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THE Spleen or Milt in English, in Greek is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and from thence Splen in La∣tin, and Lien.
The substance of it is flaggy,* 1.1 loose and spon∣geous, commonly held to be a concrete san∣guineous body, serving to sustain the vessels that pass through it: but Malpighius with his Micro∣scope
scope has discover'd it to be a Congeries of Mem∣branes form'd and distinguish'd into cells like Ho∣ney-combs. And in these cells there are very many Glands. He describes them thus (lib. de Liene cap. 5.)
In the Spleen, says he, there may be observed numerous bunches of Glands, or if you will, of Bladders or little Bags dispersed all over it, which do exactly resemble a bunch of Grapes. These little Glands have an oval figure, and are about as big as those of the Kid∣neys: I never saw them of other colour than white; and though the Bloud-vessels of the Spleen be fill'd with ink, and play about them, yet they always keep the same colour. Their substance is membranous as it were, but soft and easily crumbled; their Cavity is so small that it cannot be seen, but it may be gues∣sed, in that when they are cut they seem to fall into themselves. They are almost innumerable, and are placed wonderfully in the aforesaid cells of the whole Spleen, where vulgarly its Paren∣chyma is said to be; and they hang upon fibres arising from their case, and consequently on the utmost ends of the Veins and Arteries, yea the ends of the Arteries twist about them like the Tendrils of Vines, or clinging Ivy.—Each bunch consists of seven or eight.]Thus he. It has abundance of nervous Fibres.
It is commonly but one in Men,* 1.2 though some have found two, yea Fallopius three. In Dogs there are sometimes two or three, unequal in big∣ness, out of each of which there passes a vessel in∣to the Ramus splenicus.
It is covered with a Membrane borrowed from the Peritonaeum,* 1.3 which is thicker than that of the
Liver. First, because the Spleen hath a looser substance. Secondly, because it hath more Ar∣teries, which require a strong Membrane to su∣stain their beatings. Diemerbroeck says, it has two Membranes; one from the Peritonaeum which is outer and common; the other inner and pro∣per, arising from the outer Membrane of the vessels entring the Spleen, interwoven with a wonderfull texture of Fibres; and that betwixt these two the Vasa lymphatica, of which after∣wards.
In Infants new born it is of a red colour;* 1.4 in those of a ripe age it is somewhat blackish; and in old Men it is of a leaden or livid colour. Be∣ing boiled it looks like the dregs of Claret.
In Man it is bigger,* 1.5 thicker and heavier than in Beasts; for it is six inches in length, three in breadth, and one in thickness. Sometimes it is much larger, but the bigger the worse. Spigelius has observed that it is larger in those that live in fenny places, than in those that live in dry; and in those that have large Veins, than in them that have small.
In figure it is somewhat long,* 1.6 like an Oxe's Tongue. Towards the Stomach on its inner side it is somewhat hollow; on its outer, gibbous, having sometimes some impression upon it from the Ribs. It is smooth and equal on either side, save where in its hollow side it has a streight line or seam (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) at which place the splenick Ves∣sels enter into it.
It is seated in the left Hypochondrium opposite to the Liver:* 1.7 (so Hippocrat. 6. Epidem. calleth it the left Liver; and Aristot. 3. de histor. animal. 7. the bastard Liver) betwixt the Stomach and that
end of the Ribs next the Back; in some higher, in others lower: but naturally it descends not be∣low the lowest Rib. Yet sometimes its Liga∣ments are so relaxed, that it reaches down lower, yea sometimes quite break, so that it slips down into the Hypogastrium: so Riolanus tells the story of a Woman that was troubled with a Tumour there, which was taken by her Physicians for a Mole, but dying of it, and being opened, it was found to be occasioned by the Spleen fallen out of its place and lying upon the Womb. And as it very much endangers life when it falls out of its place, so can it not with safety be quite cut out of the Body, whatever some have boasted of. But none but obscure Men (of no credit) have bragg'd of such feats; and how can one imagine that a part so difficult to come at, and that has such large vessels inserted into it, (not to menti∣on its use) could with safety be taken out of the Body? Wounds in it are commonly mortal; in∣flammation, or but obstructions in it do grievously afflict the Patient and sometimes kill him: sure then the total ablation of it must be very fatal. This experiment hath indeed been tried upon Dogs, and some have liv'd after; but then they have grown pensive and lazy, and not liv'd long neither.
It is tied to five parts;* 1.8 its upper part to the Midriff, and its lower to the left Kidney by small Membranes; by its hollow part which giveth way to the Stomach being distended, to the upper membrane of the Omentum, and to the Stomach by vas breve. In its gibbous or arched part it is tied to the Back, for thither it inclines.
