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 ...

Of the Lungs and Gills of Fish. CHAP. XLI.

WHales, and all cetaceous Fish have Lungs much resembling those of Quadrupedes in their Divarications of the Bronchia, Vesi∣cles, and Blood-vessels.

The Lungs of a Porpess are furnished only with two Lobes, * 1.1 † 1.2 on each side one, encompassing the Right and Left Region of the Heart, they are most thick in their Origens, and grow into more narrow and thin Expansions about their Terminations; and are beautified with a pale Red, and in one part do somewhat adhere to the Midriff, and are every way immured with∣in a strong Membrane.

As to their substance, * 1.3 they may be stiled a curious Compage, made up of nu∣merous greater and smaller Branches of Air-pipes, and appendant Sinus, accom∣panied with many pulmonary and bronchial Divarications of Arteries and Veins, framed in reticular Plexes, which I plainly saw in a Dissected Por∣pess, with Wonder and Delight.

The Lungs in this Fish are accommodated with many Nerves, * 1.4 branched through the substance of the Lungs, and accompanying the Blood-vessels.

The Bronchia are associated with many small Glands, which Dr. Tyson observed to be Steatomatous in a Porpess he Dissected. And I humbly con∣ceive that humane Lungs, have Glands too, seated about the Divarications of the Trachaea in the substance of the Lungs, and the use may be to per∣colate the Blood, whose purer part is received into the extremities of the Veins, and the recrements into the origens of the Lympheducts, and con∣veyed into the subclavian Vessels.

The Gills of Fish are Systemes of numerous Branches of Arteries and Veins formed into Arches, * 1.5 and affixed to bony Processes, to keep them in due order, and to give them a defence against the assaults of ill accidents.

These curious Contextures of Vessels have some affinity with those of the pulmonary Arteries, and Veins, as the Blood, coming from the Ventricle of the Heart in most Fish, is first impelled into the Trunk and Branches of the Aorta, and then into the Branchial Arteries, and afterward received into the extremities of the Branchial Veins, so that the Blood of Fish maketh a circuit through the various Blood-vessels of the Gills, in some manner re∣sembling that in the pulmonary Vessels, whereby the Blood of Fish is im∣pregnated with airy Particles in the Gills, as well as in the substance of the Lungs relating to other Animals.

And now I will endeavour to give you an account of the Fabrick of the Gills in a Skaite, * 1.6 and of the Trunk and Divarications of the Artery, † 1.7 en∣tring into them after this manner; out of the base of the Heart ariseth a great Trunk of an Artery, (encircled with a white hard Shell) which climb∣eth upright single, for an Inch or thereabouts, and is then divided into Two Branches, on eachside one, and afterward each Branch is subdivided into three, which on each side run along the lower Region of the Three first bony Arches of the Gills, which are beset with many minute Divarications, sprouting out of the first greater Branches, and end into one common Trunk.

And about an Inch or more above the First Branches of Arteries, * 1.8 ariseth on each side one, springing out of the arterial Trunk, and each of them is subdi∣vided into a pair of Branches, which take their progress all along the lower part of the two semicircular bony Arches, belonging to the upper Gills, and these greater Branches are again divaricated into many smaller Ramu∣lets, terminating into one common Trunk, which wheeling backward, is afterward divided into numerous arterial Branches, transmitting Blood into all parts of the body of Fish, which is brought back again to the Heart by venous Branches and Trunks; so that every indentment of the semicir∣cular Arches (garnished with many Branches of Arteries) is again answer∣ed with an equal number of venous Divarications; * 1.9 And those of the descen∣dent Trunk of the Cava, do address themselves to the ascendent of the Aorta; and the Branches of the ascendent Trunk of the Cava, do apply themselves to those of the descendent Trunk of the Aorta, which may be manifest by opening the arterial and venous Branches, appendant to the lower regions of the arches of the Gills, fringed with many Red indent∣ments, into which may easily be seen the rows of holes leading into them; so that a Black Liquor being injected into the Arteries of the Gills, * 1.10 it will return again by the Veins; And the Black Liquor being immitted into the Arteries, some part passeth into the Fringes of the Gills and another part is carried in a straight course into the descendent Trunk of the Aorta; whence it may be clearly deduced, that the Gills in Fish, do supply the place of Lungs in more perfect Animals, through which the Blood taketh its circuit, to be impregnated with the more pure and nitrous parts of Air, which being as∣sociated with Water, are received into the Mouth and Gills of Fish, and affect the Blood, passing up and down the Red Fringes of the bony Arches, * 1.11 which are ranks of Arteries and Veins, exporting and importing vital Liquor from and to the Heart.

So that the Water inspired with the more thin and nitrous Particles of Air, may diffuse it self through the Pores of the Arteries (affixed to the Red Ar ches of the Gills,) into the mass of Blood, passing and repassing through Arteries and Veins, from and to the great machine of Motion, ma∣king good the circulation of the Purple Juyce.

Whereupon Fish may be said to have a kind of Respiration, made in a fre∣quent Reception, and spurting out great streams of Water, inspired with Air, which being transmitted through the Gills (dressed with Arteries and Veins) enobleth the Blood with elastick and spiritous Particles, which do very much contribute to the preservation of the vital flames, which is extin∣guished in Fish residing in waters, enclosed with Ice, wholly intercepting the current of Air.

Notes

• * 1.1

  T••e Lungs of a Perp••s.
• † 1.2

  T. 41.
• * 1.3

  The subs••ance of the Lungs of a Porp••ss.
• * 1.4

  The Lungs of Fish have their Blood-Vessels ac∣companied with Nerves The Bronchia of the Lungs are beset with many minute Glands.
• * 1.5

  The Gills of Fish are made up of many Blood-Vessels affixed to ••••mi-circular bony Pro∣c••sses.
• * 1.6

  The manner of the pro∣gress of the Arteries and Veins into the Gills,
• † 1.7

  T. 29.
• * 1.8

  The Second progress of the Arteries into the Gills.
• * 1.9

  The Arteries of the Gills are answered with an equal number of Veins.
• * 1.10

  An experi∣ment to prove some part of Li∣quor, passeth into the Gills; and another part into the de∣scendent Trunk of the Aorta.
• * 1.11

  Water inspi∣red with Air, may goe into the Ar∣teries, and mixe with Blood, passing through the vessels of the Gills.