CHAP. XVIII. Prognosticks of the Dislocated Vertebrae of the back.
IF in Infancy it happen that the vertebrae of the back shall be dislocated, the ribs will grow little or nothing in breadth, but run outwards before; therefore the chest loseth its natural latitude, and stands out with a sharp point: Hence they become asthmatick, the lungs and muscles which serve for breathing, being pressed together and straitned; and that they may the easilier breathe, they are forced to hold up their heads, whence also they seem to have great throats. Now because the Weazon being thus pressed, the breath is carryed through a strait passage; therefore they whease as they breathe, and short in their sleep, for that their lungs, which receive and send forth the breath or air, be of less bigness: besides also they are subject to great distillations upon their lungs, whereby it cometh to pass, that they are shorter lived: But such as are bunch-backed below the midriffe, are incident to diseases of the kidneys and bladder, and have smaller and slenderer thighs and legs, and they more slowly and sparingly cast forth hair and have beards: to conclude, they are less fruitfull, and more subject to barrenness, than such as have their crookedness above their midriffe. The Bunches which proceed from external causes are oft-times curable; but such as have their original from an inward cause, are absolutely uncurable, unless they be withstood at the first with great care and industry. Where∣fore such as have it by kinde, never are helped. Such as, whilest they are yet children, before their bodies be come to perfect growth, have their spine crooked and bunching out, their bo∣dies use not to grow at the spine, but their legs and arms come to their perfect and full growth; yet the parts belonging to their breasts and back, become more slender: Neither is it any won∣der, for seeing the veins, arteries and nerves, are not in their places, the spirits do neither freely, nor the alimentary juices plenteously flow by these straitened passages, whence leanness must needs ensue: but the limbs shall thence have no wrong, for that not the whole body, but the neighbouring parts only are infected with the contagion of this evil. When divers vertebrae, fol∣lowing each other in order, are together and at one time dislocated, the dislocation is less dan∣gerous, than if one alone were luxated: For, when one only vertebra is dislocated, it carries the spinal marrow so away with it, that it forces it almost into a sharp angle; wherefore being more straitly pressed, it must necessarily be either broken or hurt, which is absolutely deadly, for that it is the brains substitute. But when divers vertebrae are dislocated at once, it must of necessity be forced only into an obtuse angle, or rather a semicircle; by which compression it certainly suffers, but not so, as that death must necessarily ensue thereon. Hereto may seem to belong that which is pronounced by Hippocrates; a circular moving of the vertebrae out of their places is less dangerous than an angular.