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.

QVESTION I. Whether the Guttes haue any common Attractiue faculty.

THE Physitians of old time haue beene at great difference among themselues, whether the Guttes haue onely an expulsiue faculty, or all those foure which serue as Hand-maydes to Nourishment, the Drawing, Reteyning, Assimulating, and Expelling. The occasion of the strife was giuen by certaine places of the Greekes and Ara∣bians which were of doubtful construction; for sometimes they ac∣knowledge those foure faculties, sometimes deny them. Our pur∣pose is to skanne and fan this question as near as we can, beginning our disputation at the Attractiue or drawing faculty. But because wee would not be puz∣led in the equiuocall or want way betwixt a Faculty and Action: it shall not bee amisse to sticke downe some stakes, to lay some foundations for our better direction: such are these.

Of Actions some are Common or Officiall, others Priuate or peculiar. The common actions were ordained either for the behoofe of the whole, or at least for more partes then * 1.1 one. So the Liuer doeth sanguifie the Aliment, not for his owne vse alone, but for the nourishment of the whole body. The Heart and the Braine doe ingender Vitall and A∣nimall spirits, to giue life and sence to the whole man; not onely for their owne particular and priuate vse. The stomacke chylifieth the meate, not for it selfe (though it take some pleasure in it) but for the Liuer. The Spleene, the Bladder of Gall, and the Kidneyes, do not draw the melancholy iuyce, the fiery choler, and the whaey vrine for their owne nou∣rishment, but to depurate and cleanse the Liuer and masse of bloud: wherefore these Ac∣tions are called Officiall, because they serue and minister vnto many.

Priuate Actions or peculiar, are such as serue onely for the conseruation of priuate and * 1.2 peculiar partes. So the Stomacke beside his Chylification hath also a particular Action whereby it intendeth his owne proper nourishment, drawing, reteyning and concocting bloud familiar vnto it selfe and expelling the reliques of the same. These things are so no∣toriously knowne to all men that they neede no curious demonstation.

Another foundation to be layde is this: that for peculiar and priuate Traction and ex∣pulsion, * 1.3 there is no neede of the helpe of fibres, but onely for the common and officiall; be∣cause the priuate is accomplished alwayes without locall motion, but the common with it either alwayes or for the most part. Bones, Gristles, and Ligaments, doe draw and ex∣pell without any contraction of fibres; for who euer obserued them to moue in their trac∣tion? But as the Load-stone although it moue not, by an inbred and occult proprietie dra∣weth yron; and plants which sticke immoueably in the earth, doe suck and draw out of the same earth a iuyce familiar vnto their nature: after the same manner the particular and sin∣gular partes of the body out of the masse of bloud by a proprietie of their owne, doe draw and drinke into themselues a proper and peculiar nourishment. But the common and offi∣ciall traction or expulsion, because they are almost alwayes made with locall motion doe therefore stand in need of the help of fibres. So the motion of the hart although it be natu∣rall, yet is not accomplished without the helpe of fibres, for in his diastole or distention, it draweth by right fibres blood through the hollow veine into the right ventricle and ayre by the veynall Artery into the left; againe by the transverse it expelleth spirits, blood and fumed vapors. In like manner the wombe by right fibres draweth the seed of man, and by transuerse is contracted for the exclusion or birth of the Infant.

These foundations being layde, the state of the question standeth thus. When it is de∣manded * 1.4 whether the Guttes haue any attractiue facultie, wee doe not enquire about the priuate and peculiar Attraction of the guttes for that is beyond controuersie, considering that life is sustained by nutrition, which is alwaies accompanied by those foure in-bred fa∣culties, Attraction, Retention, Concoction, and Expulsion; but the question is concer∣ning a common or official Traction, that is, whether the Guts haue power of drawing the Chylus from the stomacke. We thinke they haue not, and Galen fauoureth also our opini∣on; * 1.5 for in his bookes of the vse of Parts, he sayeth, The Guttes stand not in neede of an at∣tractiue * 1.6 facultie, and againe, The Guttes hauing no neede either to draw or to reteyne because their motion is simple, haue also but simple Fibres; and in another place euery Gutte hath in each coate circular fibres, For they are contracted onely but draw nothing; the same also hee auerreth in his 6. booke de Loics affectis. * 1.7

