During this unfortunate man's confinement in the King's Bench, he was solicited, by an eminent London bookseller and four associates, to contrive some nostrum, for which his name would secure an extensive sale. The coadjutors never making any specific proposal as to the quantum of reward to be received by the Doctor, the business was dropped. It is said that thew inten tion was as knavish as it was illiberal. Availing them selves of Brown's necessities, they intended to increase his difficulties so much as to render any sacrifice accept able. Then the nostrum might be had on easy terms. The liberality of two gentlemen, Mr Miller, and Mr i\Iaddison of Charing•cross, averted this overhanging calamity ; and,in the course of the year 1788, Dr Brown was restored to his family, in Golden-square. There he commenced a new set of speculations. lie published a translation of his Elementa illedicinx; he proposed a, new edition of his Observations ; a Treatise on the Gout, and on the Operation of Opium on the Human Constitu tion; a new edition of the Elementa, with additions ; .1 Review of Medical Reviewers,—as the labours of the first year :—and, as those of the second, a volume of notes and illustrations of the Elementa; a second volume of Observations; and as much practice as he could get. In the midst of these anticipations of industry and of suc cess, a stroke of apoplexy put an end to his life on the 7th October 1788. in the fifty-third year of his life.
That Brown was a very extraordinary man, cannot be doubted. His early acquirement of knowledge ; his un wearied diligence, and acuteness of reasoning, point him out as a man fitted for a high sphere ;—but his ir ritability, his intemperance, his want of religion, and of a due attention to the claims of his rising family, lessen the respect which his talents create. His faults appear in spite of the veil which affection has attempted to draw over them. None of his errors are more striking than his total want of prudence : his fate proves, very decid edly, the truth of Johnson's celebrated observation, " that nothing can supply the want of prudence ; and that negligence and irregularity, long continued, will make knowledge useless, wit ridiculous, and genius contemptible." Dr Brown's style has been often the subject of debate among his admirers and opponents. It appears to us often perplexed, sometimes vigorous, but coarse : his arguments are ingenious, and acutely managed ; but the dogmatism with which he decides questions that can only admit of probable reasoning, disgusts even those who may be disposed to be pleased. His classical acquire ments were very great ; but he seems to have studied the more perplexed authors as his models in composi tion,—a circumstance which has tended not a little to lessen the number of his admirers, particularly since it has been urged, with more vehemence than truth, that this obscurity is consistent with the purest models ex tant. Cicero, however, is no less remarkable for purity
of style, than for perspicuity and simplicity.
Upon the whole, we are disposed to think, that the panegyrists of our author have too highly and his opponents have too much vilified, his works ; for although they undoubtedly do not promise that benefit to mankind which the former have anticipated, yet they have not produced such evil effects as were produoed by the latter On the contrary, they have introduced somewhat more precision than formerly existed, into our medical reasonings, and have drawn the attention of physicians to many of those whimsical hypotheses which, under the sanction of illustrious names, had been generally admitted, front a want of examination.
Dr Brown's acknowledged works, are, his Observa tions, the Elementa Medicinx, and the Translation of the latter. His acknowledged works, including inaugural dissertations, and various tracts, are said to be very numerous.
We shall conclude this article with a brief sketch of the leading features of his doctrines, as given in the two works above-mentioned.
The Brunonian Hypothesis may be reduced to the fol lowing principles—the application of which to every individual case, would exceed the limits of the present article.
I. Life, both of animals and vegetables, is consti tuted by three states, health, disease, and predisposi tion.
2. In each of these three states, animated beings are liable to be affected by certain external, or by cer tain internal causes, which produce the proper func tions. These different agents arc, 1st, Heat, food, wine, poisons, contagions, the blood, the secreted fluids, and air. 2d, Muscular contraction, sense, "the energy of the brain in thinking, and in exciting passion or emo tion."—Death is consequent on the cessation of their agency on the living system.
3. The principle on which the phenomena of life de pend, is called Excitability; the agents affecting this principle, are called the exciting powers; and the effect produced by the latter on the former, is named excite ment.
4. The excitability differs in different individuals, and in the same individual at different times. Accord ingly, the exciting powers will vary in their effects, in proportion to the vigour of the excitability.
5. Exciting powers should be also named stimuli. They are either general or local. The first are those which act on the excitability in such a manner as to pro duce excitement over the whole system. The second act only on the part to which they are applied.