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. XXV. The Pathology of the Retentive Faculty relating to the Stomach.

THe Retentive Faculty of the Stomach is instituted by Nature, * 1.1 as a pre∣requisite condition in reference to Concoction, which supposeth a stay of the Meat sometime in the Ventricle; that by its various ferments, the body of the Meat may be dissolved, and the alimentary Liquor drawn out, which cannot be accomplished, unless the Stomach every way embrace the aliment within its soft bosom, produced by the moderate motion of the right, oblique and circular fibres, which every way gently contracting themselves do lessen the cavity of the Stomach, and closely encircle the Meat and Drink performed by a gentle tension of the fibres, which if they be very much re∣laxed, the Stomach is rendred destitute of its retentive faculty, and the Meat slideth out of the capacity of the Ventricle, with little or no alteration.

The Tone of the Stomach is taken away, * 1.2 which proceedeth either from the current of the nervous Liquor intercepted, when the nervous fibres are ob∣structed in their first origen in the Brain, by the grossness of the succus nu∣tricius, or when the fibrils are compressed, caused by the neighboring Vessels very much extended, or their interstices much enlarged by too great a pro∣portion of exuberant Blood in an inflammation of the Coats of the Brain, or when the extremities of the fibrils are compressed by a quantity of extravasa∣ted Blood, caused by the laceration of the Vessels by great blows upon the Head, wherein the Blood being forced by an impulse out of the broken Ves∣sels, and passing through both Tables in a great fracture of the Skull, is lodg∣ed at length upon the dura mater, near the ambient parts of the Brain, com∣pressing the origen of nervous fibrils, whence the course of animal liquor is very much intercepted, so that it cannot pass into the par vagum (which im∣parteth fibres inserted into the Left Orifice and body of the Stomach, whence the nervous fibres of the ventricle are despoiled of their due tenseness, and the retentive faculty wholly lost.

Sometimes the abolished retention of the Stomach is derived from a de∣praved constitution of the animal Liquor, * 1.3 flowing from a watry mass of Blood, which vitiateth the due production of the nervous liquor in the cortical Glands, wherein the delicate parts of the Blood being depressed by watry recre∣ments in Hydropick constitutions, must necessarily propagate a dispirited animal liquor, which being imparted to the Stomacick nerves, do rob the fibres of their native tenseness, and take away the just retention of the ali∣ment.

Which is weakened onely, * 1.4 when the motion of the animal juice is not wholly stopped, but propagated in too small a proportion, so that the nerves grow lank, by reason the interstices of their filaments are not filled with nervous liquor; either because a sparing quantity of it is generated in the cortical glands, or else the free distribution of it is hindred, which is caus∣ed by the thickness of the nervous liquor, or the narrowness of the intersti∣ces, belonging to the nervous filaments, whereupon the overslow motion

of the animal juice doth not plump up the nervous fibres of the Stomach, lea∣ving them laxe and faint, which hindreth the due enclosure of the contents of the Stomach.

Farthermore, * 1.5 the retentive faculty of the Ventricle is impaired by a cold and moist distemper, whence the fibres of the Stomach grow flaccid, as being not able sufficiently to contract themselves, in order to caresse the ali∣ment with its tender embraces.

Another cause of the weak retentive faculty belonging to the Stomach, * 1.6 proceedeth from an outward cause, from too great a quantity of liquor recei∣ved into the Stomach, when debauched persons, eat little or nothing, and drench themselves with great and full Glasses of Wine and strong Drink (which Good Fellows call Bumpers) whereby their Stomachs are over-char∣ged with viscide and watry humours, rendring the fibres flabby, and un∣able duly to contract themselves, in reference to inclose the aliment, lodged in the Stomach.

The last disaffection of the retentive power belonging to the Ventricle is the depraved action, producing a kind of palpitation, * 1.7 consisting in various motions of lifting up and depressing the Stomach, the one proceedeth from Wind, puffing it up, and the other from the speedy contraction of the Ventricle, to free it self from offensive flatulency, which taketh its rise from the im∣moderate assumption of windy Aliment, and from too great a quantity of Meat and Drink, which the ventricle being not able to digest, turneth into crude and flatulent humours, making great floatings in the Stomach, rendering it incapable, by reason of unkindly motion, to retain its Aliment.

