An Account of Some Books

An Account of some Books. I. FREE CONSIDERATIONS about SUBORDINATE FORMS, by the Honourable ROBERT BOYLE. This Tract is an Appendix to the Noble Author's Examen of Substantial Forms, published last year, and reprinted this. There hath been already given an Account of the principal Part, as appears by Numb. ii. 'Tis very fit the like should be done now of this considerable Appendix: First then it clears up and states the Doctrine about Subordinate Forms, as it is maintain'd by divers learned Moderns, especially Sennertus, who teacheth, that besides the Specifick Form, (so called by him) there may reside in Animals and Plants, certain other Forms, so subject to the predominant Mistreys-Form, that they deserve the Title but of Subordinate Forms, and during the Reign of the Specifick, are subterranean to it; yet when that is depoted or abolished, these Inferior Forms may come to set up for themselves, viz. This done, the Author tries, whether the Phænomena and Effects of these pretended Subordinate Forms may not be as well as the principal ones, intelligibly explicated by the Mechanical Principles, vid. Matter and Motion, and the thence resulting Shape and Texture. Which that it may be done, is so happily made out in this Tract, that a Rational Unprejudiced and Attentive Reader cannot but embrace the Author's Doctrine, and, according to it, be satisfied, that the portions of Matter, that are endowed with these pretended Subordinate Forms, cannot pay the presumed Superintendent Form any other obedience, than some such kind of one, as the parts of a clock or Engine may be said to yield to one another. So that the whole matter may be well conceived to be nothing but this; That, when divers bodies of differing natures or Schematisms come to be associated so as to compose a Body of one denomination, though each of them be supposed to act according to its own peculiar nature, yet by reason of the coaptation of those parts, and the contrivement of the compounded Body, it will many times happen, that the Action action or effect produced, will be of a mixed nature, and differing from that, which several of the parts consider'd as distinct Bodies or Agents, tended to, or would have perform'd; As when in a Ballance, by putting in a weight into one of the Scales, the opposite Scale, though as a heavy body it will naturally tend downwards, yet by virtue of the fabric of the Instrument is made to mount upwards. So that those Actions, which Scholastical men attribute to the conspiring of subordinate Forms to assist the Specifick, are but the resultant actions of several Bodies, which being associated together, are thereby reduced in many cases to act jointly, and mutually modify each other's actions; and that which they ascribe to the dominion of the Presiding Form, is to be imputed to the structure and connexion of the parts of the compound body. This the Author confirms and illustrates by many very instructive Examples and Comparisons, taken from manual Arts and Practices, Physicks, Chymistry, &c., And applying his doctrine about these subordinate Forms to inanimate Bodies, he sums up the heads of all, and casts them into 9 distinct Propositions, which are: 1. The word Form is of an interminate signification. 2. 'Tis not easie, to decide the Nobleness of Forms. 3. In divers Bodies the Form is attributed upon the account of some eminent Property or Use; which if it be present and continue, though many other things supervene, or chance to be wanting, the matter is nevertheless lookt upon, as retaining its Form, and is wont to be allow'd its usual denomination. 4. By reason of the Conjunction or Connexion of the parts, that make up a whole (or, at least an Aggregate of Bodies, that for their connexion are looked upon as such) it will often happen, that several things will be perform'd by the joint or concurrent Action of these united or coherent parts. 5. We may yet in a sound sense admit, that in some Bodies there may be subordinate Forms. 6. The supervening of a new Form is often but accidental to the Pre-existent Form, and (then) does not at all destroy its nature but modify its operations. 7. Besides the specific actions of a Body, that harbours subordinate Forms, there may be divers others, wherein some of the Parts or Ingredients may act according to their particular and pristine nature. 8. In divers Bodies, that which is call'd or look'd upon as the Specifick Form, is often not so much as the Presiding, but only the most eminent. 