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. XXXVIII. Of the Guts of Insects.

THe Intestines of a Viper, * 1.1 begin near the Termination of the Stomach, or Pylorus, in a small Neck, and afterward are enlarged into greater Cavities now and then interspersed with smaller † 1.2 which run obliquely; and the Intestines some inches before they Terminate, make their progress in Arches † 1.3 cross-ways, reaching from one side of the Belly to the other, and at last do end into a Vent. The Intestines of this Animal, consisting of greater and less Cavities, are enameled with great variety of Blood Ves∣sels † 1.4, framed in the manner of Network.

In a Silk-Worm, * 1.5 about the smaller part of the Stomach, near its Termi∣nation, is seated a Protuberance, out of which ariseth a Trunk of a Tubular Figure, which passeth single for some little space, and afterward sprouteth into two Branches of small Vessels, which make an Arch in their first Ori∣gen, and then climb up the back-side of the Stomach, and in their top make many Circumvolutions in the form of Arches, and afterward creep down, and encircle some part of the Stomach.

The Intestines have a Perforation into the common Trunk; * 1.6 so that the Ventricle of a Silk-Worm being cut cross-ways, when it is emptied, and the varicose productions of Vessels being squeesed near the insertion of the Trunk, a white, and sometimes a yellow Liquor is thrown into the in∣side of the Venter; as Learned Malpighius hath observed.

Not far distant from the said Vessels, * 1.7 may be discovered others, which are seated in the lower part of the Venter, and make their progress in different postures, and sport themselves in variety of Figures, and have little Areas, some of which are Oblong, and others Triangular, and some are Orbicular.

These small Tubes, * 1.8 I conceive to be the Intestinula Caeca, of a Silk-Worm, which do often decussate each other, and make various Circumvolutions of different Figures, and do encompass both the Utriculi of this Insect, and chiefly the lower Region, and are affixed to the Intestinum Rectum: These Tubes being Transparent, and wonderfully involved with each other in Varicose Productions, do somewhat resemble clusters of Globules, or Glands.

A Palmer-Worm hath Vessels (analogous to those of a Silk-Worm) ari∣sing out of the Termination of the Stomach, * 1.9 and sporting themselves up∣ward and downward in various Circumvolutions; which are more evident in this Insect, then in a Silk-Worm.

In a large Palmer-Worm, * 1.10 these small Tubes (which I apprehend to be Intestines) are hued with variety of Colours, some are White, and others Yellow: The first have Cells, in which they somewhat resemble the Colon, as ingenious Malpighius hath observed, and their Semilunary Prominencies, are hollow within, and have one common Duct, full of Liquor; and the other yellow Tubes have more smooth surfaces, and are of a round flattish Figure, and being adorned with variety of Maeanders (as passing up and down the lower Venter in different postures) are fastned to those Tubes, that sprout out of the narrow part, near the end of the Stomach, and at last make a Gyre about the Intestinum Rectum.

These Vessels are furnished with Liquors of a white and yellow Colour, * 1.11 and, as I conceive, the first Liquor is either preparatory to the other, and is at last turned into it; or, which is more probable, the white Liquor is Nu∣tricious, and carried by proper Vessels into the Heart, and thence into the Ambient parts of the Body; and the yellow being Excrementitious, is dis∣charged by the Intestinum Rectum through the Vent. * 1.12

Silk-Worms, Palmer-Worms, and other Insects, have a Trunk, or Aspera Arteria, (through which Air is received) from whence many Vessels are propagated, and having fruitful Branches inosculated with each other, in the manner of Net-work, * 1.13 are at last inserted into the Ambient parts of the Body, and also into the Heart, Stomach, Guts, and into all the Viscera: Whereupon the Blood in the Heart, and the Chyle in the Stomach and In∣testines, being impraegnated with Volatil, Saline, and Elastick Particles of Air, are much exalted in their due Fermentation, and brought to perfection.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Intestines of a Viper.
• † 1.2

  T. 41. F. 1. m.
• † 1.3

  Tab. 41. n.
• † 1.4

  T. 41. F. 1. k.
• * 1.5

  The Guts of a Silk-Worm, have many Circumvolu∣tions in the manner of Arches.
• * 1.6

  The Intestines have a perfo∣ration into the common Trunk, out of which the va∣rious Tubes do sprout.
• * 1.7

  Area of seve∣ral Figures seated between the Vessels.
• * 1.8

  The Varicose Vessels are like clusters of Glands.
• * 1.9

  A Palmer-Worm. hath Tubes somewhat like those of a Silk-Worm.
• * 1.10

  The Vessels are some white and o∣thers yellow; the white have Cells like those of the Colon.
• * 1.11

  The Vessels have a white and yellow Liquor.
• * 1.12

  Insects have Trunks bran∣ched into the ambient parts, and into all the Viscera.
• * 1.13

  The Fermen∣tation of the Blood and Chyle in In∣sects, is very much impro∣ved by the volatil, saline, and elastick parts of Air.