Nine books of physick and chirurgery written by that great and learned physitian, Dr Sennertus. The first five being his Institutions of the whole body of physick: the other four of fevers and agues: with their differences, signs, and cures.

CHAP. X. Of Generation.

BUT since man although he be nourished, cannot live perpetu∣ally and in individuals, as other living Creatures also cannot indure to perpetuity; * 1.1 the generative power is granted and given by the Creator of all things, that mankind might be preser∣ved, and the third kind of Natural actions is Generation, which by ejaculation of seed begets his like. For although this faculty and Action be common to plants, yet in man and other more perfect Creatures it requires greater preparation, and distinction of sex, as male and semale concur in Generation, and it is necessary that both of them do some way help and conduce to Generation, and the male not in himself but in another, * 1.2 but the foemale in her self doth generate. For the male ejaculates his prolifique sperm into the female womb, which mingled with hers, is cherished by the same, it is also nourished, and reteined until it hath the shape of a perfect man. For which purpose the Creator hath made necessary Instruments for both Sexes, for the male Testicles, Vessels prepa∣ring,

and conducting sperm, and a yard necessa••y to ejaculate it into the part most fit to receive it, for the Females, Stones, semi∣nary vessels, and the womb.

There are two principles which concur to the Generation of a Child, the seed of the male and female, and the menstruous blood. * 1.3 The seed is a body hot and moist, & full of that divine Spirit of the first Principles (or Elements,) and proportionable to the Quint∣essence or Element whereof Stars were made, fit for the propagation of the Soul, and generation of a living Creature like it self; and is ge∣therated in the Stones, whither the purest part of the blood & Spirits, and heat, is sent through the Veins, Arteries, and Nerves, from the remote parts of the body, and is changed into a white frothy or slimy matter; The male and female seed both confer, seeing the same Instruments are appointed (by nature) for generating and semitting of sperm, and the same cause efficient, and the same ••matter in each; for the forms of each alike do manifest themselves in the off-spring, * 1.4 although the power and force be greater in the male then the female. But the menstruous blood is only the material prin∣ciple; wherefore it is ordered by the Creator, that at the time when semales are apt and fit for procreation; which for the most part is from the fourteenth till the five and fortieth year of their age, that blood which the other parts wants not, each month is sent to the womb to supply what may be wanting for a little one, or if the fe∣male be not great, may be by it evacuated. * 1.5 This menstruous blood of it self is not offensive, nor is it expelled because it is hurtful, but because it aboundeth in quantity; but when it becomes pernicious, 'tis by reason of its remaining too long in the body & by its comix∣ture with other humours.

The forming of the young is caused by the Soul, * 1.6 which is in the seed, and there shews it self in two actions, in putting life into the conception, and forming of all the parts: and the Soul, as Scali∣ger writeth out of Themistius, is its own architect, which builds a convenient domicill for its own habitation; But it receiveth this power from the Creator, whose Instruments and hands as it were the Souls are, and he hath given this energy to them at the Creati∣on of them, then which nothing can be more wonderful to be thought on.

The Generative faculty, hath two others whereby it performs its Office; The Alterative and Formative. * 1.7 The Alterative is that which changeth the generative matter into the substance of the young, and all its parts; the formative is that which Forms all the members and gives them their quantity, figure, number, place, and the rest. The Instrument, which the Soul and formative power useth, is the for∣mative

or plastick heat, or that Spirit proportionable to the Ele∣ment of the Stars, for the seeds being received into the womb are mingled together, reteined, cherished, and the power which lyes hidden in the seed is stirred up by the innate heat of the womb, and then a Conception is said to be made, * 1.8 and then begins a sending forth of the instruments of the body to be made, & then is it called a Conception, which commonly is said to continue til the seventh day.

But first of all, * 1.9 the membranes about the Child are formed, by which the seed is shut in, and the Spirit and heat thereof is covered, and as it were intrenched. They are two in number, the first is called Chorion, and covers the whole Child, and is fastened to the vessels belonging to the Navel, & by their intervening the whole cleaveth to the womb: the other coare doth immediately cover the Child and is called Amnios. These two coats in the birth seem to be one as it were, and come forth after the Child, and are therefore called the Afferbirth.

