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. I. Of the definition and differences of Bones.

THE Bones saith Hipocrates 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, doe giue to the whole body stability, rectitude and forme: for they are as it were the carkasse of a Shippe whereto the rest of the parts are fastned, whereuppon they are sustayned and the whole mountenance of the body is built and consuinmated. From their figure and magnitude we esteeme of the figure and magnitude of * 1.1 the rest of the parts: without the knowledge of the bones we must needes bee ignorant of the originals and insertions of Muscles, of the courses of the Veines, of the distribution of the Arteries and of the partitio is of the Nerues. The vniuersall syntax or composition of the Bones from the Head to the Feete the ancient Grecians called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as it were a dryed or arrid carkasse.

Galen defineth the Bones to be the hardest, the dryest & most terrestriall part of the creature. * 1.2 But this definition doth not please the pallats of the new writers, as being not exquisite or Philosophicall, but made onely for the ruder and more ignorant sort by way of inni∣tiation. Laurentius defineth them more accuratly thus.

A Bone is a similar part, the dryest and coldest of all the rest, made of the earthy crassament * 1.3 and fatnesse of the seede by the formatiue faculty, assisted by the strength of heate, for the stabi∣lity, rectitude and figure of the whole body.

And this definition he sayth is Essentiall, because it designeth all the causes of Bones, the Efficient, the Materiall, the Formall and the Finall. The forme of similar partes ac∣cording to Physitians is the Temper, because it is the first Power whereby and wherewith * 1.4 the forme worketh and suffereth whatsoeuer the similar part woorketh as a similar. Siccity, therefore and Frigidity dryeth and coldnes doe expresse the forme of a bone. It is drye because of the exhaustion of moysture and fatnes, made by an intense or high heate. Cold it is because the heate vanisheth away for defect of moysture. These primary qualities * 1.5 are accompanied with secondary, hardnes, heauines and whitenes. A Bone is hard not by concretion as yee, for then it would be dissolued by the fire, not by tention as the head of a drum, but by siccity as wood.

Heauy it is because it is earthy, as also because the aire and the water in it are extream∣ly densated and thickned: and it is white because it is spermaticall.

The matter of the Bones is the crassament of the seed, that is, the thicker and more * 1.6 earthy part. Aristotle cals it Seminale excrementum, the excrement of the Seede. For though the Seede seeme to bee Homogeny, yet it hath some parts thicker then others.

There is in it also something fat and something glutinous or slimy. Of the glutinous part because it may best be extended or streatched, are made the nerues, membranes and the ligaments. Of the fatty part are made the bones, and this Hippocrates confirmeth where he sayth, Where there is more fat then glew or slime, there the bones are formed.

The Efficient cause of a bone is the Formatiue power which some call the Idoll or * 1.7 the Idea of him that ingendreth: this faculty vseth the heat for his architect, and the spirit for his chiefe worke-man, and to these the Philosopher attributeth Ordination, Secreti∣on, Concretion, Densation and Rarification. The heate therefore drinketh vp and dry∣eth the fatnes, whence comes hardnes and solidity. So saith Hippocrates, Bones are conden∣sated by heat and so grow hard and dry.

Futhermore this heate although it be moderate (for the substance of our natiue heat is well tempered) yet because it maketh a longer stay in a more dense and fast matter, it bringeth forth the same effects that an intense or high heat doth; yea it seemeth to burn, whereupon Hippocrates doubted not to say, that the generation of bones was made by exusti∣on, that is, by burning.

The finall cause of Bones which Galen is wont to call their vse, is well expressed in the * 1.8 last particle of the definition. For the primary and most common vse of bones is to giue the body stability, rectiude and figure. Stability because they are as it were propugnacles * 1.9 or defences against all violence, beside they sustaine the body as the bases or finials of a house sustaine the roofe. Rectitude because without bones the creature cannot stand vp * 1.10 right but would creepe vpon the ground as a Serpent or a worme. Hippocrates secund••

Epidemiωn, maketh mention of a childe borne without bones, yet were the principal parts of his body separated and fashioned, but he was not aboue foure fingers big, and dyed soone after he was borne.

