A systeme of anatomy, treating of the body of man, beasts, birds, fish, insects, and plants illustrated with many schemes, consisting of variety of elegant figures, drawn from the life, and engraven in seventy four folio copper-plates. And after every part of man's body hath been anatomically described, its diseases, cases, and cures are concisely exhibited. The first volume containing the parts of the lowest apartiments of the body of man and other animals, etc. / by Samuel Collins ...

CHAP. VIII. Of Spittle.

HAving spoke of the nature and situation of divers Conglomerated Glands, * 1.1 it may not seem altogether amiss to Treat somewhat of the several Liquors, such and such Recrements, emitted by Excretory Vessels into the Mouth, comprehended under one general term of Spittle, * 1.2 consisting of a fourfold distinct Matter: The first called Bronchus, a pituitous Matter coughed out of the Lungs. The second is Coriza Narium. The third Mucus Tonsillarum. The fourth Saliva; which I handle chiefly, in reference to Mastication and Digestion of Aliment.

Bronchus is a crass viscid Humour, * 1.3 often deriving its origen from an ill Concoction of the Stomach, producing a crude Chyle, which being con∣veyed by the Mesenterick, and Thoracic Lacteae, to the Subclavian Ves∣sels, is thence transmitted by the Cava, into the right Chamber of the Heart, where the Milky Humour is so gross and clammy, that it cannot receive so exact a comminution into small Particles, by the motion of the Heart; whereupon the Chyme remaining unmixed to a great degree, cannot be well turned into Blood, and is squeesed out of the right Ventricle, by the

contraction of the Heart, into the Pulmonary Artery; where although this Lacteous Juice receiveth a farther Comminution, yet remaineth so unassi∣milated, that the more Minute Capillary Veins of the Lungs, cannot give a reception to this gross clammy Matter, * 1.4 commonly called Pituita; which is impelled with the Blood by the Pulsation of the Artery into the In∣terstices of the Vessels, where this gross Recrement is streined from the Blood, and forced into the Branches of the Bronchia, which being irritated, forcibly contract themselves, to throw out this unwelcome Guest, with the Breath, out of their more Minute Ducts, into the greater Channel of the Aspera Arteria, whose lower region being first Contracted by its right and Circular Fibres, * 1.5 and then the upper move higher and higher with great quickness, till this pituitous Matter is discharged into the Mouth, and at last spit out.

This Recrement of the Blood, is (as I conceive) more thin and frothy, when it is first landed out of the substance of the Lungs into the Bronchia, where it acquireth a greater Consistence, and is endued with various Co∣lours, as White, speaking its race from the Lacteous Humour, as also with Yellow and Green, proceeding either from the mixtures of Purulent Mat∣ter in Ulcers of the Lungs, or from the impurities of the Serous Liquor of the Blood; from whose red Crassament, the Ulcerous Pituitous Matter is tinged with Red, and thrown up in violent Coughs.

But if the Chyme be so far attenuated by the Motion of the Blood, that it can be entertained with it into the Pulmonary Veins, it is afterward com∣municated to the left Chamber of the Heart, and thence impelled by a brisk Motion, first into the Common Trunk, and afterward into the Ascendent Trunk of the Aorta, * 1.6 and by the External Carotides, terminating into the Tonsillary Glands; in whose substance as by a Colatory, the Blood being depurated from its grosser Recrement (called by Doctor Wharton, Mucus Tonsillarum) is returned by the External Jugulars, while its Recremental Mucous part stayeth behind, being lodged sometime in the substance of the Tonsils; where it being more thickned, is at last Exonerated by hawking through the smaller Excretory Vessels, into a greater Channel, terminating into the Mouth.

Furthermore, The Tonsils being accommodated with divers Fibres issuing from the Nerves, of the Third, Fourth, and perhaps from the Fifth pair of Nerves.

These Glands being not endued with Motion, * 1.7 nor with much of Sense, a small portion of Nerves would be sufficient for them, unless they were de∣signed to some other use; which is to convey (as I conceive) Nervous Liquor into the substance of the Tonsils, where a Defaecation being made, the purer part is ordained for their Nourishment, and the less pure, and in some degree profitable Particles of the Recrement, are returned into the Lymphaeducts, while the more gross being longer deteined and incrassated in the substance of the Glands, are at length ejected by the Excretory Ves∣sels, terminating near the Root of the Tongue; and these Faeces of the Ner∣vous Liquor, make a considerable part of the Mucus of the Tonsils.

The third kind of Spittle, * 1.8 is that Recrement of the Nostrils, called Co∣ryza, sometimes exuding out of the terminations of the Capillary Arteries and Fibres of Nerves, inserted into the inward Coat of the Nose, and other times descending from the Brain into the Caverns of the Nostrils, and is distinguished from the three other Recrements, and is more thin then the Phlegmatick Matter, lodged in the Bronchia of the Lungs, more Glutinous,

and less slippery then the Mucus of the Tonsils, less diaphanous and more gross then the Salival Juice of the Parotides, and Maxillary Glands.

