Pharmaceutice rationalis: or, an exercitation of the operations of medicines in humane bodies. Shewing the signs, causes and cures of most distempers incident thereunto ... As also a treatise of the scurvy. And the several sorts thereof, with their symptoms, causes and cure ... / [Thomas Willis].

  • Thomas Willis
Date:
1679-1681
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Pharmaceutice rationalis: or, an exercitation of the operations of medicines in humane bodies. Shewing the signs, causes and cures of most distempers incident thereunto ... As also a treatise of the scurvy. And the several sorts thereof, with their symptoms, causes and cure ... / [Thomas Willis]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ♦ 5 moved in Swallowing, Spitting, Vomiting, Vanning, and o^her affedions, and when the other inward membranous parts, and diiefly the Ventricle and Inte- Part' L ftines, are on every fide moved : It ought to be unfolded how thefe various Adions, or paflions are executed, and by what Fibres, and after what manner they are affeded. Fallopins the chiefefl Anatomift of his time, when he had obferved in the The epinionof Mufcle( which is the chief or the only Inftrument of Local Motion ) two parts, Fallopius,oj one of them which contcined the fielhie body of the Mufcle, to confifl; of fielbie motion of the Fibres, and the other, which was the Chord or String, ofnervous Fibres: and by thefe two the Body only ofthe Mufcle to mo-ve and contrad it felf,but the Chord only to be drawn, not to move it felf^ at length he concludes that no particle in the Animal can move it feif, unlels it be Fibrous and hath true liefh. Obfer'v-, j^Hatom. p. 412. Agreeable to this we have fhown lately in a peculiar Trad, that, and how, comaaion on- every motion of Contradion is performed only by flefhy Fibres, Thefe by ly performed bj the Hidden rufhing in of the Spirits (which leap from the tendinous Fibres ) being Jlefhy Fibres. inflated and blown up, are prefently made fliorter, lb that they thereby fnatch up the parts hanging next them. But truly fince it very plainly appears, fome nervous parts, and efpecially the hollow Flfcera or inward parts,not only to be contraded, but expanded, much blown upon, and irilarged into a greater capacity, which cannot certainly be made by the motion of Contradion *, and fmee further it plain¬ ly appears that the animal Spirits move no lefs among the nervous Fibres, than in the flefliie, and not only to fill them gently, but fometimes to leap forth, very much irritated, or thruft forth more impetuoufly. Thefe I fay being premifed, we will not doubt to conclude that the animal Spirits filling the nervous, of membranous Fibres, do not only effedfenfation, which is their proper fundion, but alfo certain local motions, to wit, expanfion, or inflation. For whilft the affythe w-' ^imal Spirits in their extrufion being agitated, and notably ratified, do taote yous Fibres. impetuoufly enter into thefe Fibres ( which as well as the flefhie, being difpofed not in certain order shut every whereabout, may be very much attenuated, and in the greater expanfions diftended, and dilated ) there is a neceffity that the inward parts framed of thefe fhould be every where blown up, and their fides on all parts ^ unfolded, and being to the utmoft attenuated, fhould be enlarged into a greater Capacity. . Truly by the inftitution of Nature, as often as it happens to come to pafs after this manner, it is certainly, that whilfb the parts which the membranes do order, ftretch under or cover, by this means are expanded, the fuperfluous Humours, or thofe that being infixed molefl: them., or fuch as flick to them, might be fhook off and removed. ^ For this end, and by this means, we think Stretchings, as in stretch- Yaunings and other certain motions of inflation and diftention to be excited, ing. Taming^ . Wherefore as in Vanning, we find the Pipe of the Oefophsigm whether we ornotobeinlarged, and as it were blown up, andflretch’doutby a certain wind, we may conclude this affection to arife from thence, for as much as the inward Coat of the Throat, thatitmightfhakeoffitstoo much humidity ( wherewith it is grieved ) it is flretch’d out, and enlarged with a certain thrufting forth of the how r&mhg Spirits. Moreover whilft we ftrive to hinder this motion of Vauning ( becaufe it is made. feems always troublefomc, and unhandfom ) prefently the flefhy Fibres of the out¬ ward Coat, are moved to contradion: whereby there arifes a certain ftrugli ng in the Coats of the Oefophagns ( which we may eafily perceive ) made by thefe oppo- fitc endeavours of expanfion and contradion. By what means the animal Spi¬ rits do blow upon the membranous Ftfcera in convulfive Affedions, and lift their up, and intumefie, counterfieting the fpringing up of live Animals, is fhown by us in fome other place. Further, when by fome incongruous Medicine, 01 Poyfbn, Diftentiens and horrid inflations of the Ventricle or Inteftines, and that not fel- dom. Hidden and exceffive rifing up of the whole Abdomen happen-, they are thus made, inasmuch as the animal Spirits being highly irritated, and brought the membranes toufe their explofive force, they run altogether into the membranous Fibres, and caufedbythe extend them to their utmoft,that the inward or Fifeus which is knit to them th-nfUng forth is prefently wholly blownup, and as much as it poffibly may be is enlarged. But We will return from this little diverfion of the membranous Motion, to confidcr the life of the other Coat of the Oefophagns. The exterior Coat of the Throat, fomew hat flefhy, and thick, for that indeed ip
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