Of wisdom three books / written originally in French by the Sieur de Charron ; with an account of the author, made English by George Stanhope ...

CHAP. III. Of the Humane Body, and its Constituent Parts.

[unspec 1] THE Body of Man is built and put together, so as to consist of Parts vastly numerous, both Within and Without: And of These by far the greater Number, are either Round, or of a Figure not far distant from it.

[unspec 2] Those Within are of Two sorts: Some dispers'd all over the Body in large Quantities, and great Numbers; as for Instance, The Bones, which are the Bases and Pillars that support this Structure: The Muscles, which are the Instruments of Strength and Motion: The Veins, which are the Channels for conveying the Blood to the Heart; and the Arteries, which like so many Pipes, feed them per∣petually, by sending it from the Heart to the seve∣ral parts of the Body. The Nerves, which are di∣stributed by Pairs, and are the Instruments of Sense and Motion, by vertue of the Animal Spirits contain'd in, and diffus'd by them. Of These some are soft, which serve the Head, and assist Our Sight, our Hearing, our Taste, and our Speech: Others are hard, and these are laid along the Spina Dorsi, and so inserted into the Muscles; The Ten∣dons, the Ligaments, and the Cartilages. There are likewise the Four Humours, the Blood; Choler, which provokes and hinders Obstructions, throws off the the Excrementitious Parts, and excites Cheerful∣ness: Melancholy, which whets the Appetite, and moderates sudden Motions: Phlegm, which sweet∣ens the two Humours last mention'd, (Yellow and

Black Choler) and checks inordinate Heats. The Spirits, which are a sort of generous Fumes, eva∣porated by the Natural Heat, and Radical Moi∣sture; and of These there are Three Degrees of Excellency, the Natural, the Vital, and the Ani∣mal. The Fat, which is the thickest and Oyliest part of the Blood.

[unspec 3] Other Parts are single, and determin'd to some particular Place. Now the whole Body may be conveniently enough divided into Four Stories or Apartments, which are in a manner so many seve∣ral Shops or Workhouses, wherein Nature keeps her Powers and Faculties employ'd. The First and Lowest of These is that concern'd in the pro∣pagation of the Species. The Second, and next above, is the Entrails, the Bowels, and Stomach, which in Situation enclines somewhat to the Left-Side; its Form is round, streighter below than a∣bove, with two Orisices, one at the Top, to re∣ceive Nourishment; another at the Bottom, an∣swering to the Guts, whose Business 'tis to dis∣charge and empty it. This Vessel receives, col∣lects, mingles, and concocts the several sorts of Nourishment taken in at our Mouths; and from thence works off a Whitish Juice call'd Chyle, pro∣per for the Sustenance and Nutriment of the Body, and afterwards wrought over again more accu∣rately in the Meseraick Veins, through which it pas∣ses into the Liver. The Liver is hot and moist, lying somewhat more to the Right-Side. This is the proper Workhouse of the Blood, the great Source of the Veins, the Seat of the Vegetative Faculty: Here the Chyle drawn off from the Meseraick Veins is converted into Blood; which is taken into its Cavities by the Vena Porta, and discharg'd again by the Vena Cava, (which issues from the Convex part,) and its Branches, in abun∣dance of Ducts, like Rivulets or Streams from a

Fountain. In the Left-Side lies the Spleen, which receives the Discharge and Excrementitious Hu∣mours of the Liver. Then follow the Reins and the Guts, which hang altogether in one Link, and, as according to the usual Proportion, the Stature of a Man is seven times as much as the length of a common Foot; so the Bowels, when drawn out, are usually seven times the length of a Man. These Two former Apartments, which some con∣tract into One, (though the Offices of them are so very different, as to justifie the distinguishing them into Two) are by many Authors resembl'd to the lowest Region of the Universe; the Ele∣mentary one, which is the Seat of Generation and Corruption; and here that which goes by the Name of the Concupiscible Soul, keeps its peculiar Re∣sidence.