This pituitous Humour, * 1.9 may either borrow its descent from Chymous parts mixed with the Blood, or from the Nervous Liquor issuing from the Brain. If considered under its first apprehension, it taketh its rise from the indige∣sted and pituitous parts of the Blood, which are dispensed into the Cavi∣ties of the Nostrils by the External Carotides terminating into the Mem∣branes, investing the inside of the Nose.

This Recrement truly bedewing the Nostrils, if it proveth Acrimonious, produceth a simple Ulcer, which if it be not speedily Cured, often dege∣nerateth into a putrid Faetide Ulcer, called Ozaena: But if this Recrement destilling out of the Extreamities of the Arteries be more milde, it some∣times generateth a Carnous Excrescence, called Polypus, often filling the Cavities of the Nostrils.

The Recrements of the Nervous Liquor, * 1.10 may be conveyed by the Ex∣treamities of the Nerves, and also Glands, seated about the Pinnae Narium, by which the Brain being overcharged with Recrements, dischargeth them by numerous Fibres, derived from the fifth pair of Nerves, implanted into the Membrane enwrapping the inside of the Nostrils: And for the defence of this Hypothesis, it may be said, that Vertiginous, and other Cephalick Distempers, have critically determined in the end of their Paroxisms, with free evacuations of a Limpid Liquor, plentifully destilling out of the Cavi∣ties of the Nostrils.

A Person of Quality, being highly afflicted with a violent Head-ach, and a Vertiginous Indisposition, when she found an Alleviation of the Fit, she felt in the top of her Head, as it were an Undulating motion of Water, gently carried forward and downward, which was presently after attended with divers drops of clear Liquor, flowing out of the Nostrils; whence it is also probable, that the Ventricles of the Brain are the Caverns of Se∣rous Liquors, and Recrements, which are softly streined through the Os Eth∣moeides, into the Caverns of the Nostrils.

The fourth is the most common thin Limpid and Insipid kind of Spit∣tle, claiming its Origen, * 1.11 from the Recrements of the Nervous and Vital Li∣quors.

As to the first, it oweth its descent to it, partly upon this account, * 1.12 that all the Salival Glands, and more particularly the Maxillary, as the chiefest, are accommodated with many eminent Nerves, derived from the third, fourth, and seventh pairs, whose prime office is to convey to these Glands, large proportions of Nervous Liquor, giving them first a support by its more pure Alimentary Liquor; and then the most useful part of its Recrement is received into the Lymphaeducts, and Capillary Jugulars, while the most im∣pure and unnecessary Particles are entertained into the Excretory Vessels, and thence vented into the Mouth.

Another probable Argument may be brought to confirm this Hypothesis, that Persons labouring with Hypocondriacal Distempers, do most freely Spit; because their Nerves being affected with overmuch Moisture, do act by the consent of a Nauseating Stomach, into which considerable Branches of the Par Vagum are inserted; and the origen also of these Stomacic Nerves, do nearly confine on those belonging to the Maxillary Glands, so that the Maxillary Nerves are easily drawn into consent, by the irregular motion of the neighbouring Par Vagum; which being irritated by Luxuriant Moisture, do produce the like motion in the Nerves appertaining to the Maxillary

Glands, causing them to spue out of their substance great quantities of Salival Juice, into their Excretory Vessels terminating into the Mouth.

Furthermore, This may be urged in favour of this Assertion, because in large Salivations raised by Mercurial Medicines, the Nerves are rendred dry, and their Exuberant Moisture much Exhausted, speaking that the Nerves do plainly contribute to the production of a Ptyalisme. * 1.13

And moreover, I most humbly conceive, that the Salival Liquor doth not wholly proceed from the Nerves, by reason the Arteries also claim a great share in the generation of it, which is more conspicuous in high Salival Evacuati∣ons, having often so great and extravagant Current into the Mouth, that it cannot probably be supplied by the smaller, and more slow Rivulets of the Animal Liquor, destilling between the Filaments of the Nerves.

Thus having Cursorily run over the Origen of the Vessels, through which the Salival Liquor is conveyed, it remaineth that we take a short view of the Qualities of it, * 1.14 and Uses, to which it is destined by Nature.

As to the Qualities of Salival Liquor, it is a thin, watry, Diaphanous Body, somewhat grosser and viscid, and therefore less fluid then Water, in∣sipid in Healthy Persons; but sometimes Salt, Sour, Bitter, as in disaffe∣cted and disordered Habits of Body, from Saline, Acid, or Bilious Particles, derived from the serous part of the Blood.

