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. XVII. Of Choler.

HAving spoke of the several Extreamities of the Capillaries, dispersed through the glands of the Liver, belonging to the Bladder of Gall, and the Choledoch Duct, as the Receptacles of Choler: It is orderly now to Treat somewhat of the Liquor it self Percolated, as secerned from the Vital Juice, which are Bilious Recrements, and by some are thought to be specifically different; but if they be well considered, * 1.1 they differ only in qualities, and not in kind, Magis & minus non variant speciem, and so are only several degrees of the same Specifick Matter; whose more gross parts are more easily transmitted through the larger Orifices of the Excretories, appertaining to the Porus Bilarius, while the more thin and sharp Particles of Bilious Matter, do more easily insinuate themselves into the more nar∣row Extreamities of the small Vessels, appendant to the Bladder of Gall, wherein it borroweth greater degrees of Acrimony proceeding from its long stagnancy, and as being mixed with Choler, long resident in the Cavity of the Bladder, and is associated with Choler newly severed in the Glands, (lodged between the Coats of the Bladder) and carried through the small Pores of the inward Coat, into the bosome of the Bladder of Gall.

And that the Bilious Recrement, relating to the Bladder of Gall, * 1.2 hath qualities differing from that of the Choledoch Duct, Renowned Malpi∣ghius, hath taken the pains to evidence by an Experiment, Lib. de Lien. Cap. 6. Dum scilicet in brutis ligata Arteria Hepatica prope Truncum Caeliacae lacerato{que} Bilis folliculo, vel etiam avulsis ejusdem tunicis, coercito{que} pancreatis vase, superstite per diem animalis Vita, per portam in Jecur irruente Sanguine, bilis ingens copin è Poro Bilario, & Choledocho in Duodenum transducta colli∣gitur, quae Colore nequaquam simili pollet, cum dilutior sit, nec tantum lentoris & amaritiei obtinet, quantum bilis passim Vesicae possidet; & si igne vel alio consimili exagitur, vehementissimum exhalat odorem, alia{que} longe diversa à Cy∣sticae bilis natura patitur.

Three sorts of Choler may be conceived to be in the Liver: * 1.3 The one is never severed from the Blood in the glands of the Liver, but is intimately

confaederated with it, as it were one of its innate constituting principles, concurring to Intestine Motion, whereby the Vital Liquor obtaineth a natural Effervescence, in order to a farther Exaltation; which is accomplished in the Cava, Ventricles of the Heart and Lungs, and its motion through the Arte∣ries and Veins of the whole Body.

The second more Fermentative Particles of Choler (severed in the glands of the Liver, * 1.4 and received into the Roots of the Excretories, belonging to the Bladder of Gall) are acted with a more Acrimonious quality, exalted to a higher degree of Effervescence, by its continuance in the Cavity of the Bladder, and as impraegnated with a new Liquor, flowing out of the Mili∣ary Glands (lodged between the Coats of the Bladder) and insinuating it self through the secret passages of the inward Coat into the Cistern of Gall: * 1.5 But above all, this Choler receiveth greater or less degrees of sharp∣ness, as it is embodied with a greater or smaller quantity of Liquor, rendred more or less acid in the Membranous Cells, and glands of the Spleen, and is thence transmitted by the Splenick Branch, into the Roots and Branches, and Capillaries of the Porta, inserted into the glands of the Liver: This Acid Liquor, prepared in the Spleen, and mixed with the Blood, giveth it a Fermentative disposition, as being joyned with Liquor, destilling out the terminations of the Hepatick Nerves, which openeth the body of the Vital Liquor, and endueth it with a qualification in order to Secretion, made in the Parenchyma of the glands of the Liver, and so imparteth a kind of Pre∣cipitation to the Blood, whereby the more Acrimonious and thin parts are conveyed into the Excretories of the Bladder of Gall, which grow more exalted by other ferments of Liquor formerly entertained, and other more newly dispensed from the glands of the Bladder of Gall through Minute Pores, into the bosome of it.

Some Masters of Anatomy, * 1.6 oppose this thin and sharp quality of the Bile transmitted by small Excretories, into the Repository of Gall, by rea∣son sometimes a gross and clammy Matter is found in it, and other times not sharp, but rather insipid: To which I make bold to give this Reply, That Bile is not endued with any viscidity, or grossness, immediately after its entertainment into the Bladder of Gall, by reason if it were gross and faecu∣lent, it could not pass through its Minute Excretories, but it may acquire a Lentous quality by its long stagnancy in the cistern of Bile, caused by an obstruction of its Neck; and because the more thin parts of Choler may be evaporated by the heat of the Liver, upon its great stay, whereup∣on it groweth thick and earthy, sometimes concreted into a Stone: And moreover, the Choler (appertaining to the Vesicle of Gall) is found in∣sipid only, when it is not mixed with sour Particles of Liquor, as its cur∣rent from the Spleen, is intercepted through the Splenick Vein, and Porta, into the glands of the Liver.

