The disease of London, or, A new discovery of the scorvey [sic] comprising the nature, manifold differences, various causes, signs, prognostics, chronology, and several methods of curing the said disease by remedies, galenical and chymical : together with anatomical observations, and discourses on convulsions, palsies, apoplexies, rheumatisms, gouts, malignant fevors, and small pox, with their methods of cure and remedies : likewise, particular observations on most of the fore-mentioned diseases / by Gideon Harvey ...

CHAP. VIII. Of a second different internal Cause, being the cause of some Leg-Scorveys, and many or most Terminato∣ry Scorveys; namely Sa∣ponary Blood.

1. Instance, That there are two sorts of Causes (contrary to each other) of the Scorvey. 2. The Constitution of the Blood in an Alcalious Scorvey. 3. The Error of Sennertus and others in asserting the Cause of Roapy Blood. 4. The true Cause of Roa∣py Blood. 5. Proof by Experiment of the Lixivial Constitution of the Blood in the Scorvey; and why the Blood is termed Saponary.

§. 1. THe Tenor of the next prae∣ceding Chapter implies a Pu••rid Acid, praedominating over the Volatil Salt, to be a cause of one

sort of Scorvey; here we intend to propose a Scorvey different from that, wherein the Volatil Salt being vitia∣ted and augmented in too great a pro∣portion, over-ballanceth the Natural Acid, and produceth a Constitution of Salts and Humors, likewise Sym∣ptoms, that are absolutely Scorbu∣tique, but of a fiercer and more ma∣lignant quality. By the way, I must praevent my Reader from any haesita∣tion, wherein it may appear strange to him, that Symptoms that bear the same countenance, should be derived from two contrarily different Causes. As to this, it is an Observation evident enough in other Diseases; for instance the Colick is sometimes occasioned by Bilious Lixivious Humors, corro∣ding the internal Tunic of the Guts, in which case they usually suffer a Contraction in longitudine; some∣times it's caused by an Acid flatuous phlegmatic Humor, and here the Guts are affected in latitudine. On the for∣mer is imposed the name of an Hot Colic, and on the latter a Cold Co∣lick; the same may be also observed in Pleurisies and many other Distempers.

§. 2. The Constitution of the Blood in this kind of Scorvey is far different from what it is in the other; for here the Blood runneth into a thick cohae∣rent Fluor, like Syrup, doth not coa∣gulate or concrease; but continueth in the same form, without the separa∣tion of the Serum, that in the other commonly floats on the top. The dif∣ference is likewise in colour and taste; here the Blood appears in a purple, and to the taste its Lixivial and Acri∣monious. Touching the Symptoms; the Acid Scorvey exercises its fury most on the parts above the Navil, the Al∣calious Scorvey, chiefly on the parts below, what farther distinction is re∣markable, you shall read elsewhere.

§. 3. Certainly it was a great Hal∣lucination in Sennertus, but far grea∣ter in others, that have wrote since on that Subject, to praetend an Acid the cause of Pendulous Blood (a term the Recentiors have borrowed from the fore-named Sennertus, though ill ver∣ted into English Roapy, as hath been animadverted before) which rather

causeth a Coagulation, as appears by Experiment, upon instilling Acid drops into Blood or Milk; and yet this Acid is so abominably stretcht by a late Author, who obtaining a parti∣cular knack of writing a Story smooth∣ly, doth endeavor to adaptate it to Symptoms in general of all sorts of Scorvey; whence I find, neither he nor those that harbour his Notion do arrive to a success of curing some Leg-Scorveys, aequal to that of the Mouth-Scorvey, but are oft render'd infinitely worse.

§. 4. The cause of this thick in∣crassated cohaerent Blood, that if pou∣red into a Porringer, hangs in short ropes or long drops, like Balsom or liquid Soap, when poured off, I im∣pute to the fixation of the Volatil, which united to the Fixt Salt of the Blood, doth alcalize and calcine it, whence assuming the nature of other Calcined Salts (as Salt of Tartar and Nitrum fixum) doth attract and ab∣sorb the Serum of the Blood, and some moisture out of the Air, where∣by that and the whole mass is turned into a Deliquium, and so becometh

thick (the Serum being absorbed) cohaerent and pendulous; because part of the Blood is naturally gluti∣nous, which being tied closer toge∣ther in its particles by the absorption of the thinner and serous parts, must needs prove pendulous; of a taste lixi∣vious, because such all Calcined Salts appear to the Palat; and of a purpre colour, because the Blood is adusted from a florid red into blackness.

§. 5. That the Blood of these Scor∣butics, which are here mentioned, is qualified in the manner described, will appear to any, that shall give them∣selves the trouble of examining Scor∣butick Blood, when occasionally ex∣tracted by Phlebotomy; but least such as desire to be satisfied in this point, have not a ready opportunity of exa∣mination, we will endeavor to con∣vince them of this truth by experi∣ment. Take Blood that's found, and possibly extracted for praevention or abating a Plethory, instil into it Spi∣rit of Sal Armoniac, or of any other Volatil Salt, it shall praeserve it in its fluor, colour, consistency, mixture

and other qualities, until it be eva∣porated, and then the said Blood by coagulating into a Mass, will separate from its Serum: But if instead of this, you affuse a small quantity of Calci∣ned Fixed Salt, that's runned into a Deliquium, it will incrassate the Blood, change it into a deep purpre, render it pendulous and lixivial to the taste. After all, proving the particu∣lar Symptoms to issue thence as proper immediate effects, will crave an unde∣niable conclusion; but that shall be re∣ferred to a further inroad into this Dis∣course. I must not retire from this Subject, before I give the reason, why I have named this sort of Scorbutic Blood, Soapy, or Saponary; namely, because like Soap consisting of Tallow and Lix∣ivial Salt, the Blood in this kind of Scorvey, is also composed of a defla∣grated incrassated Sulphur and a Lixi∣vial Salt, both commixt and united into one Body; but how and through what causes it is rendred so Soapy, shall be told you in the next Chapter.