Bartholinus anatomy made from the precepts of his father, and from the observations of all modern anatomists, together with his own ... / published by Nich. Culpeper and Abdiah Cole.

Chap. XII. Of the Mesentery.

THe Mesenterium is so called, be∣cause* 1.1 it is in the middle of the Guts, not because it is the middle Gut as Cicero will have it [and Macrobius who follows him; for it doth not partake of the nature of a Gut, save in that it is Membranous, nor is there any defence for Laurembergius, because we are rightly said to dwell in the middle of the world, supposing the Earth to be a part of the World. Spigelius doth more rightly inter∣pret

[illustration]

Here are described four kinds of Vessels disseminated through the Me∣senterium, as also the Pancreas is discovered, in its Natural Situation.

The XIII. TABLE.

The Explication of the FIGURE.

• AA. The Convexe part of the Liver.
• B. The Concave part of the Li∣ver.
• C. The Gall-Bladder.
• D. The passage for the Gall.
• E. Part of the Gut Duode∣num.
• F. The Pancreas or Sweet-bread whole in its proper place.
• GG. The Spleenic Vessels detected by opening the Pancreas.
• H. The Spleen.
• II. The Mesenterick branch of the Vena Portae.
• K. The Mesenterick Artery.
• L. A Nerve of the sixt part spred up and down in the Me∣sentery.
• MMMM. The Guts cleaving to the Mesentery.
• N. The beginning of the Intesti∣num Jejunum.
• OOOO. The Mesentery.
• PPPPPP. The Vessels of the Mesentery, of which the black ones the Veins, those by the black ones the Arteries; and the white ones signifie the Nerves and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Veins.
• QQQQQ. 〈…〉〈…〉 through 〈…〉〈…〉

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[illustration]

[illustration]

This TABLE expresses the Mesentery taken out of the Body.

The XIV. TABLE.

The Explication of the Figure.

• A. The Centre of the Mesentery, and that part of the Back, where it arises from the Membranes of the Peritonaeum, which knit the great Artery and the Vena Cava in this place, to the Vertebra's.
• BB. The great Kernel of the Mesentery, which Asellius terms Pancreas, into which all the milkie Veins are knit together.
• CC. Glandules or Kernels placed between the Vessels, which reach as far as to the Guts.
• DD. EEE. Part of the Mesentery which ties the thin Guts to the Back.
• F. G. Part of the Mesentery which is fastned to the Colon, from the right Kidney to the Liver.
• G. H. The Membrane of the lower Call, which in this place supplies the Office of the Me∣sentery, fastening that part of the Colon, which is stretched out under the bottom of the stomach, unto the Back.
• H. I. Part of the Mesentery, knitting together the Colon, drawn out from the Spleen to the streight Gut.
• I. K. Part of the Mesentery, fastning the streight Gut unto the Back.
• L. The two Membranes of the Mesenterium, drawn asunder by the Nailes, between which Vessels are carryed, and the Fat and Kernels are contained.
• M. The first Membrane of the Mesentery.
• N. The other Membrane of the Mesentery.

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the word Iutestinum in Cicero, for some midling bowel] but because like a Circle it embraces the Guts round, and gathers them together into the form of a Globe, and cloaths them. Tis called also Mesaraeon: Gaza in Aristotle translates it Lactes [in a large sense] thereby understanding that which involves and wraps up the Lactes that is the Guts, and what ever is contai∣ned in them.

It is one; but others divide it into the Mesaraeon or Mesenterium, and the* 1.2 Meso-Colon. The former being in the middle of the belly and knitting together the smal Guts: the latter which knits up the Colon, in the right and left side and in the lower part thereof, cleaves to the right Gut.

It Figure is very near Circular, and af∣ter it hath been narrow in its rise, in its* 1.3 progress, at the Circumference it dege∣nerates into very many foldings, that it might gather in the length of the Guts: for one hands breadth of the Mesentry, doth embrace more then fourteen hands∣breadths of the Guts in a narrow space. In the sides it becomes oblong, especially on the left side, where it descends to the Intestinum rectum. Whereupon Galen made a threefold Mesentery: a right, left and mid∣dle.

Its Magnitude from the Centre to the Circumference is a span: but its* 1.4 Longitude and Circumference is three ells.

