Mikrokosmographia a description of the body of man. Together vvith the controuersies thereto belonging. Collected and translated out of all the best authors of anatomy, especially out of Gasper Bauhinus and Andreas Laurentius. By Helkiah Crooke Doctor of Physicke, physitian to His Maiestie, and his Highnesse professor in anatomy and chyrurgerie. Published by the Kings Maiesties especiall direction and warrant according to the first integrity, as it was originally written by the author.

CHAP. II. Of the parts of this Ioynt in generall.

THE proper parts of the whole Hand taking it in the large acception of the Ancients, are beside the common parts which we pretermit, the Vessels, the Muscles and the Bones. By the Vessels I vnderstand the Veines, the Arte∣ries * 1.1 and the Nerues. The Veines which are deriued through this whole member doe arise all from the Axillary branch: and there are two; the first passeth along on the inside, the other on the out side of the arme. That on the inside is called Basilica, that on the out side is called Cephalica. The Basilica Hippocrates calleth Ve∣nam internam the inward voine, Others call it Hepatica & Iecoraria, that is, the Liuer-veine. * 1.2 And it is ordinarily deuided into a deeper and a shallower. The deeper climing ouer the axillary Artery and the third paire of sinnewes passeth along to the bought of the Arme which we commonly call the Elbow, and so bestoweth his branches vpon both the bones of the Cubite.

The shallower runneth vnder the skinne to the ioyning of the Cubite with the Arme * 1.3 where it is clouen into two boughes, one of which passeth to the inside of the Cubite, and there is vnited with a branch of the humerary veine, and from that coniunction ariseth the Common veine which they commonly call Mediana or the middle veine; the Arabians cal it the blacke veine. The other bough descendeth along the lower side of the Cubite sprink∣ling * 1.4 the skinne and partes by which it passeth with diuers small branches.

The Cephalica or Head-veine so called, because it is opened in diseases of the Head; * 1.5 Hippocrates calleth externa or the outward veine, because it creepeth along the outside of the arme: others call it Humeraria, (because it passeth thorough the shoulder betwixt the Muscle called Deltoides & the Tēdon or chord of the Pectoral muscle) which falling down vnder the surface of the skin, when it commeth vnto the bought of the Cubite is diuided into two branches: the one borne along obliquely into the inside of the Cubite coupleth it selfe with the braunch of the Liuer-veine, and betwixt them beget the common or mid∣dle veine; the other which is larger descendeth by the Radius almost to the middest there∣of

and hence running oblikely to the wrist, it watereth almost all the backe of the hand, and endeth in a notable and manifest branch, betwixt the little and the ring fingers: where it is called salua tella, and is opened, as authors say, with good successe in spleniticke per∣sons. * 1.6

The arteries which belong to this hand doe proceede in one bough from the axillary artery, and this bough is called Basilica. It hath two branches one setled deepely, the other * 1.7 eminent betweene the skin and the flesh. Both of them doe affoord many deriuations out of themselues, but that of the shallower is most notable which is often times to be seene * 1.8 in the inside of the wrist a little aboue the roote of the thumbe, at which place and by which artery we vse to feele the pulse to find out the differences thereof.

And for sinewes there are six paire disseminated through the whole hand, the first com∣meth out of the first racke bone of the necke and is spent in the Deltoides muskle and the * 1.9 skin neere vnto it. The second arising from the sixt racke bone of the necke first passeth into the double headed muskle; then it casteth of a small branch to the long muskle of the * 1.10 Cubit, and at length when it attaineth to the elbow it is diuided into branches The third being mingled with the second, reacheth his helpe to the muskle of the arme, which lieth vnder that with a double head. The fourth which is the largest of all the rest falling vnto * 1.11 the same muskle together with the deepe liuer-vaine and the inward artery is deuided in∣to diuers branches The fift passeth along betwixt the muskles, which bend and extend the * 1.12 cubit and hauing gotten ouer behind the inward processe of the arme, and being mixed with the third coniugatiō, is consumed in the fingers, giuing to the little finger two nerues, to the ring finger likewise two and to the middle finger one. The sixt paire sliding downe * 1.13 betweene the skin & the neruous membrane by the inward processe of the arme determi∣neth into the skin of the Cubit And these are the vessels of the whole hand whose descripti∣on we shall more exactly set downe in a fitter place hereafter. The muskles of the whole hand are very many, some moue the Arme, some the Cubit some the Radius, some the * 1.14 wrist and some the fingers, of which also we shall speake in their proper place. The bones of the hand are diuers, the arme hath one bone, the cubite two, the wrist eight, the after∣wrest fower, the fingers fifteene, to which we may adde if we please the small seede bones called Sesamoidea all which we will as curiously and accurately as we are able describe in our booke of the bones, whether at this time we refer the reader.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The veines of the whole hand.
• * 1.2

  Basilica. The Liuer veine.
• * 1.3

  Medianae.
• * 1.4

  The blacke veine.
• * 1.5

  Cephalica or the head vein
• * 1.6

  Salua tella.
• * 1.7

  The arteries of the hand.
• * 1.8

  The pulse.
• * 1.9

  Six paire of sinewes of the hand
• * 1.10

  The first. The second. The third.
• * 1.11

  The fourth.
• * 1.12

  The fift.
• * 1.13

  The sixt.
• * 1.14

  The muscles of the hand. The bones of the hand.