The workes of that famous chirurgion Ambrose Parey translated out of Latine and compared with the French. by Th: Johnson

CHAP. X. Of the Spirits.

THe spirit is a subtile and Aery substance, raised from the purer blood * 1.1 that it might be a vehicle for the faculties (by whose power the whole body is governed,) to all the parts, and the prime instrument for the per∣formance of their office. For they being destitute of its sweet approch doe presently cease from action, and as dead do rest from their accustomed labours. * 1.2 From hence it is that making a variety of Spirits according to the number of the faculties, they have divided them into three; as one Animall, another Vitall, another Naturall.

The Animall hath taken his seate in the braine; for there it is prepared * 1.3 and made, that from thence conveyed by the Nerves is may impart the power of sence and Motion to all the rest of the members. An argument heereof is, that in the great Cold of Winter., whether by the intercepting them in their way, or by the concretion, or as it were freezing of those spirits,

the joynts grow stiffe, the hands numme, and all the other parts are dull, destitute of their accustomed a gillity of motion, and quicknesse of sense. It is called Animall not * 1.4 because it is the * 1.5 Life, but the cheife and prime instrument thereof; wherfore it hath a most subtile and Aery substance: and enjoyes divers names according to the various condition of the Sensoryes or seates of the senses into which it en∣ters; for that which causeth the sight, is named the Visive: you may see this by night, rubbing your eyes, as sparkling like fire. That which is conveyed to the Auditorie passage, is called the Auditive or Hearing; That which is carried to the Instruments of Touching, is termed the Tactive; and so of the rest.

This Animall spirit is made and laboured in the windings and foldings of the * 1.6 veines and Arteryes of the braine, of an exquisite subtile portion of the vitall brought thither by the Carotidae Arteriae, or sleepy Arteryes, and sometimes also of the pure aire, or sweete vapour drawne in by the Nose in breathing. Hence it is, that with Ligatures we stoppe the passage of this spirit, from the parts we in∣tend to cut off. An Humor which obstructs or stopps its passage, doth the like in Apoplexies and Palsies, whereby it happens that the members scituate under that place doe languish and seeme dead, sometimes destitute of motion, sometimes wan∣ting both sence and motion.

The Vitall spirit is next to it in dignitie and excellency, which hath its cheife * 1.7 mansion in the left ventricle of the Heart, from whence through the Channells of the Arteryes it flowes into the whole body, to nourish the heate which re∣sides fixed in the substance of each part, which would perish in short time unlesse it should be refreshed by heat flowing thither together with the spirit. And because it is the most subtile next to the Animall, Nature (lest it should vanish away) would have it conteined in the Nervous coat of an Artery, which is five time more thicke, than the Coate of the veines, as Galen, out of Herophilus, hath recorded.

It is furnished with matter from the subtile exhalation of the blood, and that aire * 1.8 which we draw in breathing. Wherefore it doth easily and quickly perish by im∣moderate dissipations of the spirituous substance, and great evacuations; so it is easily corrupted by the putrifaction of Humors, or breathing in of pestilent aire and filthy vapours, which thing is the cause of the so suddaine death of those which are infected with the Plague. This spirit is often hindred from en∣tring into some part by reason of obstruction, fulnesse, or great inflammations, where∣by it followes that in a short space, by reason of the decay of the fixed and inbred heat, the parts doe easily fall into a Gangrene and become mortified.

The Naturall spirit (if such there be any) hath its station in the Liver and Veines. It is more grosse and dull than the other, and inferior to them in the * 1.9 dignitie of the Action, and the excellencie of the use. The use thereof is to helpe the concoction both of the whole body, as also of each severall part, and to carry blood and heate to them.

Besides those already mentioned, there are other spirits fixed and implanted in the simular and prime parts of the body, which also are naturall, and Natives * 1.10 of the same place in which they are seated and placed. And because they are al∣so of an Aery and fiery nature, they are so joyned or rather united to the Na∣tive heate, that they can no more be separated from it, than flame from heate; wherefore they with these that flow to them are the principall Instruments of the Actions, which are performed in each severall part; And these fixed spirits have their nourishment and maintenance from the radicall and first-bred moisture, which * 1.11 is of an Aery and oyly substance and is as it were the foundation of these Spirits and the inbred heat. Therefore without this moisture no man can live a mo∣ment. But also the Cheife Instruments of life are these Spirits together with the native heate. Wherefore this radicall Moisture being dissipated and wasted, (which is the seate, fodder and nourishment of the Spirits and heate) how can they any longer subsist and remaine? Therefore the consumption of the na∣turall heate followeth the decay of this sweet and substance-making moisture, and consequently death, which happens by the dissipating and resolving of naturall heate. * 1.12

But since then these kinde of Spirits with the naturall heate, is conteined in the substance of each simular part of our body (for otherwise it could not persist) it must necessarily follow, that there be as many kinds of fixed Spirits, as of simular parts. For because each part hath its proper temper and encrease, it hath also its proper spirit, and also its owne proper fixed and implanted heat, which heere hath its abode, as well as its Originall, Wherefore the spirit and heate which is seated in the bone, is different from that, which is impact into the substance of a Nerve, Veine or such other simular part; because the temper of these parts is different, as also the mixture of the Elements from which they first arose and sprung up. Neither is this contemplation of spirits of small account, for in these consist all the force and efficacy of our Nature.

These being by any chance dissipated or wasted, wee languish, neither is any * 1.13 health to be hoped for, the floure of life withering and decaying by litle and litle. Which thing ought to make us more diligent, to defend them against the continuall effluxe of the threefold substance. For if they be decayed, there is left no proper Indication of curing the disease, so that we are often constrained, all other care laid aside, to betake our selves to the restoring and repayring the * 1.14 decayed powers. Which is done by meats of good juyce, easie to be con∣cocted and distributed, good Wines and fragrant smells.

But sometimes these Spirits are not dissipated, but driven in and returned to * 1.15 their fountaines, and so both oppresse and are opprest; whereupon it happens we are often forced to dilate and spread them abroad by binding and rubbing the parts. Hitherto wee have spoke of these things which are called Naturall, because we naturally consist of them; it remaines that we now say somewhat of their Adjuncts and associates by familiarity of Condition.

The Adjuncts and Associates to things Naturall, are

• Age: of which, by reason of the similitude of the Argument, wee were constrained to speake when we handled the Temperatures.
• Sexe.
• Colour; of which we have already spoken.
• The Conformation of the instrumentall parts.
• Time, whose force we have also considered.
• Region.
• Order of Diet and Condition of life.

Notes

• * 1.1

  What a spirit is.
• * 1.2

  Spirits three-fold.
• * 1.3

  The Animall spirit.
• * 1.4

  Why so called
• * 1.5

  Anima.
• * 1.6

  How it is made.
• * 1.7

  The Vitall spirit.
• * 1.8

  What the mat∣ter of it is.
• * 1.9

  There is some doubt of the Naturallspirit.
• * 1.10

  Fixed spirits.
• * 1.11

  The radicall moisture.
• * 1.12

  Naturall death
• * 1.13

  The vse and necessity of the Spirits.
• * 1.14

  What the re∣medy for the dissipation of the spirits.
• * 1.15

  What the re∣medy for op∣pression of the spirits is.