The workes of that famous chirurgion Ambrose Parey translated out of Latin and compared with the French. by Tho: Johnson. Whereunto are added three tractates our of Adrianus Spigelius of the veines, arteries, & nerves, with large figures. Also a table of the bookes and chapters.

CHAP. VIII. Of the seven Conjugations of the Nerves of the Brain, so called, because they alwayes shew the Nerves conjugated and doubled; that is, on each side one.

THe Nerves are the ways and instruments of the Animal spirit and faculty, as of which those Spirits are vehicles, as long as they are contained in the Brain; they consist of the only and simple marrowey substance of the Brain, or spinal marrow. But passing forth of the Brain, they have another membranous substance which involves them, joyned with them from the two membranes of the Brain; and according to the opinion of some Anatomists, they have al∣so a third from the ligaments, drawn as well from divers others, as from these by which they are tyed to the Vertebra':; Yet this opinion seems absurd to me, seeing such a membrane, as that which is insensible, wholly repugnes the condition of a Nerve, which is to give sense to the parts to which it is inserted.

The magnitude of the Nerves is different, according to the divers necessity of sense incident to the parts into which they are are inserted. Their figure is round, and long, like to a Conduit-pipe to carry water in; the membranes of the Brain, with which the Nerves are covered, being dilated and stretched over them, after the same manner that the processes of the Peritonaeum involves the spermatick vessels, with which they go down to the Testicles, and take life and nourishment by the capillary Veins and Arteries, which descend to them with the membranes. They are made for this use, that they may impart sense to the sensitive parts, and motion to those that are fit to be moved. All the Nerves descend from the Brain either mediately, or immediately; their Num∣ber is seven and thirty pair, or conjugations; whereof seven have their original immediately from the Brain, the other thirty from the spinal marrow.

The first Conjugation of the Nerves of the Brain is thicker than all the rest, and goes to the eyes, to carry the visive spirit to them. These arising from divers parts of the Brain, in the mid∣dle way before they go out of the Skull meet together croswise like the Iron of a Mill (which is fastened in the upper stone) going into one common passage with their cavities not visible to the eye; that so the spirits brought by those two Nerves may be communicated, and they are mutual∣ly joyned and meet together so, that being driven back from one eye they may flie back into the other. An argument whereof may be drawn from such as aim at any thing, who shutting one of their eyes see more accurately; because the force of the neighbouring spirits united into one eye, is more strong than when it is dispersed into both. This conjugation, when it comes in∣to the glassie humor, is spent in the structure of the Net-like coat which contains this humor on the back-part.

The second conjugation goes into many parts, at its passing forth of the Skull; and in the bot∣tom of the circle of the eye it is distributed into the seven muscles moving the eyes.

The third is twofold, in the passage out of the Skull, it is likewise divided into many branches, of which some are carryed to the temporal muscles, into the Masseteres, or grinding muscles into the skin of the face, forehead, and nose; Othersome are sent into the upper part of the Cheek, and the parts belonging to it, as into the teeth, gums, and the muscles of the upper lip; and those which are called the round, which incompass the mouth on the inside; the last are wasted in the coat of the tongue, to bestow upon it the sense of tasting.

The fourth Conjugation is much smaller, and is almost wholly wasted upon the coat of the Pa∣lat of the mouth, to endue it also with the sense of tasting.

The fifth at its original, and having not as yet passed forth of the skull, is divided into two, and sends the greater portion thereof to the hole of the ear, or passage of hearing, that it may sup∣port the audory faculty; and it sends forth the other lesser portion thereof to the temporal mus∣cles by the passage next to it; by which the second Conjugation passes forth.

The sixt being the greatest next to the first, passing entire forth of the skull, imparts some small branches to certain muscles of the neck and throttle, and then descending into the chest, it makes the recurrent nerves; and dispersed over all the parts of the two lower Bellies, it passes even to the bladder and testicles, as we shewed in the former book.

The seventh is inserted and spent upon the muscles of the bone Hyois, the tongue, and some of the throttle, to give them motion; it passes forth of the skull by the hole of the Nowl-bone at the extuberancies thereof.

[illustration]

The seventh Figure shewing the eighth Conjugation of the Nerves of the Brain.

• AA 1, 2, The Brain.
• BB 1, 2, the After-brain.
• CC 1, 2, the smelling of the brain, which some call the Mamillary processes.
• D 1, the beginning of the spinal marrow out of the basis of the brain.
• F 1, 2, a part of the spinal marrow when it is ready to issue out of the skull.
• FF 1, 2, the mamillary processes which serve for the sense of smelling.
• GG 1, 2, the Optick nerves.
• H 1, the coition or union of the optick nerves.
• II 1, 2, the Coat of the eye whereinto the optick nerves are extended.
• KK 1, 2, the second pair of the sinews ordained for the motion of the eyes.
• LL 1, 2, the third pair of sinews, or, according to the most Anatomists, the lesser root of the third pair.
• MM 1, 2, the fourth pair of sinews, or the great∣er root of the third pair.
• N 2, a branch of the third conjugation derived to the musculous skin of the fore-head.
• O 2, a branch of the same to the upper jaw.
• PP 2, another into the coat of the nostrils.
• Q 2, another into the temporal muscles.
• R 2, a branch of the fourth conjugation crumpled like the tendril of a vein.
• S 2, a branch of the same reaching unto the up∣per teeth, and the gums.
• T 2, another of the same to the lower jaw.
• V 2, a surcle of the branch T, to the lower lip.
• XX 2, another surcle from the branch T, to the roots of the lower teeth.
• YY 2, the assumption of the nerves of the fourth conjugation unto the coat of the tongue.
• Z 1, 2, the fourth pair are vulgarly so called which are spent into the coats of the palat.
• a 1, 2, the fifth pair of sinews which belong to the hearing.
• φ, the Auditory-nerve, spred abroad into the ca∣vity of the stony bone.
• *, a hard part of the fifth conjugation above, the * which may be counted for a distinct nerve.
• b 1, 2, a small branch derived from this harder part of the first pair.
• c 1, 2, a lower branch from the same original.
• d 1, 2, this nerve is commonly ascribed to the fifth pair; but indeed is a distinct conjugation, which we will call the Eighth, because we would not interrupt the order of other m••ns accounts.
• e 1, 2, the sixt pair of sinews.
• f 2, a branch from them derived to the neck, and the muscles couched thereupon.
• g 2, another branch to the muscles of the Larinx, or throttle.
• h 1, 2, the seventh pair of sinews.
• i 1, the u∣nion of the seventh pair with the sixt.
• l 2, a propagation of the seventh pair to those muscles which arise from the Appendix called Stiloides.
• m 2, surcles from the seventh conjugation to the muscles of the tongue, the bone Hyois, and the Larinx.
• opq 1, three holes; through the hole o the phlegm issueth out of the third ventricle of the Brain to the Tunnel; and at pq, is the passage of the Soporary arteries to the ven∣tricles of the Brain.

Notes

• What a Nerve or Sinew is.
• Its substence. Whether the Nerve have a third mem∣brane from the Ligaments of the Vertebra's.
• Their magni∣tude. Their figure.
• Their use.
• Their number.
• The first con∣jugation of Nerves.
• The second conjugation.
• The third con∣jugation.
• The fourth conjugation.
• The fift conju∣gation.
• The sixt con∣jugation.
• The seventh conjugation.