It hath Vessels of all kinds;* 1.9 as 1. Veins from the Ramus splenicus of the Vena portae,* 1.10 which are dis∣persed throughout its Parenchyma, and come out of its hollow side in three or more branches, which unite presently into the abovesaid Ramus. The said branches at their coming out of the Spleen have each one a Valve which look from the Spleen outwards, permitting the humours to flow from the Spleen to the Ramus splenicus, but hindering them from returning back. And though one cannot discover any anastomoses of the Veins with the Arteries in the substance of the Spleen (the Bloud passing out of one into the other in like manner as in the Liver, namely through and by help of the Glands) yet there is one notable one of the Splenick artery with this Ramus splenicus before it enter the Spleen. Whose use must be, partly to further the motion of the humours contained in the Ramus towards the Li∣ver, partly that the superfluous plenty of Bloud, which perhaps cannot pass quick enough through the narrow passages of the Spleen, may return back again by help of this anastomosis, through the Ramus to the Liver. There is also another Vein called vas breve, which arising out of the bottom of the Stomach is inserted into the Ramus just as it comes out of the Spleen or a little after. The errour of the Ancients as to the use of this Vessel was detected before, chap. 12. and its true use declared.
It hath two Arteries,* 1.11 entring one at its upper, the other at its lower part. These commonly spring from the left Coeliack branch, which is called the Splenick artery; but sometimes (saith Diemerbroeck) from a certain branch arising out
of the very trunk of the Aorta, and proceeding by a bending Duct along the side of the Pancreas to the Spleen, where they are branched into a thousand Twigs. By these Arteries the Bloud flows to it, where if it have not a free passage in∣to the roots of the Veins and into the Ramus sple∣nicus, it causeth a great pulsation, so high that as Tulpius relateth (lib. 2. observat. 28.) it has been heard by those that have stood 30 foot off.
Nerves it hath from one of the mesenterical branches of the Intercostal pair,* 1.12 which are not all spent on its investing Membrane (as has been thought) but some enter into its substance, which yet has a very dull sense; but that proceeds not from defect of Nerves (for it has a pretty many Twigs) but from that stupor or numbness which that acid juice that is bred in the Spleen, must be conceived to induce upon them.
Though Dr. Wharton in his Adenographia,* 1.13 cap. 4. going about to prove the Spleen to be no Gland, uses this as one argument, that there were never observed any Lympheducts to be di∣stributed through this part; yet Olaus Rudbeck, Fr. Sylvius, Malpighius, Diemerbroeck, &c. af∣firm it to have many, which arising from its con∣globate Glands pass through the Omentum very plainly into the Receptaculum Chyli. See them ex∣prest in the following figure of a Calfs Spleen.
The Ancients knowing neither the true pas∣sage of the Chyle,* 1.14 nor the circulation of the Bloud, erred grosly as to the use of this part. They thought that it attracted a more feculent and melancholick part of the Chyle, by the Ra∣mus splenicus, which having a little elaborated, it sent it out again partly by the vas breve, and
partly by the internal hemorrhoidal; but it is certain, both that no Chyle, nor indeed Bloud passeth by the Ramus splenicus to the Spleen, as neither any thing from the Spleen by the above∣said Vessels; but whatever they contain comes towards the Spleen, namely into the Ramus, and what is in it goes to the Liver. One need add no further reason to evince the errour of their opinion; nor that of those that would make it a sanguifying Bowel. Dr. Glisson (in lib. de He∣pate, cap. 45. p. 434.) thinks it to make an ali∣mentary juice or at least a vehicle for it, which being first imbib'd by its nervous Fibres is from them received into the Nerves, by which it is first carried to the Glandulae renales; where being re∣fin'd it is received again by the Nerves, and is carried to the Brain and Spinal marrow, and from thence by the Nerves again into all the parts of the Body. We will not here enter into a dis∣pute about the nutritious juice of the Nerves; but supposing it, certainly this seems an odd way of conveying either it or its Vehicle thus to and again by the same sort of Vessels; not to say that so acid a juice as is excocted in the Spleen, one should think would be no very welcome guest to the Nerves, nor be suffer'd to march so quietly, especially passing against the current of the ani∣mal spirits that continually flow from the Brain and Spinal marrow. This opinion therefore we shall pass by as very improbable, having little else to recommend it save the credit of its learned Au∣thor. And its true use we believe to be, to make a subacid and saltish juice of the Arterial bloud that flows plentifully into it, which passing by the Ramus splenicus to the Liver serves there to make
(and further the separation of) the Bile. Now this juice is thus elaborated: There are a great many Glands in the substance of the Spleen (which being boil'd tasts something acid.) Into these Glands is the Arterial bloud poured by the capillary Arteries, wherewith are mixed some animal spirits deposited into the same Glandules by the ends of the Nerves, which bridling the sulphureous spirit of the Bloud, induce on it a little acidity; and then being driven out of the Glandules by the beating of the Arteries and the pressure of the adjacent parts, it is received by the roots of the Splenick vein, and so by the Ra∣mus splenicus it flows to the Porta and the Liver. But before it enter into the roots of the Veins, it seems to stay a little in the abovementioned Cells, (whose substance is acid) that it may ac∣quire some more acidity by that stay in them: as Wine standing in a Vinegar-vessel sowrs more and more; and as the Bile by staying in the Gall-bladder gets a greater acrimony.
TAB. III. pag. 88 Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3
Its sub∣stance.
Number.
Mem∣brane.
Colour.
Bigness.
Figure.
Situation.
Connexion.
Vessels.
1. Veins.
2. Arteries.
3. Nerves.
4. Vasa Lymphati∣ca.
Ʋse.