The third degree of Choler, * 1.7 with which the Blood doth chiefly abound, hath less Acrimony, and more grossness, then that of the Bladder of Gall, and therefore Nature hath most wisely instituted the Excretory Vessels, be∣longing to the Porus Bilarius, more large and numerous then those of the Bladder of Gall.

This more thick Choler associated with the Blood, * 1.8 is carried first by the Caeliack Artery, derived from the Descendent Trunk of the Aorta, and afterward is received into the Extreamities of the Porta (lodged in divers neighbouring Bowels) and then transmitted by its fruitful Branches and Capillaries, terminating into the substance of the Glands, wherein it meet∣eth

with Volatil, Saline, and Spirituous Particles, of Liquor coming out of the Extreamities of the Nerves, and disposing it for a Secretion, which be∣ing made, the more mild and gross Particles are carried into the Excretories, belonging to the Choledoch Duct, and the thin and Acrimonious, into the Bladder of Gall.

The principles of which Choler is compounded, * 1.9 are a very few spiri∣tuous parts, somewhat of Sulphur, and more Salt and Earth, diluted with watry Particles: As to Spirituous parts, they are small in proportion to the other, by reason the sweet Atomes are evaporated, and the Remanent parts grow effaete and fixed.

The Sulphureous Elements, truly so called, are not many, because they are not fat and oily, participating the nature of Sulphur (and are not easily inflammable, which cannot be attributed to Choler) by reason it rather quencheth Fire as well as Water, and no way raiseth it into a flame, as all oily and fat substances most evidently do: So that the oily parts, which are in∣flammable in Bile, are evaporated, and the Earthy and Salt Particles of Sul∣phur remain in it, as exalted by the Vital heat, from whence bitterness in Bile, taketh its Origen, and in Distillation, it infecteth the Air with a stinking noisome smell.

Salt is very abundant in Choler, * 1.10 and giveth the Sulphureous parts an Acri∣monious disposition, by rendring them corrosive; it is also endued with a detersive quality, which is very plain in its Scowring virtue, wherein it fetcheth out stains of Grease, and other Ingredients, in Cloth and Silk.

The watry Particles are very manifest in Choler, * 1.11 as they are a thin liquid and fluid Body, not easily bounded by its own parts, which are easily dis∣joyned in Motion, as naturally separable and flowing from each other, if left to their own conduct, and are readily stopped, when confined within the concave surface of a solid Body.

The Earthy and Saline parts of Bile, are more fixed, * 1.12 which will subside in Water; as Learned Dr. Glysson hath observed, and often have a petrify∣ing quality, by which the more gross and earthy parts do grow hard, be∣ing turned into Stone, by a kind of Precipitation, or concretion in the Cho∣ledoch Duct, and are sometimes endued outwardly with a pale colour, and in∣wardly with a yellow, and other times with a whitish colour within, and a brownish without; and sometimes have so fragile and friable temper, that they fall in pieces when handled, and so light and spungy, that they will swim upon the surface of Water. This loose and friable nature of Stone in the Liver, and Vesicle of Gall, may arise from the few parts of Earth, and many of Sulphur and Saline parts diluted with Water, which rendreth the concreted loose and spungy, as wanting a due caement of Salt, concre∣ting a large quantity of Earth, which are chiefly requisite in hard and so∣lid concretions of Stone, whose parts are firmly conjoyned when much Earth is consolidated by Saline Atomes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Choler of the several Receptacles, doth not differ in kind, but in degrees.
• * 1.2

  An Experi∣ment to prove the difference of Choler.
• * 1.3

  Some part of Choler is an inmate of the Blood.
• * 1.4

  The Choler received into the Vesicle of Gall, is ex∣alted by its stay in it.
• * 1.5

  Choler is en∣dued with greater or less degrees of acrimony as it is embodied with Acid Li∣quor, coming from the membranous cells of the Spleen.
• * 1.6

  The Bile some∣times acqui∣reth grossness by its long a∣bode in the Vesicle of Gall.
• * 1.7

  The Vessels of the Porus Bi∣larius, are more and lar∣ger then those of the Bladder of Gall.
• * 1.8

  The more thick Choler is associated with the Blood and carried by the Veins of the Porta, into the glands of the Liver.
• * 1.9

  Choler is compounded of few Spiri∣tuous and Sulphureous parts.
• * 1.10

  Bile is full of Salt.
• * 1.11

  The watry parts of Cho∣ler are very visible.
• * 1.12

  Bile hath also carthy and saline parts.