Authentic memoirs of the life of Richard Mead, M.D.

  • Matthew Maty
Date:
1755
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Authentic memoirs of the life of Richard Mead, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/68 page 14
    ( T4- ) the heavenly bodies on animal fub-^ ftances, it doth not appear that the doctrine of Gravity is fufficient to account for it (g). However, as it (g) It is a vain attempt to derive all the periodical returns, either of the adtions or the diforders in the animal oeconomy, from the celeftial bodies at their meridian. If, accord¬ ing to the opinion of Xrifiotle, men died only at the time of the fea’s reflux * if the feptenary crifis of fevers fell regularly on the quarter days; if the new and full Moons had a fen- fible influence on births and deaths ; if, laftly, the fame days of the month were equally troublefome to women ; we might perhaps be inclined to account for thefe phenomena on the fame principles with the tides. I fay only perhaps; for after all, what connexion is there between the two things ? Does the human bo¬ dy bear a lefs or a greater weight when the fea is low or high ? Or rather is it not evident by the Barometrical obfervations, that there is no difference ? _ how indeed fhould there be any ? It is true, that a cubic foot of air or water weighs lefs at the flood, than at the ebb; but then the column of the fluid is higher ac¬ ts
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3