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. IX. Of the Natural faculty; and first of Nutrition, and Augmentation.

THat we may begin with the natural faculty, * 1.1 I mean the Natu∣ral faculty so called peculiarly by Physitians, (for as it is taken generally it is opposed to preternatural, and so the Vital and Ani∣••mal faculties may be called Natural;) The Natural faculty by the Philosophers, is called a growing or flourishing power. All its actions tend to the preservation of its kind, or else of the Indivi∣duals of its species. Now to the preservation of its individuals be∣longs Nutrition, and Augmentation, to the preservation of its kind Generation belongs.

The nourishing faculty whose action is called Nutrition, * 1.2 is that which turneth aliment into the substance of the body living, and restores what is taken away, and performs this work during all ones life time.

The faculty increasing whose action is called Augmentation is, * 1.3 that which extendeth the body to its due and just bigness, whose office is most performed in our growing age, and is extended till it compleateth and perfecteth its due magnitude.

The generating faculty whose action is called Generation is, * 1.4 that by which man by his kind continues to perpetuity, which by Individuals cannot be done.

And these three faculties being as it were the Princes, * 1.5 have others as it were their servants added to them; The Attractive, the Retentive, the Alterative or Digestive, the Expulsive.

The Attractive draweth profitable nourishment to the parts; The Retentive, reteins it so long there till it be digested. The Digestive altereth aliment, changeth it, & renders it fitting for that which is living. The Expulsive faculty rejects that as excrementi∣tious, which is dull and unfit to be converted into the substance of the body.

The Attractive, Retentive, and Expulsive faculties perform their actions principally by the benefit of the fibers. Attraction is made by the right fibers placed along the length of a member; Re∣tention by the oblique or flanting fibers; Expulsion by those that passe overthwart; but Digestion or Concoction are performed by the Heat of the member. But in the other parts of the body, the same faculties want not the help of the fibers, but perform their operations only by the help of the Innate heat which is in each part.

But although aliment in nourishing be in a capacity to be like to the body yet actually it is unlike at the first; and therefore is changed by little and little untill it be rendered like to that into whose substance it is to be turned, which is performed by several Concoctions.

Concoction is either private, * 1.6 and is appointed onely for nou∣rishment and use of the part where it is made; or publick, which is made for the common use of the whole body. That is made in the several parts: this in the Stomack, Liver, and Spleen. Hence there is commonly accompted three Concoctions necessary for nou∣rishment of the body: The first is that which is made in the Sto∣mack, the second in the Liver, from which that of the Spleen is not to be excluded; the third in the several parts of the body. There are other actions which passe through the Fabrick of the whole bo∣dy, such as that of the Vital spirits in the Heart, the Animal in the Brain, and that of milk in the Duggs, the generation of seed in the Stones, unless you will refer this to the Generative faculty; not by reason of the part wherein it is generated, but by reason of the end for which it was instituted (namely) publick use.

The first Concoction is made in the Stomack, * 1.7 which first pre∣pares Nutriment for the whole body: To which for this reason, not onely the power of Concoction, but also a double Appetite is given; Natural, by which it desires nourishment necessary for it self; Animal, by which it requires nutriment for the whole body. The Natural Appetite doth not sensibly want nutriment; * 1.8 but as the other part by a natural instinct requires and draws nutriment. But the Animal Appetite hath an exquisite sense joyned to this de∣sire, living in the upper Orifice of the Stomack, by which it can perceive not onely its own wants, but the wants of all the body besides. For after the whole body is emptied, it draws out of the Veins, and the Veins which require to be filled again, suck up∣ward again from the Stomack, and their sucking is again re∣ceived in the Orifice of the Stomack, * 1.9 whence ariseth the Animal Appetite, which is two-fold, Hunger and Thirst. But be∣fore Food descend into the Stomack, it is first prepared in the

mouth, where it is chewed into pieces by the teeth, moistened by the spittle and by the heat of the mouth, and of the tunicle which is common both to the Ventricle and the mouth, it is altered by attraction.

The meate chewed and so altered in the mouth by the motion of the tongue, is sent down through the gullet into the stomack, which by the help of the oblique fibers is there reteined and imbrace••, untill by the Digestive faculty and proper heat of the stomack and the ad∣••acent heat it be changed into one form and masle, not unlike to the scum of Ptisan, and is called Chyle. Meat being taken, * 1.10 that ani∣••nal appetite ceaseth, or hunger and thirst ceaseth, to wit the twitch∣ing and plucking for want of Aliment ceaseth; but the natural ap∣petite is not satisfyed, except perfectly nourished and refreshed with the blood of its own body. The Chyle generated in the stomack is sent down through its lower orifice into the first guts, by which, with their digestive force which they have by reason of their com∣munity with the stomack, is here somewhat wrought and perfected.