9. The forms discoursed of, seem to be rather concurrent, than subordinate. To each of these Propositions are annexed short Comments, full of very pertinent and teaching Instances, Relations, Comparisons, &c., for which the Reader is referred to the Book itself. II. Joh. SWAMMERDAM, M.D. Amsterdami de RESPIRATIONE & USU PULMONUM. This Author is of opinion, that all those Philosophers, who have hitherto inquired into the Nature and Use of Respiration, have only caught the shadow of it, nothing of the substance. And of this he gives this for the chief reason, because they have been too negligent in considering the first manifest motion of the Breast and Lungs in a Fetus; which particular being understood he thinks it very easy to judge of the Respiration of born Animals. He scruples not to reprehend the immortal Doctor Harvey, for having excluded from the office of the Lungs the use of Refrigeration, which he pretends to have asserted himself by most evident Experiments, and uncontroulable Reasons. To represent distinctly, what he undertakes to make out in this Tract, we may take notice of these particulars. 1. He takes pains to refute the Doctrine of Attraction, and to substitute in its place the Doctrine of Pulson or Intrusion of Air into the Lungs. 2. He endeavours to assert, that the Lungs do not fall down, but are by the Breast contracted. 3. He affirms, to have clearly shew'd, what is the proper function and work of the Diaphragme, and other Muscles serving for Respiration. 4. He pretends, to have experimentally evinced the Genuine use of Respiration, and the Benefit thence resulting to the Animal Life. In short, He makes Respiration to be a Motion of the Thorax and Lungs, whereby the Air is sometimes impelled by the Nose, Mouth and Wind-pipe into the Lungs; and thence again expelled; farther to elaborate the Blood, by Refrigerating it, and by separating its fuliginous steams, and so raise it to its ultimate and highest perfection, for the Conservation of the Life of Animals. Notice may be taken here by the by, that this Author in his Preface promises the publishing of a Treatise about Insects, in which he ingages to shew many wonderfull things in those little and seemingly contemptible Creatures, and in particular to demonstrate to the Eye the very method and manner how a Caterpillar is transmuted into a Chrysalis or Aurelia: By performing of which, he hop eth, he shall make the Curious bear more easily the loss of Dr. Harvey's Treatise on that Subject. III. Observations faites sur un GRAND POISON, & un LION, dissequés dans la Bibliotheque du Roy à Paris, le 24. & le 28. Juin, 1667, This Great Fish, dissected by the Parisian Philosophers, was a Vulpecula Marina (a Sea-fox:) in which they observ'd: Firstly, The length of his Tail, equalling very near the whole length of the rest of his body (the whole Fish being 8½ feet long) and fashioned after the manner of a Sithe, bowed and turned up toward the belly. Secondly, His Mouth was armed with two sorts of Teeth; one sort in the upper Jaw, being pointed, hard and firm, and of one only bone, in the manner of a Saw: the other sort, found in the rest of the upper, and in the whole under-Jaw, were moveable, and fastned by fleshly membranes. Thirdly, His Tongue did altogether adhere to the lower Jaw, and its skin was hard and covered with little shining points, which rendred it very rough and scabrous one way. The points viewed with a Microscope, appeared transparent like Chrystal. Fourthly, His Throat was very large, and the Oesophagus, as large as his Maw; concerning which Authors say, that he hath the dexterity of disengaging himself from the swallowed hook, by casting it up together with his Maw, the inside of it turned out. They found in his Maw the Sea-herb Varec 5 inches long, and a Fish of the like length without head, scales, skin and guts, all being wasted but the muscular flesh, which remained entire. Fifthly, The superior part of his great Gut had this peculiar, that instead of the usual circumvolutions of Guts, the cavity of this was divided transversely by many partitions, consisting of the membranes of the Gut turned inwards, and in the figure of a Vice, like Snail-shells, or winding Stairs. Sixthly, His Spleen was double; his Liver divided into two Lobes; the Gall found to have moreof bitter than sower: the Heart, without a Pericardium, as big as a Hens egg; the Head almost nothing but a mass of flesh, very little Brains in it, and that which was there, having very few meanders or windings: the Eyes, bigger than those of an Ox, only half-spherical, flat before; the Sclerotica formed like a Cup, very thin, but very hard; the Cornea very tender and soft; the Chry stallin perfectly spherical; the Vtea grayish; the Chorodies of the same colour and pierced, for the production of the Retina, by a very large hole: the bottom of this Chorodies had that lustre of Mother of Pearl, which is found in Terrestrial Animals, but with less vivid colours: and the Retina was also streaked with very apparent sanguineous Vessels. The observables in the Lyon were, In General, that for outward shape, and the constitution of many parts, as the Claws, Teeth, Eyes, Tongue, (besides the likeness of the Viscera) a Lyon resembles very much a Cat. In particular, an admirable structure of his Claws; a peculiar shape and position of his Teeth; a very stiff Neck; a mighty rough and sharp