Adenochoiradelogia, or, An anatomick-chirurgical treatise of glandules & strumaes or, Kings-evil-swellings : together with the royal gift of healing, or cure thereof by contact or imposition of hands, performed for above 640 years by our Kings of England continued with their admirable effects, and miraculous events, and concluded with many wonderful examples of cures by their sacred touch / all which are succinctly described by John Browne.

CHAP. X. Of the Thorax, and the glan∣dulous parts thereunto belong∣ing.

THe Trunk of the Body is that we call the middle Venter, and this is that cavity which is up∣wards circumscribed with Clavicles, downwards with a Diaphragma, on either side with the Ribs, forwards with the Sternon, and backwards with the Bones of the Back; in this, and under whose command are plant∣ed the Breasts, the Pleura, Mediasti∣num, Heart, Lungs, Thymus, La∣rynx, Aesophagus, to which also is annexed the Neck as its appendix. We begin our discourse of the glan∣dules here with the Breasts.

* 1.1The Breasts both in Men and Wo∣men are two in number, planted over the Pectoral Muscle, and cover∣ing

it; in Man they are smaller than in Women, they being their pro∣per instruments for lactation; and these do encrease with their years, and in some Countreys they are seen to grow to a prodigious largeness, as in diverse parts of the Indies, and the like. In some Women these have been so large that they have been seen to suck their own Breasts; in others also the Child hath lodged sucking, as if he had laid between two Pillows; they generally do ob∣tain an Hemisphere figure, and a soft and whitish substance, being framed of many glandulous Bodies, whose largeness are also various, having several channels and pipes sent to them. Riolan and Wharton,* 1.2 against Autopsia or Ocular demonstration, do write that the Breast is nothing else but one whole glandule, no ways divisible into distinct globu∣lars; and yet they do declare that in morbous Bodies they have seen these distinct conglobated glandules: The which if in sickness, I am sure must also appear in such as are in health. One great glandule is pla∣ced in the middle of the Breast, the

rest being but small, besides which, infinite plexures of the Milky Ves∣sels are interjected amongst these glandules, the which mediating, not only the Milky Juice is carried to all of them, but the smaller glandules do also effuse this Milk into the largest amongst them. Again, in these glan∣dules are many large and copious pores, in which, as in so many small Cells, is the Milk reserved, till the time of its being suckt up, unless it doth flow out thence of its own ac∣cord, by its over plentifulness or thin∣ness. The Nipple is planted upon this great glandule, the which is a fungous small Body, invested with a thin Cutis, and perforated with ma∣ny pretty Orifices, the Lacteal Du∣ctus doth terminate in these glan∣dules, and the Milk, as through a pipe, is let out thence, at the infants sucking the same. This glandule is of exquisite sense, and carries and gives pleasure in the sucking or con∣tracting thereof, by which both the bulk of the Breast is lessened, as also its weight.* 1.3 The glandules of the Breasts have five vessels allowed them, as Nerves arising from the In∣tercostals,

plentifully arriving at the Nipples, giving them the sense which we see they do obtain. Secondly, Arteries for their nutriment. Third∣ly, Veins appointed for bringing Blood towards the same, the which in Nurses sometimes having too much thereof, this is carried from the Breasts to the Subclavian Veins, even as the Chyle is carried by the Tho∣racick Ductus; and being numerous and great, for they do not only car∣ry the remaining Blood, collected from the Nutritive, but in such also as give Milk, they do discharge part of the redundant Milky Liquor to the Subclavians, the which is per∣formed by these Veins. The Fourth are the Milky Vessels, and the Fifth the Lymphaeducts bestowed upon them. Those Milky Vessels are per∣ceived by the Arteries and Veins be∣ing variously interjected in the glan∣dules of the Breasts enated from the lower part, and meeting together in the Center thereof, whose com∣munion and continuity with the Chy∣liferous Ductus lodging in the Trunk of the Body, hath not till of late been found out by the best Anato∣mists,

they not being conspicuous; the Chylous juice not remaining in them, nor more detained in them than the Urine is in the Ureters, but by the compression of the respiratory Muscles, and those parts through which they do enter, it's easily pro∣pell'd, and through those that it pas∣seth. Neither is it much to be won∣dred at, that these should not plain∣ly shew themselves to the light, when as the Thoracick Chilifique Ductus it self being large enough, running according to the length of the Spine, hath never till of late been found out by the most accurate Anatomists; nor by them could be demonstrated, the which in our days appears as clear as the light it self; the use and reason of the carriage of these to the Breast may very well grant the same, although denied and obscured from ocular inspection. Antonius Everard Tract. de Ortu Animal. observing a manifest deduction of the Milky Ves∣sels in a sucking Whelp, thus saith, That some of these Ductus's do arise from the descendant trunk running about the Abdominal Muscles under the fat, and that the glandulous sub∣stance

