Hydrological essayes, or, A vindication of hydrologia chymica being a further discovery of the Scarbrough spaw, and of the right use thereof, and of the sweet spaw and sulpherwell at Knarsbrough : with a brief account of the allom works at Whitby : together with a return to some queries, propounded by the ingenious Dr. Dan Foot, concerning mineral waters : to which is annexed, an answer to Dr. Tunstal's book, concerning the Scarbrough spaw : with an appendix of the anatomy of the German spaw, and lastly, observations on the dissection of a woman who died of the jaundice, all grounded upon reason and experiment / William Simpson ...

Observations on the dissection of a Woman who dyed of the Jaundice.

AND here, that I may entertain the Reader with some little variety, I shall end all with some Observations on the dissection of an antient Woman, who dyed at the Hospital in Leyden, of the Yellow Jaundice; Her Skin (before death, as well as after) was dyed the most deep Yellow that ever I saw in my life; she consumed away in a Marasmus, not withstanding all the means that could be used, and it will be judg∣ed impossible that it should otherwise be, after I have related what we observed in the dissection of her body: Upon the opening of the Abdomen of this Cadaver, (perform'd by the Professor in the Theatre) was first observ'd (omitting the less con∣siderable enormities) a connexure or knitting toge∣ther of the Pylorus, and the under part of the left Lobe of the Liver, close by the Vesica Bilaris, by a hard schirrhous tumour; for besides that, the Sto∣mach was somewhat larger then ordinary, and the Spleen lay length wayes, in a parallel line with the direct Muscles of the Abdomen, being somewhat less then usual; and although being cut, its Patenchyma was found of a due consistence, and not vitiated in substance; I say, besides these, the Liver was found very stiff and hard, with several schirrous tumours, some lesser, some bigger, whose consistence was most∣what glandulous, one or two being as big as Wall∣nuts, and some less, but one near as large as a Man's Fist.

The Cystis Fellea was large and very 〈◊〉〈◊〉 which was found (together with those in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Ductus) near a hundred and twenty Stones, so•••••• like little Peas, some larger, but all of them most∣what angular; in colour some near bright, and not much unlike the ordinary sort of Mother of Pearl; others had dark spots intermingled, and, as it were, marbled: The Professor distributed to each of the Students, who were present, one of these Stones as a rarity. The liquid part of the Gaul, which was not yet petrified, most of which was lodged in the Ductus Hepaticus, was tenacious, and mostwhat of the consistence of a Syrup.

The common Ductus, which reacheth from the Cystis to the Duodenum, was so much obstructed, as the Professor could not (without cutting the Ves∣sel which leads from the Cystis further open) make the Style pass from that part into the Intestine; and that because the situation of the parts was altered, and become different from the natural, by reason of that strict connection of the Pylorus with the Li∣ver.

Then opening the Thorax, the Lungs were found scarce vitiated at all, but the Heart was less by much then usual; yea, and that which was the wonder of the whole, (and which no Author (that we know of) has yet ever observed) was, to see a Schirrus upon the right Ventricle of the Heart. True, the Polypus Cordis has been frequently found in the dissection of Dutch Bodies, by the sam'd Syl∣vius.

And I saw another Woman dissected there, who dyed (as was supposed) of a Syncope; in the right Ventricle of whose heart was found a Polypus, se∣veral inches long, from the Basis to the Cone there∣of;

although it's more probable she dyed of a complication of other Diseases; for in the Abdomen was found a great quantity of a Serum, together with plenty of a Pituita floating together in that cavity. But that there should be a schirrous tumor upon the Heart, is what we never heard of, or at least never observed before.

As to the cause of the Jaundice in this Woman, it was variously disputed; some supposed that it proceeded onely from an obstruction of the Bile, which thereby being mixed with the Blood, was dispersed into the whole habit of the Body: Others supposed that the Disease proceeded srom a volatili∣ty of the Bile, which passing up by the Ductus He∣paticus, was thence, by the Vena Porta, sent into the Mass of Blood, and so vitiated the whole habit of the Body with that Saffron Dye: But upon the dissection, it should seem to be evident that the na∣tural Crasis of the Bile was wholly perverted, and that that which should have been useful in its due consistence, not only as a Balsam to the Blood, but also by its volatile Alkali, to perform the gentle and natural fermentation in the Intestines, together with the subacid ferment of the Pancreatical Juyce, was in great part (being vitiated in its constituent parts) petrified; which petrifaction, as well in that as in other parts of the body, do all, most probably, pro∣ceed from the same efficient causes; and that (not unlikely) from a too great exaltation of the saline and sulphureous parts of the Bile, coagulating them∣selves upon some terrestrial or tartarous matter, which, by continuance of time, hath been precipi∣tated to the bottom or sides of the Vesica Bilis.

From what is premised, I would excite the In∣genious to further improvements, that we may the better be capacitated to do good by a right under∣standing of the causes of things; and that by pro∣pounding, first, that several Experiments may be es∣sayed, in order to the immitation of these Anomo∣lous Products in Animals, which do so often af∣flict the humane Body, in several parts thereof; for from a true apprehension of the essential Causes which concur in the Fabrick of these Animal Stony Concretions, we may the better be informed, how to prepare such Menstruums, as may genuinely (and without corrosion of other tender adjacent parts) resolve such petrified Bodies.

FINIS.