Tongue, having points like claws both for hardness and shape, Eyes very clear and bright, even after death, which without closing the Eye-lids, Lyons can cover with a thick and blackish membrane, placed towards the great Angle, which by rising itself and reaching towards the small Angle, can extend itself over the whole Cornea, as it is in Birds, but especially in Cats: The reverse of the anterior Vtea, where it lies over the Chry stallin, is altogether black: the Chry stallin very flat, and its greatest convexity, which is not usual, in its anterior part, as it is in Cats: the Aqueous humour very plentifull, equalling almost the sixth part of the Vitreous, which plenty was judged to be the cause of the bright nets, that remains in the eyes after death. His His Throat was not above an Inch and a half large; the Stomach, 6 inches large, and 18 inches long: all the Guts 25 foot long: the Liver divided into 7 Lobes, as in Cats; its cavity under the Bladder of Gall was full of Gall, shed abroad in the substance of the Liver, and of the neighbouring parts; which was suspected by the Physicians, administering this operation, to have been the cause of this Lyons death: the Bladder or Gall was 7 inches long, and 1½ inch large, of a peculiar structure: the Spleen, a foot long, 2 inches large, and ½ inch thick: the Kidney weighed somewhat above 7 ounces: the Genitals of a peculiar conformation, causing this Animal to cast his Urine backwards, and to couple like Camels and Hares. His Lungs had 6 Lobes on the right side, and 3 on the left: the Wind-pipe had its annular Cartilages entire, excepting two or three; it was above four inches in compass, being very firme, and by this bigness and firmness enabling a Lyon, strongly to thirst Air enough through it, for his dreadful roaring. His Heart was dry, and without water in the Pericard; much greater in proportion, than of any other Animal, between six inches long, and four inches large towards the basis, and terminating in a sharp point. It had very little flesh, and was all hollow; the Ventricles very large; the Auricles very small: the proportion of the branches, which the ascending Aorta casts out, was such, that the Carotids were as big, as the left Subclavial branch, and as the rest of the right Subclavial, whence they issue; Which is considerable, seeing the Brain is so small: For the Brain was but two inches big, of any dimension; the rest of the head being very fleshy, and consisting of very firm Bones. By comparing the little quantity of the Lyons Brain with the plenty of that of a Calf, it was Judged, that the having but little Brain is rather a mark and a cause of a fierce and cruel temper, than want of wit. Which conjecture was strengthened by the observation formerly made in the Sea-Fox, in whom almost no Brains was found, though it thought, that his craft and address hath occasioned men to give him that Name. IV. HISTORIA AMBRÆ, Authore JUSTO KLO- BIO, D. in Academ. Wittebergensi. This Author reckons up 18 Opinions concerning Amber- greese, and having examined every one of them, he embra- ces that, which holds, That it is the Dung of a Bird, (called in the Madagascar Tongue Ashibobuch:) of which he gives the description out of Odartus Barbosa and others; who affirm it to be of the bigness of a Goose, curiously feather'd, with a big head, well tufted. These Birds being found in great numbers in Madag- ascar, the Maldives, and other parts of East-Indies, are affir- med by Authors to flock together in great numbers, as Cranes; and frequenting high Cliffs near the Sea-side, and there voiding their Excrement, the Sea washes thence, if it fall not of itself, into it. There is another opinion among the said 18, for which the Au- thor hath a good inclination, but yet dares not embrace it; viz. that 'tis the Excrement of a certain kind of Whales. If this Amber were but in those other places, where there is good store of such Whales, it seems that would make the Author relinquish the former Opinion. This puts us in mind of a Relation, to be met with in Purchas, which giving an Account of a certain Commission for a Gentle- man to go Factor into Greenland for the killing of Whales and Mor- ses, takes notice, among other Particulars, of a sort of Whale, called Trompa, having but one Trunk on his head, whereas the Sarda, another kind of Whales, hath two. This Trompa (faith that Author) hath teeth of a span long, and as thick as a man's Wrist, but no Fins. In his Head is the Sperma Ceti, faith he farther, and in his Entrails, the Ambergrise, being in shape and colour like Cowes-dung. Express order was given in the said Commission, that the person deputed should himself be present at the opening of this sort of Whale, and cause the residue of the said Entrails to be put in small Casks, and bring them along with him into England. This will give occasion to increase our Inquiries for Greenland; which perhaps may be inserted in the Book of the next Month.