this one thing, that there is more matter contained in it than in the rest, by reason of the paucity of the vessels terminated in it, that it is no marvel that there can be no exact demonstration made of them. The fourth is called Caecum, or the Blind, because it hath but one passage to send out and receive in the matter. This Gut hath a long and strait production, which, according to the opini∣on of some (though altogether erroneous) often falls down intO the Scrotum in the rupture, or re∣laxation of the Rim of the Belly; for, that production in the lower Belly strongly sticks to the Peritonaeum, or Rim, which hinders such falling down. But Galen seems by such a Blind-gut to have meant this long and narrow production; and certainly, so thinks the common sort of Anato∣mists: but here Vesalius justly reprehended Galen. Wherefore Sylvius that he might free Galen of this fault, would have us by the Blind-gut to understand the beginning of the Colick-gut. The fifth is called Colon (or Colick-gut) because it is greater and more capacious than the rest. The sixt and last, the Right-gut, by reason of the rightness or straightness of the passage. This, in beasts especially, hath a certain fatness in it to make the passage slippery, and lest the guts should be ex∣ulcerated in the passage, by the sharpness of hard and acrid excrements.
The site of these guts is thus: The Duodenum upon the back-bone bends to the right hand; the Jejunum possesses a great part of the upper umbilical region, & diffuses it self into both sides with windings, like to those of the Gut Ileum, even to the flanks. The gut Ileon is situate at the lower part of the umbilical region, going with many turnings and windings, even to the hollownesses of the holy-bone above the bladder and side parts of the Hypogastrium, they call the flanks.
The Blind bends to the right hand, a little below the Kidney, above the first and fourth Verte∣bra of the loins. The Colon or Colick-gut is crooked and bent, in the form of a Scythian-bow, filling all the space from the Blind-gut, below the right Kidney even to the hollowness of the Li∣ver, and then it goes by the gibbous part of the stomach above the small-guts, even to the hollow∣ness of the Spleen; from whence sliding under the left Kidney, with some turnings, it is termina∣ted upon the Vertebra's of the Loins.
By all which turnings and windings of the Colick-gut, it is easie to distinguish the pain of the Stone of the Kidneys, which remain fixt in one certain place, from the Colick wandring through those crooked passages we mentioned. The right-gut tends with an oblique site towards the left hand, upon the holy-bone even to the very fundament. They have all one and a common connexi∣on; for they are all mutually joyned together by their coats, because there is but one way from the gullet even to the fundament; but they are joyned to the principal parts by their nerves, veins, and arteries.
But a more proper connexion is that, where the Duodenum on the upper part of it, is joyned with the Pylorus; but on the lower part to the Jejunum, and the parts lying under it; by the coat of the Peritonaeum. The Jejunum, or Empty-gut, is joyned to the Duodenum and Ileon. The Ile∣on, with the empty blind-guts. The blind with the Ileon and Colon, and with the right side of the back-bone where it is tied more straightly. The Colon with the blind and right-guts, and in his middle part, with the Kidneys and gibbous part of the Stomach; whereby it comes to pass, that be∣ing distended with wind in the colick, it over-turns add presses the stomach, and so causes vomiting.
Lastly, the right-gut is annexed with the Colick-gut and Fundament. At the end whereof there is a muscle fastened, of figure round and circular, called the Sphincter, arising from the lower Ver∣tebra's of the holy-bone and rump, by the benefit of which as of a dore or gate, the excrements are restrained at our will, lest man born for all honest actions, without all shame, in every time and place, should be forced every where to ease his belly. For such as have lost the benefit of this mus∣cle by the Palsie, have their excrements go from them against their wills. There is a body situate at the end of the right-gut, and of a middle substance between the skin and flesh, as it were arising from the mixture of them both, like the extremities of the lips, of the same use with the Sphincter, but that it is not altogether so powerful. But there are also certain veins situate about it called the Haemorrhoidal, of which we will speak in their place.
Besides, there are two other muscles that descend to the end of this gut, being broad and membranous on each side, one arising from the side and inner parts of the share and hip-bones, which inserted above the Sphincter pull up the fundament falling down, wherefore they are cal∣led Levatores Ani, or the lifters up of the Fundament. Wherefore when as either they are too weak, or resolved, or the fundament oppressed with the weight of flegmatick, salt, cholerick and sharp humors, the gut is scarce restored into its place, that there is need of the help of the fin∣gers for that purpose.
The guts follow the temper of the stomach. Their action is the distributing the Chylus by the meseraick veins (which of duty belongs to the three small guts) and the receiving the excre∣ments of the Chylus, and retention of them, till a fit time of expulsion, which belongs to the third quarter. Besides, these small guts finish up the work of concoction, begun in the stomach, al∣though they be not altogether made for that use. But nature is often accustomed to abuse the parts of the body for some better use.
But we must note, that for the composure of the guts, they have only transverse fibers, for ex∣pulsion's sake, unless that at the beginning of the Colon, and the end of the right gut, you may see certain right fibers added to the transverse to strengthen them, lest these guts should chance to be broken and torn by the passage of hard excrements, and the laborious endeavour of expulsion (specially in brute beasts.)