But the solid and Spermatick parts shall be explained in the first place, and afterwards according to their nobleness, and as necessity requires, the rest shall be perfectly shewn.

The Infant in the womb doth not take that nourishment, which it receiveth by the mouth, but from the Mother, for the receiving whereof there are appointed by nature four vessels belonging to the Navel; namely a Vein which is a branch which comes from the Gate-vein, which is as it were the infants nurse, two Arteries branches arisen from the Iliak Vein, by which the Infant breaths (although later Authors, who teach us that the vital Spirits by which the Child breaths proceed not from the Mother, but from the Childs own heart, do assign another use to the said Iliak branches; to wit, that the Vital Spirits should be carried from the heart of the Child to the exterior parts thereof, namely the Secondines) and the Urine-passage which is carried from the bottom of the bladder unto the Navel.

The time from the conception to the bringing forth, Physitians divide into two parts; the first is called the time of formation, from the conception till the time when first the Child begins to move; the second the time of adorning, which is the time from its motion till its coming forth. * 1.10 Hippocrates in his book of the Nativity of a Child, makes the time of Females formation to be two and fourty dayes, but males thirty dayes, which is to be con∣ceived from their more imperfect formation; but afterwards nature more elaborately frames the parts, which are not framed in males till three months, nor in females till the fourth month.

When all the members are framed and rendred more firm, the In∣fant

begins to spring and kick, in males in the third, in females in ••e fourth month as tis commonly reported, so that the time of ••rmation being doubled is the time of quickning, * 1.11 the time of mo∣••••on being trebled is the time of bringing forth. Yet one quickning 〈◊〉〈◊〉 more obscure, another more manifest, which about the middle of time of a Womans going with Child, as all Women commonly perswade themselves, is first perceived.

The time that Women go with Child although it be uncertain and various; yet for the most part, * 1.12 it is nine months end or the be∣ginning of the tenth month, that a natural birth happens: for the most part such Children as live come into the World at that time, and that time for humane birth is most natural. But before half a years time experience tells us, that a Child can hardly be brought forth and live; and if it so happen that before the scaventh month be ended, a Child be borne and live, it is a great rarity and very strange. But in the seaventh month because the perfection is finished of all the parts, the Child may live, and especially, which, as Hippocrates in his book of beginnings says, is of two hundred and ten dayes, that is, about the end of the seaventh month brought forth. But Hippo∣crates says that a Child borne in the eighth month cannot live. Yet others say, that some that are borne in the eighth month may live. After the tenth month, the Child being great wants nourishment and roome to be in, although we read some are delivered after the tenth month, yet that is seldome. * 1.13 For a legitimate birth (accor∣ding to the Law of Nature) is then when there is not roome enough for the Child to live and move in, nor aliment enough to satisfy him, for then 'tis time to shake off his shackles those tunicles, and in∣deavour to make away for its own birth, and the Mother finds paines, and the womb strives to put out that bagg, and by its expul∣sive faculty sends forth the young, which thing the Voluntary endea∣vour of the mother much helpeth, which is done by her contracting her Spirits, and depression of her Midriff and squeesing the muscles of the paunch.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The gene∣rative power.
• * 1.2

  The distin∣ction of Sexes. The instru∣ments of generation.
• * 1.3

  The Prin∣ciples of generation. Seed.
• * 1.4

  Blood.
• * 1.5

  Menstru∣ous blood.
• * 1.6

  The forma∣tion of the young.
• * 1.7

  The Alte∣rative. The For∣mative.
• * 1.8

  Concepti∣on.
• * 1.9

  The order of frame∣ing. Firs the membrances, whereof are framed two. Chorion, Amnios. The Secon∣dine. The Sper∣matick parts are described together. Theumbili∣sall vessels. The Veins belonging to the Na∣vel. Two Artc∣ries. Urachus. The time of formati∣on.
• * 1.10

  Of adorn∣ing.
• * 1.11

  The time of motion.
• * 1.12

  The time of birth.
• * 1.13

  The time of legiti∣mate birth.