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the year 1757 I had the honour to communicate to this Royal Society, from Dr. James Mounsey, F. R. S. late Privy-councellor and chief Physician to the Empress of Russia, the very extraordinary case of Mr. Butler, a paperstainer at Moscow, who, on mixing verdegris and false-gold leaf with aqua fortis, by way of experiment, for the production of colours, and stirring the mixture with a small pair of scissars, was soon after affected with a burning pain, first in one finger, then in his whole hand; afterwards in the other hand: in his legs, toes, shoulders, back, belly, forehead, eyes, and by turns in every part of his body, shooting from place to place, like flashes of lightning, as he termed it. He complained likewise of great anxiety and pain at the pit of the stomach, as if a burning iron was laid on it, with many other dangerous and uncommon symptoms, which in about ten days abated, and after a time seemed intirely gone: for the particulars whereof, and the manner in which he was treated by Dr. Mounsey, I must refer to the account printed in the 50th Vol. of the Philosophical Transactions, p. 19.

Thus much being necessarily premised, I now take the liberty to lay before you a letter to me from Dr.