It Arises at the first and third Vertebra of* 1.5 of the Loyns, [which is thought to be the Cause of that great consent which is between the Loyns and the Guts] where Membranous Fibres are produced from the Peritonaeum, which turn into strong Membranes,

Through which the Mesaraick Veins* 1.6 [both the Blood and the Chyle-bearers] being exceeding smal and numerous, and by little and little running together into fewer and greater, are disse∣minated. [But of these more largely in the first Manual Chap. 3.] And after the same manner the Arteries: [from the Caliaca, that they may carry arterial blood with heat to the Mesentery and Guts for the Nutrition and Fermentation of each of them and in no wise to draw chyle in a sound state of Body, or other things as Varolius and Spigelius conceit. And that the blood is Circulated even in the Mesentery, by means of these Arteries, I shall demonstrate hereafter against Riolanus.] It receives also Nerves from those which are carried from the sixth pair, to the roots of the Ribs, as also from the Nerves proceeding from the Vertebra's of the Loyns, that they may give the sense of Feeling to the Mesentery, as is manifest in the bastard colick and o∣ther pains; and an obscure motion in distribution of the chyle.

It hath Kernels interposed to fil up the* 1.7 spaces, and to cherish the heat: but one greater then the rest it hath at its original which Asellius following Fallopius, terms Pancreas: different from the other Pancreas situate under the Stomach and Duo∣denum. Out of this he fetches the Original of the milky Veins, with probability enough, because there they grow all into one, and from hence are carryed both downwards and upwards to the Liver▪ Add hereunto, that it is in color like those Veins; and the

Veins themselves have in this place somwhat proper, viz. that they are interwoven in the whole Body of this Pancreas, with wonderful turnings, twistings, and twinings.

It is surrounded with Fat as in the Call, which pro∣ceeds from fat blood slipt out of the Vessels, and re∣tained by the density of the Membranes, and so conge∣led; that it may cherish the Heat of those Parts, and further the preparation of Chyle.

The Use of these Kernels is, 1. To prop up and support sundry Distributi∣ons* 1.8 of the Branches of Vena porta and Arteria magna. Hence it is, that about the Centre of the Mesenterie are the greatest Kernels, because there is the Distribution of the greater and more collected Vessels. Moreover, these Glandules or Kernels, when they are at any time troubled with a scirrhous hard Tumor; there follows a Leanness of the whol Body, because they bear hard, and lie upon the branches of the Vena portae, and of the milkie Vein, so that the Nourishment cannot be freely carried through the said Veins. 2. To moisten the Guts, with the Humors which they suck out of the Parts, and promote Digesti∣on by way of boyling as it were. Which Use Spigelius denies, because there are Animals that have not these Glandules, and nevertheless are fat; and others though they have these, are lean. Which may happen with∣out any prejudice to my assertion, because these former Animals have such good Juyce, as needs no purificati∣on; the latter have so little nutritive Juyce, that it can∣not sufficiently be depurated by these Glandules. And therefore, 3. They serve to suck superfluous Humors out of the Guts, which was Hippocrates his Opinion. I add 4. A peculiar Use, viz. to receive that plenty of milkie Veins which passes that way, and to keep some portion of the Chyle, because 1. It is of like use with that greater middle Kernel, and its substance is the same with that which exceeds this only in magnitude, because greater milkie Veins pass that way. 2. I ob∣served that in Fishes, especially in a Lump-fish male and female, besides the great white one, the others did also send forth a white Juyce. 3. This being gran∣ted, both Atrophia and other Diseases are better under∣stood, to which Opinion also Asellius seems to have encli∣ned. And whereas Riolanus makes the Seat and Root of al Kings-evil swellings to be in these Kernels, and saith they never shew themselves on the outside of the Body, except the Mesenterie be first diseased with the same kind of Swellings, is not likely, for 1. Though they may be remote and accidental causes. 2. There is no communion between these kind of Swellings in the Head, and the Kernels of the Mesenterie. 3. Many have the Kings-evil swellings, in whom these Kernels are perfectly sound. 4. All would be subject to such Swellings, because all have these Kernels. 5. Those people dwelling under the Alpes, that are so subject to these Swellings, should have their Mesenterie differing from those that are not so troubled. 6. The said Swel∣lings are filled by any kind of Humor proceeding from any Region of the Body.

The Use of the Mesenterie is to be the common Band of the Guts, whereby* 1.9 they are knit to the Vertebra's of the Loins.

And the Use of its two Membranes, is* 1.10 that through them the Vessels may pass safer unto the Guts.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mesentery why so called.
• * 1.2

  Its Division.
• * 1.3

  Its Figure.
• * 1.4

  Its Magnitude.
• * 1.5

  Its Rise.
• * 1.6

  Its Vessels.
• * 1.7

  Its Kernels.
• * 1.8

  The Use of the Kernels.
• * 1.9

  The Use of the Mesenterie.
• * 1.10

  And of its Membranes.