The Composition of Saliva is so rare and wonderful, that it will be dif∣ficult to describe it; * 1.15 and it is easily embodied with all sorts of Dry, Moist, Saline, Oily, Watry Aliments, of which none can be ingested into the Body, with which it will not Mix and Associate, and out of the Body it will In∣corporate with Quick-Silver: And when other Heterogeneous Liquors, as Water, Spirits, Oyl, and Saline Bodies, being jumbled together, seem to unite a little while, being no true Mixture, but only a Confusion: So that these various Bodies, of a disagreeing and inconsistent Nature, do easi∣ly sever themselves one from another, to which this Salival Liquor being added, * 1.16 its mediation reconcileth all differences, making these various sub∣jects unite and enter into consaederacies with each other; so that this Salival Juice, is a kind of universal Menstruum, containing in it a large proporti∣on of watry, and a little Volatil Spirits, so exactly mixed and contempered with less oily and acid Particles, by whose interposition the Salival Later entreth into a speedy association with all kinds of different Aliments, taken into the Mouth, insinuating it self into the inward Recesses of all Alimen∣tary Bodies, disposing their Compage to a dissolution when entertained into the Stomach, wherein by its assistance, a separation is made of the finer Nutricious Juice from the grosser and unprofitable Faeces, which is the first use to which the Salival Liquor is assigned. * 1.17

Another may be probably this, that its moister substance embodied with the Aliment broken into small Particles by Mastication, might facilitate De∣glutition, especially in Bruits, who feed upon Hay and Oats; whereupon a greater proportion of Salival Liquor is requisite as a Vehicle, to subdue this dry and solid Aliment, * 1.18 rendring its Mastication and Deglutition more facile: Whereupon Nature hath given Bruits, greater and more numerous Salival Glands, every way besetting the Palate and inside of the Cheeks, out of which Rivulets of Lympha run over the Aliment, * 1.19 torn into small Particles, by the constant strong motions of the Tongue, and upper and lower Mandi∣ble in Rumination.

The third use of the Salival Glands, may be thus rendred, that its Limpid body, being mixed with hard and solid Aliments, might be a fit Menstruum

to dissolve the Saline parts, thereby to extract a savory Tincture to affect the Membrane of the Tongue in Tasting.

The last may be given to quench the Thirst by bedewing and cooling the inside of the Mouth and Tongue, with a pleasant Liquor, * 1.20 smoothing the organs of Speech, which doth very much contribute to the sweeter and more distinct Articulation of Letters and Words.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Oral Glands emitting Li∣quor into the Mouth.
• * 1.2

  A fourfold matter of Spittle.
• * 1.3

  Bronchus is a clammy mat∣ter derived originally from the ill concocted Chyme.
• * 1.4

  The crude Chyme sepa∣rated from the Blood in the Lungs, is discharged by a Cough out of the Bronchia and Aspera Arteria.
• * 1.5

  The pituitous Matter is eje∣cted the Bron∣chia, by the contraction of the right and circular Fi∣bres.
• * 1.6

  The second kind of Spit∣tle, the Mucus Tonsillarum, is the gross Mat∣ter severed from the Blood in the substance of the Tonsils, as in a Colatory.
• * 1.7

  A Nervous Li∣quor doth im∣praegnate the serous parts of the Blood, and is the nourish∣ment of the Tonsils.
• * 1.8

  The third kind of Spittle is Mucus Na∣rium.
• * 1.9

  The Mucus ••arium may either be de∣rived from the crude Chyme, or from the Recrements of the Nerves.
• * 1.10

  The Recre∣ments of Ner∣vous Liquor are discharged sometime by Fibrils inser∣ted into the inward Mem∣brane of the Nostrils.
• * 1.11

  The fourth kind of Spittle is the Salival Liquor.
• * 1.12

  The Oral Glands spue out a Salival Liquer bor∣rowed from the Nerves implanted in∣to them.
• * 1.13

  The Vital Li∣quor contri∣buteth to the Salival.
• * 1.14

  Salival Liquor is a thin, watry, diaphanous body.
• * 1.15

  Saliva will as∣sociate with various bo∣dies.
• * 1.16

  Salival Liquor is a kind of universal Men∣struum, and entreth in con∣faederacy with all kinds of Aliment, whose com∣page it open∣eth, in ord••r to dissolution.
• * 1.17

  Another use of salival Juice is to incorpo∣rate with bro∣ken Aliment, and assist swal∣lowing.
• * 1.18

  Bruits have numerous sali∣val Glands to facilitate Ma∣stication.
• * 1.19

  The third use of Salival Juice is to mix with solid Aliment, and to help to mo∣••ifie and open its hard Com∣page.
• * 1.20

  The fourth use of this thin Limpid Liquor is to gratifie our Thirst.