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. XXIII. The pathologie of the Appetitive Faculty, relating to the Stomach.

THe great Design of Nature, in contriving the curious frame of the Stomach, and all its Dispositions and Faculties, is in order to be Effi∣cients, or instruments in the production of Chyle, the end and perfection of all the Powers, and Operations of the Stomach; which are either principal as the Concoctive, or instrumental, as the Appetitive, Retentive, and Ex∣pulsive, which are all Ministerial to the Concoctive Faculty: The one to sollicite us to Eat and Drink, and the other to retain the Aliment; and the third to discharge the Excrements, as troublesome Guests, after the Conco∣ction is Celebrated.

These Faculties are receptive of many Violations: First, As the Mini∣sterial, the Appetitive, Retentive, and Expulsive, are not able to pay their duty to their Superior, the Concoctive Power. The first Minister in order is the Appetite, which is its Monitrix and Remembrancer, to court Nature to its advantage of Eating and Drinking.

And this Handmaid of the Concoctive Faculty, is often defective in its Office, either when the Appetite is wholly lost, or when it is only remiss, in paying its obligation to Nature; and when it is over-active and diligent, in giving a great trouble to the Concoctive Power.

The first is called by the Greeks, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, by the Latines, * 1.1 Appetitus Deje∣ctus, when the Stomach is despoiled of its appetite of Hunger; either when the natural temper of the Ventricle is highly disordered, as sometimes by immoderate heat by violent Exercises, Fevers, or excessive Good Fellowship; or when the Tone of the Stomach is spoiled, by reason its Fibres have lost their acute Sense, either when the Animal Spirits, and Succus Nutricius, are wholly defective (the Brain being obstructed in Apoplexies) or exhausted in

Diarrhaea's, Dysenteries, and in Chronick Diseases, when little or no Nou∣rishment is received.

And other times, * 1.2 the Appetite groweth faint in performance of its Obli∣gation to the Concoctive Power, when the Fibres of the Stomach are weak, as loosing their vigour in cold and moist Distempers, when the Blood transmitted into the substance of the Stomach, is oppressed with too large a quantity of potulent watry Particles; and the Appetite is rendred faint by a hot and moist indisposition of the Stomach, derived from hot and Rainy Weather, or else by overmuch indulging our selves in Fat and clammy Meats, abounding with Oily, and Emplastick Dispofitions, wherein the Fibres of the Stomach grow dull, in performing their duty of Sensation; or when we Caress our selves in overmuch Sleep or Ease, which make an over∣slow motion of the Animal Liquor and Spirits, into the Fibres of the Sto∣mach, or when the Nervous Liquor withdraweth it self from the Fibrous parts of the Ventricle, * 1.3 in too great intentions of the Mind, employing the Animal Spirits in the Brain, by reason of great and frequent meditations of the Mind, and sometimes sollicitous Thoughts flowing from deep Study, and Anxious Cares, the Mystresses of disturbed, and sometimes distracted Phancies

The worst of Distempers that relate to the Stomach, * 1.4 as the most unna∣tural and troublesome, are the Appetitus Depravatus, & Auctus: The first is, when we long for unkindly Objects (incident to Women in the time of Breeding) which can give no Aliment, but rather a Hurt, and disturbance to the Stomach, as Chalk, Coals, Ashes, and the like. Sennertus, in his Third Book, and Fifth Chapter, De Pica, saith, He received a Letter from a Renowned Physitian, Doctor Nester, relating a pleasant History of a great Case in Physick, of one Claudius (of the Province of Lorrain) a Pa∣tient of his, who pleased himself in unnatural treats of Faetide, and nasty Objects, of gross Excrements of Animals, and Urine mixed with Wine and Ale, Bones, Hares Feet, clothed with Skin and Flix; and chewed with his Teeth Pewter Platters, Leaden Bullets, and other Metals, and afterward swallowed them down his Gulet; and Eat a whole Calf raw, with the Skin and Hair, in the space of few Days, and two Tallow Candles burning; and devoured Fish alive, leaping up and down a little before the Eating of them, and swallowed down whole two live Mice, which frisked up and down his Stomach, often biting it for a quarter of an Hour.

This History is not worthy to be received with Credence, but Laughter, seeming only to be a great Romance, had not its Confirmation been autho∣rized by worthy Doctor Nester, and many other Credible Witnesses, who were Spectators of his most unnatural entertainments of himself, in strange and uncouth kinds of Meat, which hold no proportion with most Mens Appetites.