Another cause of the depraved operation of the Stomach, * 1.8 appertaining to the retentive faculty, is founded in great tremblings, derived from sharp bi∣lious humours, transmitted from the Liver into the Intestines, associated with ill pancratick juice, which are forced into the Stomach by the invert∣ed peristaltick motion of the Duodenum moving upward, and thereby throw∣ing up sharp bilious, and acide pancreatick liquor, putting the fibres of the ventricle into a disorderly motion of trembling, arising, as I conceive, from various contractions and relaxations of the fibres, disquieting the ease of the Stomach, which is a requisite condition to entertain the Aliment re∣ceived into the ventricle.

And the disposition of the Stomach instituted by nature for the due stay of Aliment in it, is violated when Meat and Drink being received are spee∣dily ejected, either upward by vomiting, or downward by Stool, which is caused either internally by the disaffection of the Stomach, or externally by the fault of the contents, either too much, or ill aliment; or by vitious re∣crements and humours, irritating the Stomach in order to expulsion: As to this disaffection of the Stomach, it may arise from an inflammation, exulceration, and excoriation, which offering a great violation to the uni∣on of the fibrous parts of the Stomach, put them upon an immediate dis∣charge of the aliment or humours contained in it.

As to the cure of these disaffections, * 1.9 they do indicate Blood-letting in a plethorick constitution, and vulnerary Drinks, consisting of cleansing, dry∣ing, and consolidating Medicines.

The cure of the Stomach, in order to its unkindly motion, upward and downward, produced by bilious, acide, and saline humours, doth denote proper vomitories, and purging medicines, to appease the troublesome

motions of the Stomach, * 1.10 by discharging its offensive Enemies, disturbing its ease and quiet. And in reference to souer and sharp aliment discomposing the Stomach, soft and lenient Meats and Drinks are to be offered, which do tem∣per their acrimony.

And sharpe and acide humours, disordering the retentive power of the Stomach, are countermanded by sweet and bitter Medicines, and salt recre∣ments diseasing the ventricle, proceeding from the eating of too much salt Meat, are corrected by Lime-Drinks, which are advised with good success in Diseases arising from gross, and salt humours.

And lastly, * 1.11 corroborating Medicines may be prescribed to remove the weakness of the retentive faculty of the Stomach, consisting in the flaccide indisposition of the fibres, which are repaired by astringent Medicines, re∣ducing the tone of the ventricle, in rendring their fibres moderately tense, which giveth them a power to retain the aliment committed to its custody, during the time of concoction, till the alimentary liquor is extracted.

And the depraved actions (relating to the retentive function) taking their rise from saline and acide particles of bilious and pancreatick liquors, are corrected by testaceous Powders, and chaleybeat Medicines, dulcifying and refining the mass of Blood, and preserving it from the exuberance of acide, saline, and bilious recrements.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The retentive faculty of the Stomach is serviceable to the Con∣coctive, and is accomplished by the gentle Contraction of all the Fibres.
• * 1.2

  The Tone of the Ventricle is lost, when the course of the Animal Liquor is stopped, either by the thick∣ness of the nervous juice, or by the compression of the Origen of the Fibrils in the Brain.
• * 1.3

  The lost re∣tention is sometimes borrowed from the ill constitution of the nervous Liquor.
• * 1.4

  The retentive faculty of the Stomach is weakened, when the nervous juyce is in some sort deficient.
• * 1.5

  The retentive faculty of the Ventricle grows faint, from a cold and moist di∣stemper.
• * 1.6

  The retentive faculty of the Stomach, is weakened by too great a quantity of Meat and Drink.
• * 1.7

  The depraved retention of Aliment, may proceed from a kind of pal∣pitation in the Stomach.
• * 1.8

  Another cause of a depraved retention of Meat and Drink, may come from disorderly motions of the Ventri∣cle.
• * 1.9

  Blood-letting is proper in a plethorick Constitution: Vomiting and Purging are proper in foul Stomachs
• * 1.10

  Sharp and souer, are contempered by sweet and bitter Medi∣cines.
• * 1.11

  The cure of the weak Tone of the Stomach, is accomplished by astringent Medicines. The depraved nature of the retentive fa∣culty is cured by testacuous Powders.