An Account of the Synopsis Novae Philosophiae & Medicinae Francisci Travagini Medici Veneti

How high the High-water Mark is above the Low-water? Which way it floweth? Which way it ebbeth? What time of the Moon the Spring-tides fall out? 9. Whether the Ice that floats in the Sea be of Salt Water or fresh? 10. What Rivers there are in the Summer, and what fresh Water can be had? 11. What fowl are found to live there, and what Beasts? How they are thought to subsist in Winter? How they breed and feed their young? 12. What Vegetables grow there, and whether they yield any Flowers or Fruits? &c. 13. Whether there have been any Thunder or Lightning observed in those parts? 14. How deep the Cold penetrates into the Earth? Whether there be any Wells, Pits, or Mines so deep, that the Cold does not touch the bottom thereof? 15. How the Land tends? and whether the Parts under or near the Pole be by those, that have gone farthest that way, thought to be Sea or Land? How near any hath been known to approach the Pole, and whether the Cold increaseth with the increase of Latitude? 16. To make, if possible, some Experiments and Observations about the Magnet or Needle; and particularly, how much the Declination is there? and whether they do exactly observe the Degrees of Declination in their course? Likewise to make Observations about the Height of the Sun, and other Celestial Bodies, and their Diameter, Refractions? &c. 17. What is their opinion concerning the North-east passage? 18. What Fish do most frequent those Seas, besides Whales? Anything observable in their Fishing, as the usual or unusual bigness, strength, and the several sorts of Whales; and particularly to observe whether that kind of Whales they call Trompa, have in their Heads the Sperma Ceti, and in their Entrails the Ambergrise, looking like Cows-dung, as was alledged out of Purchas in Numb. 28. pag. 538? 19. To give in an exact Relation of the Whale-fishing, throwing the Harp-Irons, following the Fish, &c. 20. To describe the whole manner of making the Oyl of Whales. An Account of the SYNOPSIS NOVÆ PHILOSOPHIÆ & MEDICINÆ Francisci Travagini Medici Veneti. Some Months since there were two Letters sent hither from Venice from Signor Franciscus Travagino, giving notice of a Treatise of his ready for the Press, under the Title of NOVA PHILOSOPHIA & MEDICINA. Those Letters came accompanied with a Synopsis in Print, Print, giving a brief Account of the Contents of the said Treatise to this effect, viz. That this Author hath compos'd a System of Natural Philosophy by Observations and Experiments, accommodated to the benefit of Humane Life, and subservient to Physick and other subordinate Arts; which Philosophy he pretends to have raised on Principles that are certain Bodies drawn out of Mixtures; which, though in themselves invisible and incoagulable, yet become, according to him, visible by their Contrariety and mutual Operation upon one another, and so do constitute the Temperaments of Concrete, and cause not only their Dissolution, but also their Redintegration. These Principles he undertakes to prove to be Two Salts, call'd by him Acidum and Saltum; which, as they work more or less on one another, when blended, so they lose more or less of their Volatility, and the degrees of their Contrariety: And from their various Complication (in which he places the whole business and moment of Philosophy) he holds, that that great multiplicity of Concrete, which is in the Universe, does result. In particular, he deduceth from the said Principles the cause of Ferments and their variety, the nature of Generations, Concretions, Putrefactions, Precipitations, &c. and sheweth how those Principles run through all Minerals, Vegetables, and Animals, by their manifold Combinations, and various ways of acting on one another. He explains also the mixtures of Alkali's, Vitriols, Armoniacks, Sulphurs, Mercures, and explicateth the properties of Dissolvents; as also Tafts, Odours, Colours, &c. all from the same Principles. And having raised this Structure of his as far as he judgeth it sufficient for Subordinate Arts, he proceeds to adapt it to the Art of Physick. And applying it to Animal Bodies, he thence draws the diversity of Humours and Tempers, the beginning and duration of Vital Heat, the motion of the Limbs, the faculties of Entrails, the origin, vitality, and properties of the Blood, and the various Fermentations therein; shewing the Distempers of the Ferments and Juices in Animals, the nature of Coagulations, Dissolutions, Fevers, and other Symptoms; as also the original of Poisons in Animal Bodies; concluding with an Indication of the proper Remedies (as he conceives) of many Diseases. Whether this Philosophy be new, is easy to judge. A Note to be inserted above, pag. 544. after line 12. This Rest (by Mr. Hook's suggestion) may be render'd more convenient, if, instead of placing the Screw Horizontal, it be so contriv'd, that it may be laid parallel to the Equinoctial, or to the Diurnal Motion of the Earth; for by that means the same thing may be perform'd by the single motion of one Screw, which in the other way cannot be done but by the turning of both Screws: As will easily appear to those that shall consider it. In the SAVOY, Printed by T. N. for John Martyn, Printer to the Royal Society, and are to be sold at the Bell a little without Temple-Bar, 1667.