad verecundiam. If, for inftance, a forward talker fhould advance B that fuch an ancient poet is dull, you put him at one to filence and fhame, by faying that Ariftotle has commended him. If the difpute be about a Greek word, and he pronounces it to be in

Principal Money. Annu. or annual Produce,
£.
£.

15000

4000

1536214
800000

6991149

522220

7513344

elegant, and never used by any author of credit, you confound him by telling him it is in Ariftophanes; and you need not difcover that it is in the mouth of a bird, a frog, or a Scythian who talks broken Greek.

To explain my argumentum ad igno rantiam, let us fuppofe a person speaking with diffidence of fome transaction on the continent: You may ask him with a fneer, Pray, Sir, were you ever abroad? If he has related a fact from one of our American islands, you affert he can know nothing of the affairs of that inland, for you were born there and to prove his ignorance, afk him what latitude it is in.

In loquacious crowds, you will have much more frequent occafions for ufing my argumentum ad hominem; and the minute particulars into which men are led

by

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