of the Breasts did carry the matter of Milk in them, the which having manifest pipes framed for them, doth convey this Milk into a common channel, and this is thence suckt out by the Nipple. And Pecquet, anno 1654. before Riverius, found and shewed in a sucking Whelp, near her third upper Rib a Milky channel reaching to the Breasts, from whence a great plenty of Milk succeeded; which experiment he hath very oft shewn in young sucking Puppies; and as this of Antonius is found in Whelps to arise from the descendant Lacteal Trunk, so in Women they are seen to arise from the ascendant Thoracick Trunk, planted at the Breasts in the Breast. The which happened in a Scriveners Wife, who,* 1.4 after her having lain in about a month or five weeks, and having re∣ceived a fall, complain'd of the lit∣tle Milk she had in her Breasts, and that if her Child should suck with any strength, she felt a great pain descending from her Breasts even to her Back, and about the middle re∣gion between her Scapula's; but somewhat lower she seemed to swell,

and began to perceive some pain about her loins, the which upon the Infants not sucking, she perceived nothing thereof: And without doubt this happened by reason of some im∣pediment which hindred the transi∣tion of the Milky Vessels to the Breasts; and hence this Suction being made in the upper part thereof, a plentiful Chyle not succeeding from the Thoracick Ductus, this pain was excited by the same Suction collect∣ed from the Breasts even to the Tho∣racick Ductus, she never having any great quantity of Milk coming thence, so that the Child was forc't to be put out to nurse. Let this serve as one History, amongst many which might be introduced as to the confirming the same. And this may suffice to confute all such who do suppose that the Chyle is not carried to the Breasts by the Milky vessels, but by those Arteries which with the Blood is con∣veyed thither, and from these again separated from the Blood, and so turned into Milk.* 1.5 The primary use of the Breasts is to breed and to form Milk, and to prepare the same as proper nutriment for the Infant. Milk

it self being a sweet and white Juice prepared in the Breast for their pro∣per nourishment. I shall not here enlarge as to its frame and make, be∣ing by some allowed to be made of Blood, and others of Chyle; ma∣ny other Authors having spent much time in giving the Rudi∣ments of its composition; my task more closely relating to the glan∣dules. All our best Anatomists al∣lowing its generation to proceed from Chyle, and this the sub∣stance of the Chyle doth very well set forth, there being no great mat∣ter of difference between them, ei∣ther in their substance, sapour, or colour. And how this Chyle is con∣verted into Milk, hath as yet but by a very few been demonstrated; all the glandules of the Body being de∣signed for one and the same use, that they may take into them some Lym∣phatick humour out of the Blood (as Saliva in the Mouth) and perfuse the same with somewhat of a subacid quality; and this is given both to the Blood, to the Chyle, and to other humours, for their better and more ready separation. And be∣cause

some may question the truth hereof,* 1.6 by asking if this be true, that Milk is generated from Chyle, and not from Blood, how happens it that in a large flux of Blood, the Milk doth lessen in its quantity, or grow defective? To which I give this as a ready answer, Milk is not always deficient on this occasion, if the Wo∣man eats well; and when this is de∣ficient, this happens because Nature is more intent in taking care of, and providing for a greater necessity, as to the restauration of the Spirits of the whole Body, by calling and summoning in all the Chyle to the Heart, and converting the same to Blood; and doth send none of it, or if any, but a very small quantity thereof to the Breasts. And such who do defend the Milks origination to proceed from Chyle, do strengthen their assertion with these reasons: That they do suppose that the Chyle is either directly carried to the Breasts from the Milky Vessels,* 1.7 or first re∣ceived into the Veins, and circulated with the Blood by the Ventricles of the Heart, and so thence effused by the Thoracick Arteries into the

Breasts, and there the sanguinary part secern'd from the Chylous, and this reduced by the Mamillary Ves∣sels into the Body. And that this is Milk it self, and kept and reserved in the porosities of the Breasts for the Infants use. The first use hereof is defended by all Patrons of Ana∣tomy, but the crowning this demon∣stration, and confirming the assertion, would better appear when they would please to shew the peculiar Vessel, by which the Chyle should be thus transmitted to the Breasts.

Christus à Vega Comment. ad Aphor. 39. lib. 5. Hipp. writes of a young Woman of Bruges,* 1.8 whose Menstrues being obstructed she had Milk in her Breasts; the Physician to whom she was committed (did clear her from the blame which was put upon her by her Master, and) did excuse her modesty, by affirming that a Woman might have Milk by the retention or her Menstrues, without conception, she having out-lived above nine months in this condition, she here∣by both shewed and declared her ho∣nesty and chastity, and so kept up her reputation; and in a few days

after her Menstrual flux broke upon her, and she continued well.

* 1.9Brasavolus Com. ad Aphor. 26. lib. 3. Hip. writes, That he hath seen strumous Tumours in the Breasts of Women; and he further declares, That he hath not only seen the same in Women, but also in the Breasts of Men; and in the year 1537. in the Month of April he had for a patient a certain Woman, which had Scrophu∣lous Tumours, which accompanied almost every part of the Body, even to her Groins.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of the Breasts.
• * 1.2

  Riolan's and Whar∣ton's opini∣ons refu∣ted.
• * 1.3

  The glan∣dules of the Breasts allowed five Ves∣sels.
• * 1.4

  History.
• * 1.5

  The use of the Breasts.
• * 1.6

  Milk ge∣nerated from Chyle.
• * 1.7

  The de∣fence of the asser∣tion thereof.
• * 1.8

  History.
• * 1.9

  History.