[unspec 4] The Third Story is compar'd to the Aethereal Re∣gion; and this is separated from the former by the Diaphragme, as it is from That still above it by the Throat: Here the Irascible Soul hath its Dwelling; and Here those parts in the Breast lie, which are termed the Praecordia; as the Heart, whose Situa∣tion is much about the Fifth Rib, and its Point a little diverting towards the Left-Pap. This is ex∣ceeding Hot; the common Source of all the Ar∣teries, by which it distributes the Vital Blood there concocted, through the whole Body, and in that Blood the Vital Spirits: And all this by a discharge so sensible and strong, that each Evacuation creates that Motion which we call the Pulse. Here like∣wise are the Lungs, a soft, rare, and spongy Sub∣stance, supple and pliable in their Motions, like a pair of Bellows; and thus they become the In∣struments of Respiration: By which the Heart is cool'd with fresh Air, the Blood kept in perpetual Agitation; the Fumes and Excrements that oppress it are by this means discharg'd, and the Voice for∣med

by the help of the Aspera Arteria, or Wind-Pipe.

[unspec 5] The Fourth and Last Apartment, which an∣swers to that highest Region, by way of Emi∣nence call'd Heaven, is the Head; and this con∣tains the Brain, a Substance cold and spongy, cover'd over, and wrapt up in two Membranes, One hard and thick, which touches the Skull, and is term'd the Dura Mater: The Other more gentle and thin, contiguous to the former, and known by the Name of Pia Mater. From the Brain are deriv'd all the Nerves, and that Marrow which runs all along through the Back-Bone. This Brain is the Seat of the Reasonable Soul, the Source of Sense and Motion, and of all those Noble Spirits call'd the Animal and extracted from the Vital Spirits, which when sent up through the Arteries into the Brain, are concocted, refin'd, wrought off, and subtiliz'd, by means of an infinite num∣ber of small and exceeding fine Arteries, which, like so many little Threads plaited and interwoven with each other, make a sort of Labyrinth, or double Net, (the Rete Mirabile) in which the Vi∣tal Spirit being kept, by perpetual Motion back∣ward and forward, is exalted and refin'd, till it be∣comes Animal, that is, sublimated and spirituous to the last and highest Degree.

[unspec 6] The Outward Parts, and such as stand in View, are either single or double. If single, they are placed in the midst, as the Nose, which serves us in Breathing and Smelling, and conveys Comfort and Refreshment to the Brain; as it is also useful for the discharge of any Humours which happen to annoy the Head: And through this Passage the Air goes in and out, both for the Service of the Lungs below, and of the Brain above. The Mouth, which assists us in Speaking and Eating; and as the Uses of it are different, so are the Parts like∣wise

which qualifie it for those Uses. Without, there are the Lips; Within, you have the Tongue, extremely nimble in Motion, and a nice Distinguish∣er of Tasts: The Teeth, to bruise and chew our Meat, and prepare it for the Stomach.

[unspec 7] If the Parts of the Head be double and alike, they are plac'd collaterally, and answer exactly to each other: So do the Eyes, which, like Centinels or Spies, are posted at the top of the House, for the gaining a more advantageous Prospect: These are made up of wonderful variety; each hath Three Humours, Seven Coats, Seven Muscles, dif∣ferent Colours, and are form'd with infinite Arti∣fice, and inexpressible Contrivance. They are in∣deed the noblest and most admirable Parts of any that appear outwardly in the Body: Their Beau∣ty, their Usefulness, the Sprightliness of their Mo∣tion, their strange Attractive Power in creating Love. These are to the Face what the Face is to the rest of the Body; the Life and Air of the Countenance it self: And in regard they are ex∣ceeding tender, and nice, and valuable, therefore provident Nature hath cover'd and fenc'd them in very carefully on all sides, with Skins, and Lids, and Brows, and Hair. The Ears are near upon the same Level with the Eyes; these being a sort of Scouts to the Body, and Porters for the Mind; they receive, report, and distinguish Sounds, which naturally ascend upward. The Approaches and Entries of this Organ of Sense, are intricate and crooked, full of Windings and Turnings, to pre∣vent the Air from rushing in too quick, and with too great Violence, by which means the Hearing might be extremely impair'd, the Organ wounded and strain'd, and the Sound more confus'd by its excessive loudness.

To all these we must add the Hands and Arms, by which all manner of Workmanship is perform'd;

and our Legs and Feet, which like Pillars support this wonderful Edifice, and which, although not of the Trunk and main part of the Body, are yet Instruments of such universal Use, that the Body can very hardly subsist without them; and it wou'd be very ungrateful not to allow These an honourable Mention in this Account, whose Labours make Provision for the whole.