Arcana microcosmi, or, The hid secrets of man's body discovered in an anatomical duel between Aristotle and Galen concerning the parts thereof : as also, by a discovery of the strange and marveilous diseases, symptomes & accidents of man's body : with a refutation of Doctor Brown's Vulgar errors, the Lord Bacon's natural history, and Doctor Harvy's book, De generatione, Comenius, and others : whereto is annexed a letter from Doctor Pr. to the author, and his answer thereto, touching Doctor Harvy's book De Generatione / by A.R.

CHAP. VII.

1. The effects of bloud being drunk. 2. Some strange diseases. 3. Pli∣ca Polonica. 4. Some eat poison without hurt. 5. Stones in the Intestines. 6. Old men become young. 7. Some strange monsters.

I Have read of one who was poysoned with drinking bulls blood; of another who grew mad by drinking of mans blood, of a third who by drinking of his wi••es mon••hly blood, was so enamoured with his own wise, that he hated in respect of her, all other women; some from hence have concluded, that there is poyson in these creatures blood; but I am not of their

minde; for doubtlesse if the flesh of these creatures be found and wholesome, the blood out of which the flesh is made, cannot be venomous. 2. The blood of a Bull is grosse, fibrous, stopping, and hard of concoction, and so to weak stomacks may prove accidentally hurtful or deadly, but not to a strong stomack. 3. It may kill even a strong body, if it be taken in too great a quantity, and so may any meat, and the best wines in this respect prove poisonable. 4. If mans blood were poi∣sonable, then Catalin and his companions had been poisoned, when they dranke mans blood at the taking of their solemne Covenant against the State, as Salust shews. Then Polyphemus had been poisoned by Vlisse's fellows, Dum visceribus miserorum & sanguine vescitur atro. What will become of the Canibals? 5. The menstruous blood of women, is as sound as any other blood in the veins, if the body be found: but if it be imper∣fect or corrupted with malignant humours, it may be poisona∣ble; but I deny, that there is any such vertue in blood, as to procure love; this may be an illusion of Satan, who delights in blood.

II. Strange are the diseases that some bodies are subject too; I have heard of one who being troubled with a burning fea∣ver, had his veins opened, out of which with the blood there slipt out a worm of a foot long: another had a red spot, which did rise in his foot the bredth and colour of a red rose, which did now and then remove from one place to another; and in what place soever it was, caused an intolerable burning, which could be nothing els but a scalding blood carried up and down by hot and fiery spirits; of these two Zacutus speaks, l. 3. and of a third whose skin grew as hard and rugged as the bark of a Tree.

III. Some uncouth and strange diseases have appeared in this latter age of the world, not heard of heretofore; one is mentioned by Rodoric. Fonseca, cons. 1. in his consultations, cal∣led Plica Polonica, because in Poland it rageth most; this diseas suddenly weakneth the body, curleth the hairs of the head, and intangleth them so, that they represent the shape of snakes, and being pricked drop with blood, and swarm with lice, and make a loathsome smell. This disease proceeds doubtless from the corruption of the aire, the grosseness of the diet, their fre∣quenting of close stoves, the infection of the blood, and the abundance of viscous humours, and grosse vapours which na∣ture sends to the skin of the head, and to the hairs. I will not speak here of the Scurvy, the French disease, the English

sweat, and others too well known among us.

IV. Strange is the variety of tempers and constitutions a∣mong men; Arnoldus de villa nova in specula, c. 77, speaks of a maid who familiarly did eat spiders, which sheweth, that ei∣ther spiders are not venomous, or else her body was of the same temper that Monkies are, who eat spiders. But that is more strange which is mentioned by Galen, l. 3. c. 18. Simpl. Of an old woman that ate Henbane plentifully, without hurt; it seems she had the stomach of swallows, which feed upon this poiso∣nable weed. I have read of some that have eaten Scammony, others Opium, others Hellebor, and of some that without hurt have swallowed quick-silver; that must be attributed to their particular tempers, and strength of heat by which they maste∣red these poisons.

V. As stones are ingendred in the kidneys, bladder, and o∣ther parts, so are they also sometimes bred in our intestins, for there are some that void stones familiarly by the stool: and I have read of one who was killed by a stone that grew & stuck fast to his colon, the bignesse of a ches-nut; this sure must proceed from the extraordinary heat of the intestins, and vis∣cous matter impacted there; for the heat baked the matter to the consistence and hardnesse of a stone, by drying up the wa∣trish moisture thereof.

VI. I have read of some old men and women, that have becom young again: that is to say, after they had lost their teeth, strength, and beauty, have recovered all at 80 or 100 years of age; their veins filled with blood, new teeth, a fresh co∣lour, their white haires turned black, and in women their monethly flowers fresh and orderly. This is not unlikely; for if after a fever, or other great sicknesse, nature recovers her lost beauty, vigour, colour, and decayed spirits and senses, why may not she doe the like in some people, seeing there is not in old age, a total privation of these perfections there, but a de∣cay; and we may observe, that many who are old, weak and sickly, when they are young, are young, lusty, and healthy, when they grow old.

VII. I have read of men that have had milk in their brests, which is likely, if they were of a cold, moist, and feminine complexion, abounding in blood; of women also who have had four breasts, all full of milk: which is probable, seeing there be many monsters, that have superfluous members, accor∣ding to the superabundance of the parents seed and prolifical blood; but of all monsters, that which is mentioned by Bu∣chanan

in his History of Scotland, is most wonderful, which had beneath the navel, one body, but above two bodies; when it was hurt beneath the navel, both bodies felt the pain; if hurt above, the body felt only that was hurt: These two would sometimes differ in opinions and quarrel, the one dying before the other; this pined away by degrees, it lived 28 years, could speak divers languages, and were by the Kings command taught Musick. Doubtlesse nature aimed at twins, but failed in the lower part. Neither was this one Individuum, but two, because they were two souls, as appears by their different wills; and it is the form, not the matter that is the cause of individu∣ation.