It is difficult to find out the Cause of this greedy and unkindly Appetite, in the Dissection of Dead Bodies. Columbus seemeth to give an account of it, That ravenous Men have no Gustatory Nerves inserted into their Tongues and Palate, which if Granted, could only render the cause of a lost Taste, and no way give a satisfactory Reason, why the Stomach cold admit and Concoct such prodigious sorts of Meat; which we might reject as Incredi∣ble, had not the History been hallowed by the authority of a Learned and honest Doctor, * 1.5 and many other authentick Witnesses.

And the cause of this Voracious Temper, proceedeth from a peculiar

Constitution of the Stomach, giving it a power to Contract its Fibres, in order to the assumption of most odd Aliment: And sometimes this ravenous Appetite, may take its rise from depraved Humours, detained in the Body, in the suppression of the Menstrua in Women, and from ill Habits of Body in Men, which having recourse by the Caeliack Artery, into the inward Tu∣nicle, do wonderfully indispose the Stomach: Or this prodigious Appetite, may be derived from a vitiated Nervous Liquor, which being transmitted by the Par Vagum, into the Fibres of the Stomach, may produce this irregular Appetite.

Another kind of unnatural Appetite, is stiled Dog-like, because Dogs oftentimes eat in so extravagant a manner, till they disgorge themselves by Vomiting, which also sometimes to Men, whose eager Bruitish desires of Aliment, out-do their capacity of Concoction: * 1.6 The cause may proceed from the reliques of Concoction (when the Chile is transmitted into the Intestines) adhering to the Folds of the Stomach, when they are freed from the sweet Sulphurous Particles, associated with the discharged Chyle; so that these reliques of Concoction turn acid, and are much encreased by the new access of unkindly Ferments of Acid, Salival, Serous, and Pancrea∣tick Liquor, transmitted from the Intestines into the Stomach, all which un∣natural Humours being imparted in large quantities, do vellicate the Stomach by their high Saline and Acid Qualities, and produce this fierce Appetite accompanied with Vomiting, derived from the violent Contractions of the Stomacick Fibres, throwing up some Humours, resembling the Acid Juices of Citrons, and Limons, and sometimes Spirit of Sulphur, or Vitriol, set∣ting the Teeth an edge, and often Blistering, and taking off the Skin of the Tongue and Mouth.

So that this ravenous Appetite, * 1.7 may take its origen from viscid pituitous Humours (lining the Folds of the Ventricle with acid Particles) which after Vomiting, create a new disorderly Appetite, prompting us often to re∣ceive quantities of more Aliment, which aggrieve the inward Tunicle of the Stomach (beset with numerous Fibres) to free it self upward from troublesome Visitants.

These Acid, Salival, Pituitous, and Serous Juices, * 1.8 receive an allay from fixed and Lixivial Salts, and from Volatil too, lodged in Pearl, Crabs Eyes, and Claws, and in the Shells of Fish, Egg-shells, and the like; and these acid depraved Ferments of the Stomach, causing Doglike Appetites, are corrected by Powder of Steel (prepared with Sulphur) which doth sweeten the Acid Liquors, perverting the due Oeconomy of the Ventricle, which may be accomplished also by the sweet Oily Particles of generous Wines and Liquors (as Learned Dr. Witherly informed me) who Cured a Patient of his, affected with a Doglike Appetite, with the pleasant draughts of high bodied Wines.

And this unreasonable Appetite may be Cured also by bitter Medicines, * 1.9 as Tinctura Sacra, Decoctum Amarum, Elixir Proprietatis, &c. which counter∣mand the Acid Ferments of the Stomach, and allay their too too important Sol∣licitations, whereby they give frequent trouble to the Ventricle, in making unkindly Contractions of the Fibres, producing sharp and undue desires of Aliment.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The lost Appe∣tite proceed∣eth from the ill temper of the Stomach.
• * 1.2

  The Appetite is lessened, when the Fi∣bres of the Stomach are weakned in cold and moist Distempers, and sometimes from the heat of the Air, and from viscid A∣liment, which dulleth the quickoess of the Fibres relating to the Coat of the Stomach.
• * 1.3

  The Appetite groweth faint in too great intensions of the mind.
• * 1.4

  The depraved Appetite de∣pendeth upon unnatural Objects.
• * 1.5

  The cause of a greedy Ap∣petite may come from a peculiar temper of the Stomach, putting its Fibres upon over frequent Contractions.
• * 1.6

  The Doglike Appetite may be deduced from the re∣liques of con∣coction adhe∣ring to the folds of the Stomach.
• * 1.7

  The Doglike Appetite may proceed from Viscid Humors affected with acid particles.
• * 1.8

  Acid Juices of the Stomach are Cured by fixed and vola∣til Salts.
• * 1.9

  This Doglike Appetite is often Cured by bitter Me∣dicines.