But seeing that all nourishment is proper for nourishing certain parts of the body; Nature in this concoction separates nourishment, * 1.11 whence their ariseth a double sort of Excrements, the one thin, the other thick. The thick which is called the ordure of the paunch, whilst the Guts contract themselves up by the circular or transverse fibers, and the Muscles coming in the Guts by the paunch, the paunch is prest and the siege is thrust out, and voided through it. The other thin and watry which is not forthwith sent out through the paunch, but continues mixed with the chyle, * 1.12 that it may the more easily passe through the narrow Veins of the Mesentery, of the Port and of the Liver, afterward it is separated by the veins and expelled by Urine.

The Chyle being separated in the Guts from the thicker dregs, is drawn by the Meseraick Veins, and is somewhat altered by them, * 1.13 and first it receives the rudiments of blood, and hence it is carryed to the branches of the gate Vein, and Liver; and there by the innate heat and power of the Liver is turned into blood, which action is Sanguification, or turning into blood. The Liver reteins a part of this so gotten blood, that it may by it be nourished, the rest through the hollow Vein, in which some part of it is hitherto re∣teined and perfected, it distributes it through the whole body.

That the purer blood may be generated in the Liver, the Spleen draweth to it self from the trunk of the Meseraick Veins, * 1.14 before the Chyle be carryed to the Liver by an inbred faculty through the splenick branch of the gate Vein, the more earthy and thicker part of the Chyle, and generates blood, though not so good blood, yet fit

and proper for its own nourishment, and for the nourishment o•• the more ignoble parts of the lower Ventricle, that thereby the pun•• and better part of the Chyle may be drawn through the branch 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the right side of the gate Vein, called the Mesentery to the Liver and there purer blood might be generated; and so in one work the Spleen serveth to cleanse the blood from dreggs and generate worser sort of blood; For the Spleen is not appointed only for th•• drawing and evacuating the Melancholy blood from the Liver. Th•• beginning of the Splenick branch, which ariseth not out of th•• Liver but the gate Vein; The Symptomes of Diseases in the Splee•• do shew the constitution of it to be neer that of the Liver, and the•• is a connexion of the Spleen with the stomack by Vessels. But the which cannot be turned into blood by the Spleen, by convenien•• passages is evacuated, and the thick and dreggish matter for th•• most part is sent through the paunch, either with the excrements o•• without them through the Haemerod Veins, and trunk of the gat•• Vein; yet sometimes 'tis evacuated by Urine. The acqueous matte•• most commonly is drawn through the Splenick arterics to the Vein•• and purged out there; yet sometimes that also is expelled by th•• paunch, by sweats, by the stomack.

In Sanguification in the Liver, two excrements are generated Yellow Choler and Urine. * 1.15 The Yellow Choler is gathered into the bladder of the Gall, and from thence the most part is sent into the Guts, and the sharpness of it stirs up the expulsive faculty to do its office, to stir the dreggs of the paunch, and is cast out with the ordure. But the serous matter and the aqueous humor is drawn by the Veins, through the emulgent vessels, and is transmitted through the Ureters to the bladder; * 1.16 by which afterwards it is cast out, and is called Urine.

The Urine therefore consists, first of aqueous and potulent matte•• sent with the Chyle to the Liver, but unprofitable to nourish the body, * 1.17 afterwards of a clammy or salt excrement of blood, and thirdly of natural contents in sound bodies, but in bodies diseased of many other things which are mingled with the Urine. And so Urine is properly called an excrement of the second concoction, to wit, where∣in the serous part of Urine is separated from blood, and mixed with potulent matter, affords Urine.

Blood thus separated and cleansed from its excrements, * 1.18 neverthe∣less is said to contein in it self many humours; Nor is that masse of blood so elabourated and wrought in the Liver, and conteined in the Hollow Vein plainly Homogeneal or of the same kind, but some parts in it are Temperate, others colder, others hotter, others dryer, others moister; The most Temperate in its kind is called blood, the hotter and dryer part by reason of its consanguinity with choler

is called Cholerick blood, the colder and moister is called Pitui∣tous blood, the colder and dryer is called Melancholy blood. Yet all these parts of blood are conteined under the form or essence of blood, and are profitable for the nourishment of the body. Nor do the humors in a sound body constitute a masse of excrementitious blood, neither in the Veins of a man most healthy are these humors Choller, Phlegme, Melancholy, acounted excrements.

