CHAP. XXXVII. Of the Wounds of the Nerves and nervous parts.
* 1.1THe continuity of the nervous parts is divers ways loosed by the violent incursion of ex∣ternal things; as by things which contuse, batter, and grind in sunder, as by the blow of a stone, cudgel, hammer, lance, bullet out of a Gun, or Cross-bow; by the biting of greater teeth; or the pricking of some sharp thing, as a Needle, Bodkin, Pen-knife, Arrow, Splinter; or the puncture of some venemous thing, as of a Sea-Dragon; or the edg of some cutting thing, as a Sword or Rapier; or of stretching things which violently tear asunder the nervous bodies. Hence therefore it is, that of such wounds some are simple, others compound; and the compound, some more compound than other. For of these some are superficiary and short, others deep and long, some run alongst the nervous body, others run broad-ways; some cut the part quite asunder, others only a portion thereof.* 1.2 The symptoms which follow upon such wounds are, vehement pain, and defluxion, inflammation, abscess, feaver, delirium, swooning, convulsion, gangrene, sphacel; whence often death insues by reason of that sympathy, which all the nervous parts have with the brain.* 1.3 Amongst all the wounds of the nervous parts, there is none more to be feared then a pun∣cture, or prick, nor any which causeth more cruel and dangerous symptoms. For by reason of the straitness of the wound, medicines can neither be put in, nor the sanious matter pass forth; now the sanious matter by long stay acquires virulency, whereby the nervous parts are tainted and swoln, suffer pain, inflammation, convulsions, and infinite other symptoms; of these the wounds are most dangerous, by which the nervous and membranous bodies are but half cut asunder. For, the portion thereof which remains whole, by its drawing and contracting it self towards the ori∣ginal, causeth great pain and convulsion by sympathy. The truth hereof is evident in wounds of the head, as when the Pericranium is half cut, or when it is cut to apply a trepan. For the cutting there∣of infers far greater pain, than when it is cut quite asunder. Wherefore it is safer to have the ner∣vous body quite cut off, for so it hath no community, nor consent with the upper parts, neither doth it labour, or strive, to resist the contraction of its self; now this contrariety, and as it were fight, is the cause of pain; yet there arises another misery from such a wound, for the part where∣into the nerve which is thus cut insunder passes, thence forwards loseth its action.