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.

QVEST. VI. Of the Euill Sauour of the Excrements.

MAny men that are but sleightly seene into the course of Nature, doe wonder * 1.1 much why in a sound body and in a Temperate man the excrements of the Belly become so vnsauourie and abhominably sented, because all stench is the consequence of corruption; and corruption or putrifaction hath for her effi∣cient cause outward and acquired not inbred heate.

For whose better satisfaction we say that Physitians acknowledge a double cause of this * 1.2 foetor or stench, an Efficient and a Materiall. Concerning the efficient they say, that our heate though it be one in regard of the subiect, yet in different considerations it is diuerse, and may be two wayes considered, either simply as it is heate, or else as it is inbred heate and the instrument of all the functions of the soule. As it is heate, it continually feedeth vpon and consumeth the moisture, as it is inbred it boyleth or concocteth, assimulateth and ingendreth; so from the same heate doe flow diuerse yea contrary motions.

Whilest the Chylus is made in the stomacke, the naturall or inbred heate insinuateth it selfe equally and a like into all the parts of the matter; gathereth together those thinges that are correspondent to our nature and separateth the rest: the first are drawn away into the Liuer by the veines of the mesentery, but the other which cannot bee assimulated are thrust downe into the great guttes, and there as vnprofitable are forsaken by the naturall heate; wherefore the heat worketh vpon it no more as it is inbred or direct from the soule, but simply as it is heate taking the nature of an outward heate, and thence comes the stench. Adde hereto the fitnesse of the matter; for these superfluities are crude and verie moyst whence comes putrifaction; but if the humour bee drawne away the putrifaction is lesse, and the sauour not so noysome.

And this is the only reason why the excrements of a man most temperate, haue a worse * 1.3 sauour then those of other creatures; because a man vseth very moyste nourishment and very diuerse, that is of seuerall kinds, and leadeth a life more sluggish and sedentarie: other Creatures feede vppon dryer Fother and so their excrements become dryer. And this cause Aristotle assigned in his Problemes: where asking the question why the excrements of the Belly the longer they are reteined are lesse vnsauourie, and on the contrary the vrine the longer it is kept smelleth the stronger, he resolueth it thus. Because sayeth hee, in the long stay, the excrements are dryed, and so the nourishment of putrifaction is subtracted or drawne away, which is not so in the vrine.

Now the reason of the forme and figuration of the Excrements, is because of the Chambers and cels of the Collicke gut, wherein it swelleth into round & broken peeces.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of the sauor of excremēts.
• * 1.2

  A double cause of it. The efficient cause is heat.
• * 1.3

  Why the ex∣crements of men are more stinking then those of other crea∣tures Arist. Probleme sect. 13. A probleme.