Finally, the bones do giue the figure to the body, because from them dependeth the procerity or stature and the limitation of the growth. For those that haue a great head haue large braines, those that are narrow chested their Lungs also and bowels are but short and narrow: those that haue small iawes haue also small muscles. By reason of this finall cause, which being it selfe immoueable mooueth all the rest, the bones are of that substance which we see, hard, solid, and insensible: hard and solid for so it behooued a pil∣lar or prop to be; insensible ad 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that they should not bee so apprehensiue of payne, for because they sustaine the burthen of the body and are continually moued, they could not haue endured so diuers motions without paine if they had beene sensible ther∣of, and then the life of the creature should haue beene alwayes sad and quaerulous. But this want of sense comes not from their earthly substance, for then the teeth which are * 1.11 the hardest of all bones should haue no sense; but because there are no nerues dissemina∣ted through their substance.

The differences of Bones are to be taken sayth Galen as also the differences of singu∣lar parts from those things which follow the essence, or happen thereto. * 1.12

The essence of a bone, that is, his cold and dry temper doe the Tactile qualities fol∣low, Hardnesse, Softnesse, Density, and Rarity; the accidents are Magnitude, Figure, Si∣tuation, Motion, Sense, and the like.

The first diuision therefore of bones is from their hardnesse. Some bones are very * 1.13 hard as those that are called Stony bones and the Teeth; others soft in respect, as the spon∣gy bones and those which we call Appendices or Appendants; others are simply hard as all the rest.

From the magnitude some bones are great, some little, and some moderate. There * 1.14 are among the Anatomists that account those bones to be great which are of a large bore or very hollow and medullous or marrowy. But wee make account of such bones for great as are great in quantity, whether their marrow be lesse or more, for the hanch-bones and the shoulder-blades which are not hollow nor medullous are yet great bones. But because the quantity belongeth to Dimentions and Dimention is three-fold, long, broad and deepe, therefore from the magnitude of bones may be taken a three-fold diuision of them. For some are long as the thigh bone, others are short as the bones of the fingers: some are broad as the shoulder-blade and hanch-bones: others narrow, some crasse or thick, others fine or thinne.

From the figure some bones are plaine, some round, some haue three sides, some * 1.15 haue foure, some are like a boat, some like a Cube or Dye, some like a Mallet, or an anuill, or a stirrop, &c.

To the figure also we referre, as the best Physitians doe, the passages and cauities, the smoothnes or roughnesse. Some therefore are solid others not solid: some smoothe and some rough; I call that solid which is not hollow. Solid bones therefore doe eyther appeare altogether solid hauing no cauities or dens in thē, or at least none sensible as the bones of the eares and the nose; or else they appeare solid on the outside, but within are full of perforations and holes like sponge as are the bodies of the rackbones. To solid bones we oppose those that are hollow, that is, such as haue a sensible or conspicuous ca∣uity, which Galen calleth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a belly.

In these is that substance contained which we properly call marrow, in latine Me∣dulla, and therefore such bones we say are medullous, that is marrowy bones.

From the situation there may a twofold difference of bones be taken, because vnder the * 1.16 name of situation we comprehend the position and the connexion.

If you respect their position, some are vpper others are lower, some on the fore-side others on the hindside, &c.

If their connexion with other parts, some are fastened by muscles, some by ligaments, and some by gristles. From motion some bones are mooued as those that are arti∣culated * 1.17 by Diarthrosis; some are immooueable, as those that are fastened by Synar∣throsis.

From Sense, some bones are sensible as the Teeth, all the rest without sense. * 1.18

Finally, we will adde that difference of bones which is taken from the order of gene∣ration. For some bones are generated perfect and compleate as the small bones of the eares, the ribs, and the cannell or coller bones The bones of the eares, because it was fitte they should be very hard and very dry the better to resound. The ribs because they were to make the cauity of the chest wherein the heart was to moue from the very birth. The coller bones because they tye the armes to the bodye and strengthen the breast. Other bones are at the first imperfect or little differing from Gristles, as the bones of the Heade and many in the body beside.

And thus much of the differences of bones; now we proceede vnto their parts.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The know∣ledge of the bone necessa∣ry,
• * 1.2

  Galens defini∣tions.
• * 1.3

  Laurentius de∣finition.
• * 1.4

  The explica∣tions thereof
• * 1.5

  The forme.
• * 1.6

  The matter.
• * 1.7

  The efficient.
• * 1.8

  The end.
• * 1.9

  Stability.
• * 1.10

  Rectitude.
• * 1.11

  Why bones are insensible.
• * 1.12

  The differen∣ces of bones.
• * 1.13

  From the hardnesse.
• * 1.14

  Magnitude.
• * 1.15

  Figure.
• * 1.16

  Site.
• * 1.17

  Motion.
• * 1.18

  Sense.