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QVEST. XII. What kinde of motion the Cough is, and whether any part of the drinke fall into the Lungs.
THat the Cough proceedeth from the affection of almost all the partes of the Chest, as the Pleura, the Mediastinum, the Lungs with their vessels, the mid∣riffe, * 1.1 and sometimes of the Intereostall muscles also, it is more then manifest; For in both the kindes of Pleurisies, the true and the bastard, the Peripneu∣monia or inflamation of the Lungs; the Asthma or difficulty of breathing, the vlcer of the Lungs called 'Pthoe, the Dropsie wherein the Midriffe is pressed vpward: in all these I say the Patient is troubled with a continuall Cough. But now to what faculty wee should referre this coughing that is a great controuersie. It may be thought it is Animall * 1.2 and voluntary, because the Cough is nothing else but a strong efflation or breathing forth. Now this efflation is done by the helpe of all the muscles which contract the chest.
Galen also in his second Booke de causis symptomatum speaking of sneezing coughing and vomiting, concludeth that vomiting is a symptome of the naturall faculty and cough∣ing of the Animall. Others there be which thinke it to bee an action of the naturall faculty, because it is a concussiue motion and is done by the endeuour of Nature, to exclude that which is offensiue vnto her; now all Concussiue motions are Naturall. For all the partes of * 1.3 the body of their owne naturall constitution haue euery one their owne 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Concussions when they are shaken for the auoyding of any thing which offends them: such is the con∣cussion of the brain in sternutation or sneezing; of the stomacke in the hiccock, of the blad∣der in auoyding the stone, of the whole habite of the body and the fleshy membrane in a rigor or shaking fit, and finally of the chest in coughing. Moreouer sometimes we cough against our will, neither can we alwaies when we will forbeare it. Both these opinions may * 1.4 be reconciled, if as we saide earst in respiration, so here in coughing, that it is a mixt action of an Animall and a Naturall.
The motion is Animall because it is done by the helpe of muscles, but the cause moo∣uing the motion is Naturall; for a cough is not raised without the endeuor of the expelling faculty. But another question may be asked here, whether the cough be a disease or an or∣dinary * 1.5 worke of Nature. Galen in his second Booke de symptomatum causis, and in his fift de locis affectis seemeth to determine diuersly; sometimes that it is a worke of Nature, and sometimes againe as in his Booke of Trembling and Palpitation that is against Nature: but we may well reconcile Galen with himselfe if wee say, that in respect of the faculty whereby we cough it is a Naturall affection; for the beginning of the motion is from nature, that is * 1.6 from the expelling faculty; but in respect of the cause which mooueth the faculty as the rheume, the bearing vp of the midriffe or such like, it is against Nature and a very disease; but ouer this cause the Naturall faculty hath a kind of power or command which it shew∣eth in laboring thus to auoide it.
To conclude both this Chapter and all our discourse of the vitall parts, it is a question whether the drinke we drinke goe into the Lungs or no. Hippocrates sayeth in his Booke de Corde * 1.7 some part of it goeth that way, because if you giue a Swine a drinke coloured with vermiliō or any such like thing & presently cut the throat, you shal perceiue the wezon co∣lored with the drink, which is a certaine argument & demonstratiue; also in the same place hee thinketh that the water which is found in the heart purse is a portion of our drinke: a∣gaine Physitians in the fretting or exulceration of the weazon, and diseases of the chest do appoynt the Patient to lie long vpon his backe and leasurely to lick down their medicines, that so some of them may fall downe into the Lungs.
Another demonstration may be that the arteries haue more whey or vrine in them then the veines; whence should this whay come? but that a part of the drinke and more liquid nourishment doth slip downe by the weazon into the Lungs and so into the arteries, and from them by the emulgent arteries into the kidneyes to bee auoided by the bladder: for I see no reason why the emulgent arteries should haue beene made so large, vnlesse it were * 1.8 for the expulsion of this excrement, Aristotle amongst al the Philosophers is against this. Hippocrates in his fourth Booke de morbis laboureth might and maine against it, yeelding diuers reasons why it cannot bee: but wee must vnderstand that Hippocrates laboureth to prooue that all the drinke goeth not into the Lungs, hee confesseth that some slippeth by. And thus Galen in his eight Booke de placitis Hippoc. & Platonis reconcileth Hippocrates to himselfe; namely, that some of the drinke falleth insensibly downe along the weazon, the