Hence ariseth the decision of the question, whether our body's be nourished by blood only, or by the four humors; For when Aristotle Tays that animals that have blood in them are nourished by blood only, he intended the whole masse of blood; but Physitians when they say that our bodies are nourished, not only by blood but by other humors, by blood they understand the most temperate part of blood, or one part of the masse of blood, and this they would have, that not only that part, but the rest of the masse, to be profi∣table for the nourishment of the body. But that our bodies are nou∣rished by excrementitious humors, no man in his wits ever said. * 1.19

The blood being perfected in the Liver, is distributed through the branches of the Hollow Vein over the whole body, to nourish it and all its parts: That change by which it is assimilated to other parts, is called the third concoction, which is performed by the in∣nate heat, in each part. * 1.20 In this concoction the blood before it assi∣milates the parts, receives some external dispositions, and is chan∣ged into four humors called secondary humors. The first is called Innominate, or without a name, * 1.21 when the blood passeth through the capillar Veins, and admits of a sensible mutation by reason of the heat of the external parts, and in the Spermatick parts turns white, in the fleshy parts remains red. 2 The second is Dew, * 1.22 namely that blood which passeth without the orifice of the Veins. 3 The third is called Glue, * 1.23 because while it is still more concocted it becomes clammy and thick. 4 The fourth is called dry Exchange which turneth into the substance of the part, and exchangeth and changeth its nature with it.

This third concoction hath also its excrements; one thick, to wit filthiness in the skin, which is collected in the garments, also in the brain, eyes, and ears; the other thin, which is dissolved by insensi∣ble transpiration, sometimes also it is evacuated by sweat. For al∣though all things are rightly performed in the body, and the nou∣rishment be well concocted, and moreover nothing external and violent befal the body, as Baths, Heat, Violent exercises, no sweat passe through the skin in the night; yet because even in the most healthy all things are not ever exactly performed, and many de∣viate from their best condition as to health, and moreover many

errors are committed in diet; Nature useth to expel such superflui∣ties by sweats.

Another office of the natural function is Augmentation or in∣creasing, * 1.24 by which mans body, out of nourishment taken and assi∣milated to the parts, is extended in all its dimensions, and acquires magnitude convenient to perform actions. * 1.25 Although this function ariseth from the same soul with nutrition, and is perfected with the same Instrument, Innate Heat; hath the same matter out of which it proceeds, blood; the same subject, a living body; yet it ariseth from another efficient determinate cause, to wit, from the increasing fa∣culty; it differs in form, which in nutrition is a coagulation of ali∣ment, but in augmentation there is a motion of Extension of the whole & of every part therof; it differs also in regard of the end, which in Nutrition is only a restoration of that which is taken away; but in Augmentation an acquiring or a getting of a greatet magni∣tude to exercise perfectly all the necessary actions of our life; and lastly in time, for Nutrition dureth the whole time of our lives, Augmentation to a certain time in our life. For man as other living creatures doth not alwayes grow, but to the certain time of his age; which comes not to passe by reason of the soul, which al∣wayes reteins its force and strength, but by reason of the body, espe∣cially of the bones, which in processe of tims are so hardned, that they are not apt to any farther extension of growth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The prin∣cipal natu∣ral facul∣ties.
• * 1.2

  Nutri∣tion, or al∣teration.
• * 1.3

  Augmen∣tation.
• * 1.4

  Genera∣tion.
• * 1.5

  The ser∣vile facul∣ties, Attra∣ction, Re∣tention, Concocti∣on, Expul∣sion.
• * 1.6

  One Con∣coction is publick, another pri∣vate.
• * 1.7

  The first Concoction is made in the Sto∣mack.
• * 1.8

  Appetite two-fold. Natural. Animal.
• * 1.9

  The first preparation of meat. in the mouth.
• * 1.10

  The Chyle.
• * 1.11

  The excre∣ment of the first con∣coction twofold: thick.
• * 1.12

  Watery.
• * 1.13

  The second concoction in the Liver.
• * 1.14

  The use of the Spleen.
• * 1.15

  The excre∣ments of the second concoction. Yellow cho∣ler.
• * 1.16

  Urine.
• * 1.17

  Urine con∣sists of three things.
• * 1.18

  The parts of the masse of blood.
• * 1.19

  The third concoction.
• * 1.20

  Four se∣condary hu∣mors.
• * 1.21

  The first In nomi∣nate.
• * 1.22

  The second Dew.
• * 1.23

  The third Glue. The fourth is cambium or ex∣change. The excre∣ments of the third concoction two-fold; thick, thin.
• * 1.24

  Augmen∣tation.
• * 1.25

  Nutrition and Aug∣mentation how they differ.