A treatise of the rickets being a diseas common to children. Wherin (among many other things) is shewed, 1. The essence 2. The causes 3. The signs 4. The remedies of the diseas. Published in Latin by Francis Glisson, George Bate, and Ahasuerus Regemorter; doctors in physick, and fellows of the Colledg of Physitians at London. Translated into English by Phil. Armin.

CHAP. IX. The vitiated Generation of the Vital Spirits in this Affect, and whether that fault be a Part of that Secondary Essence? (Book 9)

THe Vital Spirits are first excited or generated within the Ventricles of the Heart; namely, in the very mass of the Blood, and properly they discriminate the Blood in the Arteries, from that in the veyns, after that they are generated they are cherished and conserved within the cavities of the Arteries, until they are distributed into the habit of the Parts. Yea, they are not only cherished in the Arte∣ries, but in them also rightly disposed, perhaps som new ones are excited, though with less efficacy then in the heart.

This being Preadmonished.

We say first, That in the very Substance of the heart

there doth not occur any fault repugnant to the Gene∣ration of the Vital Spirits, which properly can be a part, even of the secondary Essence of this Diseas. For the heart it self, for his doth rightly perform his func∣tion in this Diseas: and if any imperfection happen in the Generation of the Vital Spirits, it cannot be pro∣perly ascribed to the heart, but to the ineptitude of the matter, to receive the form of the Vital Spirits. As the ingested aliment if it be extreamly crude, it may fru∣strate the perfection of a laudable concoction, the Sto∣mach being otherwise sound and faultless: So the un∣apt and unprofitable blood exported to the ventricles of the Heart, may render the action therof imperfect, in respect of the operation and effect, how sound soever it may be in it self: In which case the ascription of the fault is usually and truly attributed to the indisposed matter, and not to the Heart. You wil reply, a Feaver is som∣times complicated with this affect, and at such time the heart doth unaptly Generate the Vital Spirits, But that Feaver is a Diseas of a different kind, and by no means either the whol or any Part of the Essence of this affect.

Secondly, We affirm that the lesser Arteries inserted into the first affected Parts, are in some degree really cooled and benummed by them, through their adjacen∣cy and contact, and for that caus they do unaptly con∣serv the Vital Spirits contained in them, wherupon the Vital Constitution of them is rendred somwhat imper∣fect, before they can be effused into the Parts themselvs. And this fault of the little Arteries seemeth by very good right to be ascribed to the Generation of the vital Spirits. For although it be not the function of the Ar∣teries to propogate the Vital Spirits according to the first signification of the word; yet for this very reason,

that they are obliged to conserv them when they are propagated, namly by such a conservation as in a man∣ner includeth a certain continuate Generation of them, their faults are rightly to be referred to the Generation of the Vital Spirits. For the Vital Constitution is a certain transient action (as we have shewed before) which, while it lasteth, is in a continual flux and moti∣on, and which like a flame, when the continual fomen∣tation and reparation of it is suspended and suppressed, suddenly extinguished. Therfore are the Arteries as a continuate Heart to all the parts of the body, unto which they transmit and powr out their contained Spi∣rits; and what faults soever of the Spirits happen before the effusion of them into the habit of the Parts, seing that they necessarily belong to the Original Vital Con∣stitution, and cannot otherwise be ascribed to the distri∣bution of the Spirits, they must be referred to the very Generation of them; namely, a continuate Generation in the Arteries, wherby they are continually preserved from a sudden extinction.

Moreover, This fault of the Vital Spirits is the de∣pravation of the Vital and Original Constitution, and seing that it is somwhat preternatural, first hurting the action, from whence the participative constitution, flo∣weth in like manner depraved, and seing that it meerly dependeth upon the primary Essence aforesaid and is complicated in the same parts, it will be a part of the secondary Essence of this Diseas.

Thirdly, We say that the matter of the Vital Spirits, to wit the Blood of the Veins impregnated with his Natural spirits returning in his circulation from the first affected parts towards the Heart, is somwhat disa∣bled by them to admit the form of the Vital Spirit. For it is necessary that the Blood, whilst it passeth

through the parts affected with a cold distemper, want and benummedness of inherent Spirits, must also there∣upon affected with some kind of frigidity, benummed∣ness, and perhaps with a thickness and viscous quality beyond the usual degree of Nature. For as the blood doth give a tincture of his qualities to the parts tho∣row which it glideth; So on the contrary, the parts themselves bequeath also as much as they can of their qualities to the flowing blood. But here likewise we must grant withal that this indisposition in the parts first affected (especially when it is light and smal) in the return to the inward parts, is very much corrected by their heat, before it ariseth at the Ventricles of the heart, nay that it is somtimes subdued or if any such contracted fault remain, it is commonly totally aboli∣shed by the length of the journy before the return of the Blood to the left Ventricle of the heart, whilst it floweth down by the right, and the substance of the Lungs, the same thing also may be thus confirmed, be∣caus if that indisposition should continue till the return of the blood to the left Ventricle of the Heart, the whol mass of blood in the Arteries would become crude and imperfect; and seing that this blood thus abounding with imperfect Vital Spirits should be transmitted from the Aorta to al the Parts, it would more or less affect them al; which very rarely is observed in this Diseas. For the head, & many bowels, however som of them are found to be greater then ordinary yet they seem to be watered with a perfect Vital Spirit. But although, as we have said, the slight indisposition of the Blood may be corrected, before its return to the right ventricle, yet when the con∣tracted fault is great and more considerable, it cannot be altogether overcome, wherupon the Lungs in this Di∣seas are commonly afflicted with the most grievous E∣vil.

For, when the less Spiritous, and therefore the less passable Blood, is continually transmitted thorow the Lungs, cold and thick, or viscous, in process of time it must needs more or less infect and obstruct the weaker parts of the Lungs; from whence proceed difficulty of drawing breath, a stubborn cough, hard tumors, inflammations, impostumes, and the Ptysick. Fea∣vers also both Erratick and Hectick, may from hence di∣rive their Origen. But seing that fault may be suddenly introduced from the first affected parts, it is credible (al∣though we have said the Lungs are often infected by it) that it is for the most part overcome, before the Blood can com to the left Ventricle. And this may be the rea∣son why the Head and the adjacent parts do look so well and flourishing, namely, becaus neither the Natural nor the Vital Constitution is hurt in them, seing that the perfect Vital Spirits generated in the left Ventricle, and distributed from thence, do excite that fresh color in the face; when on the contrary the Lungs do oftentimes la∣bor under the faults aforesaid, the viciousness of the Blood not being corrected before it enter the right Ven∣tricle and the Arterious vein.

Moreover, This imperfect production of Vital Spi∣rits in the right Ventricle of the Heart, by reason of the crudeness of the affluent Blood, flowing in the Veins, totally appertaineth to the secondary Essence of this Di∣seas, and must be accounted a part of it: for the Vital Constitution is vitiated, wherupon the actions in the Lungs are depraved, and it dependeth wholy and in eve∣ry respect upon the primary granted Essence, neither in the mean time, doth it reside in the solid Substance of the Heart, that it should therfore deserv the name of a a new diseas.

Here we note by the way, That Physitians in the cure

of this affect do ever intermingle such things with their remedies as have respect to the benefit of the Lungs; and not without reason, seing that it is apparent by what hath been said, to how much danger that Bowel is con∣tinually subject. And this may suffice concerning the faults in the Generation of the Vital Spirits: Now fol∣low the faults of the distribution of those Spirits.