But you will say, if the Guts draw not the Chylus, what power or faculty is it which brin∣geth the same vnto them? Doth the stomack driue out of it selfe so profitable an Aliment? * 1.8 We answere, Galens meaning is, that the Chylus is boyled in the stomack, and that the Pylo∣rus or lower mouth all the time of concoction is closely shut vp, that nothing either thicke or thinne may be able to passe away before it be concocted, leuigated and perfectly labou∣red. When this concoction is throughly celebrated, then is the stomack delighted with the Chylus, imbraceth it a while, as being now become familiar vnto it; afterward Nature in a wonderfull prouidence openeth a certaine small membrane, and then the Chylus as it were an ouerplus or superfluitie, is driuen forth and falleth into the guts; in whose boughts and circles while it maketh stay, the thinner part like vnto creame is sucked away by the veines of the mesenterie; but the thicker by his waight falleth vnto the great guts, and by the circular fibres is thrust forth. Such is Galens true and sound Philosophy concerning this question, whereby we are taught that the Chylus is not drawne by the guts, but driuen into them by the stomacke.

Notwithstanding there want not many among the late writers, who perswade them∣selues * 1.9 that the guts, especially the small ones, haue this common Tractiue faculty inherent in them, and I am perswaded that they build their opinion vppon the authoritie and some light reasons of the Arabians. Auicen writeth that the Chylus falleth from the stomacke * 1.10 into the guts, by the helpe and assistance of two faculties; one expulsiue of the stomacke, and another attractiue of the guts; and this also he repeateth in his thirteenth booke de A∣nimalibus.

To this authoritie they adde a threefold reason: First, no man will deny but all the parts do draw a familiar iuyce vnto themselues. Now, the Chylus, say they, is the familiar Ali∣ment * 1.11 of the guttes, by which they are nourished as the stomacke is. Againe, if the Chylus be onely driuen out or excluded by the stomacke, then is that motion violent; but it is ab∣surd that nourishment should be made by force or violence, for then it would not endure; the nourishment therefore is drawne, not driuen. Lastly, the guttes haue right fibres ex∣tended in their length and those we know are onely prepared by Nature where traction is necessarie as being their proper worke.

But those arguments are so sleight and triuiall as a nouice may see their weaknesse as he * 1.12 runnes. For, first wee may not admit of that paradox which they obtrude concerning the nourishment of the guttes and the stomacke; for indeede the stomacke is not nourished by the Chylus, but only delighted with his presence, otherwise, for his nourishment, it dra∣weth bloud by the Gastricke and Coronarie veines, which also it assimulateth as in due place we shall proue. And for the guttes neither are they nourished by the Chylus, but by bloud which is brought vnto them by the mesaraick veines; the guts therefore draw not the Chy∣lus for their nourishment. Whereas they say that the motion of the stomacke driuing out the Chylus is violent, I thinke they are farre out of the way; it is rather Naturall because it followeth his contraction; against which the naturall forme of the Aliment, that is, his grauitie or waight doth not repugne.

Lastly, we altogether deny that which they affirme concerning right fibres, for in either coate of the guts there is onely one kinde of fibres and those circular; and if any right Fi∣bres do appeare, yet is it not in the small guts which conteine the Chylus, but onely in the last which is called the right gut, in which the excrements are reserued for immediate eua∣cuation.

But let vs grant, that in both the coates of the guts there are right Fibres, yet it follow∣eth

not that there is any such drawing faculty as they dreame of, for right Fibres are not * 1.13 alwayes ordained for traction. And this Galen doth excellently declare in his fourth booke of the vse of parts, where he saith, That the right gut onely hath right Fibres allowed it, not for traction, but for preseruation of the transuerse. For it was to be feared, least the circular Fi∣bres should separate or be drawne asunder, vnlesse on the outside they had been strength∣ned by right, as it were by bands or ties; so the Coates of the Veines haue right Fibres not for atraction, but onely ad 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 as wee say, that is to hinder an inconuenience. So Chyrurgions for the better reteyning in their due place circular bands, do strengthen them with right Ties or Deligations. And thus much shall be sufficient to haue saide concer∣ning the attraction of the guts.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Two kinds of actions.

  Common or officiall.
• * 1.2

  Priuate or particular.
• * 1.3

  There is no need of fibres to the perfor∣mance of pri∣uate actions.
• * 1.4

  The state of the question.
• * 1.5

  Galen.
• * 1.6

  There is no common Trac¦tiue faculty in the guts.
• * 1.7

  3. de nat facult.
• * 1.8

  Obiection. Galen expoun¦ded.
• * 1.9

  The opinion of late wri∣ters.
• * 1.10

  Auicen Fen. 1. primi.
• * 1.11

  Their reasōs.
• * 1.12

  Answer to the arguments.
• * 1.13

  Right fibres are not onely ordained for traction. Galen.