An Account of Two Books

Subject; and therefore I shall here conclude this Paper, as soon as I have added this Confirmation, as well of what I last related, as of something that I observed before, That having included in small Receivers two pieces of rotten Whiting, whereof the one, before it was put in, scarce shone so vividly, as did the other after the Receiver was exhausted; and having ordered the matter so, that we were able to keep out the Air for some days, at the end of about 48 hours, we found, that the more strongly shining Body retained yet a deal of Light; but afterwards looking upon them both in a dark place, we could not perceive in either any show of Light. Wherefore having let in the Air into that Receiver, whereinto the Body that at first shined the faintlier had been put, there did not ensue any glimmering of Light for a pretty while: nay, upon the rushing in of the Air into the other Glass (then also made accessible to the Atmosphere) the Body that at first shone so strongly, and that continued to shine so long, shewed no glimmering of Light. But being resolved to expect the issue a while longer, our patience was rewarded within less than a quarter of an hour with the sight of a manifest light in the Body last nam'd, and a while after the other also became visible, but by a Light very dim. The more luminous of these Bodies I observed to retain some Light 24 hours after; and the hitherto recited Experiment had this peculiar Circumstance in it, That the two Receivers were uninterruptedly kept exhausted no less than 4 days, and as many nights. An Account of two Books. I. PARTHOLOGIAE CEREBRI & NERVOSI GENERIS SPECIMEN: In quo agitur de MORBIS CONVULSIVIS & SCORBUTO, studio THOMÆ WILLIS, M.D. What this excellent Author formerly promised of the whole Pathology of Brain and Nerves, he gives in this Book a very considerable Specimen of. The knowledge of the Diseases which use to affect these parts, is esteemed very difficult and intricate, and particularly the true causes of Convulsions are of a very deep search. For the clearing them up, this Author Philosopheth Iosophileth after this manner. He teacheth, that there are indeed Animal Spirits; that they constitute the Being of the Corporeal Soul, and are also the next and immediate Instruments of all Animal motions, producing them by a kind of Explosion or Shooting; upon which Elastick or Explosive Power, he establishes his whole Doctrine of Convulsions. To which, he annexes a Disquisition of the Scurvy, as being near of kin to the same Doctrine, and grounded upon the same Hypothesis. The First Part consists of XII. Chapters. 1. Of Convulsive Motions in general. 2. Of the Epilepsy or Falling-sickness. 3. Of the differences of the Epilepsy, and the Causes of some of the Symptoms thereof; together with a Draught of the method of curing this Disease. 4. Of the other kinds of Convulsions, and particularly of those in Children. 5. Of the Convulsive-fits in grown and aged persons, proceeding chiefly from the vitiated Origin of the Nerves. 6. Of those Convulsive Motions, whose Cause lies about the Extremities of the Nerves, or within the Plexus nervei. 7. Of those that are caused by Liquors, bedewing the nervous Bodies, and irritating the whole processes of them into Convulsions; where are considered the Cramps that arise from Poisons. 8. Of the Universal Convulsions that are wont to be caused in malign, or ill-judged, and some anomalous Fevers; where are described the Epidemical and Malign Convulsive Distempers formerly reigning in some parts of Germany, as also that Epidemical Fever which raged Ann. 1661, in England, and did principally afflict the Brain and Nerves. 9. Of those that proceed from the Scorbutick Disposition of the Nervous Juice. 10. Of Hysterick Passions, where he maketh the Womb plead Not guilty. 11. Of those Passions that are vulgarly called Hypochondriacal, shewing, that they are chiefly Convulsive; where by the by he treateth of Chalybeat Remedies. 12. Of Convulsive Coughs and Asthma's, and their Cure. The Second Part contains XI. Chapters. 1. A Description of the Scurvy; its internal and next Cause to be principally in the Blood, and sometimes in the depraved Juice of the Nerves. 2. Of the remoter Causes of the Scurvy, and whence the Mass of the Blood, and consequently the Nervous Liquor, receive its depravation. 3. Of the Differences of the Scurvy, its Signs and Symptoms, and chiefly such as arise from the Blood being tainted. 4. Of those Accidents which happen in the scurvy, by reason of the Brain and the Nervous Stock being vitiated. 5. Of the Symptoms that arise from the conjoined Distemper of the Blood and the Nervous Juice. 6. Of the Prognosticks of the Scurvy; where he takes notice, that a prevailing Scurvy at last ushers in a Dropsie or a Consumption. 7. Of the Cure of the Scurvy; where, among other Remedies, he mentions several Specifics for this Disease. 8. Of such Medicaments as respect the Scurvy, caused in a hot Constitution, and in a Sulphury-saline Distemper of the Blood. 9. Of the Cure of the various and urging Symptoms of the Scurvy; as, difficult Respiration, Scorbutical Cholick, Fluxes, Giddiness, Hemorrhagies, loose and rotten Gums and Teeth, Pains in all the Limbs; besides the Scorbutick Gout, Convulsions, Palsies, Atrophy, Fever; as also Rheumatisms, Dropsies, and the Noise in the Bones, which some are troubled with in this Disease. 10. Of the Vital Indication, declaring by what Method and Medicines either the fainting Patient may be supported, or his decayed Forces restored; where he discourseth of Cardiacal Opiat Medicines, and of the Diet that is fit for scorbutical persons. 11. Some rare and very considerable Relations and Cases of Scorbutick Men and Women. II. ALPHABETUM NATURÆ, 1667. Authore F.M.B.V. HELMONT. This small Trait (the Subject whereof seems to be new, not treated of hitherto by any we know of in Print) is publish'd both in the Latin and German Tongue, but came to our hands in the latter only; a Latin Copy, designed designed for us before, having miscarried at Sea, which we have not been able hitherto to get supply'd, because of the scarcity of the Copies of that Edition, as it was signified to us from Amsterdam. It is divided into three parts: The First, in five Dialogues, treateth, 1. Of the motions and configurations of the Mouth of Man; and how a Man, born deaf, and consequently dumb, may come to understand both them, and by them the mind of him that forms them; where 'tis observ'd, that a Man born deaf is not altogether destitute of all motion of his Tongue, and that he may be taught to understand others by the motions of the Mouth and Tongue, much after the manner as others are taught to read; but that this is much more easily practicable in those wide-mouth'd Languages, which do remarkably expose to the Eye the motions of the Tongue, Lips, Throat, &c. than in those that are narrow-mouth'd, and require but very slight motions of the Lips and the other Organs of Speech. To which is annexed, a method suitable to that Principle, of teaching deaf and dumb Men to speak; together with an Example of a Musician, who being altogether deaf, and weak-sighted withall, was by the Author brought so far in the space of three weeks, that he was able to answer to all that was spoken to him, provided it were done slowly, and with a well-open'd Mouth; who also afterwards by himself, as soon as he had by this very way learned to know the Letters, and to read, did, by confronting only the German and Hebrew Bibles, learn in a short time the Hebrew Tongue so well, that now he understands the whole Hebrew Bible. 2. Of the Proprieties of the Hebrew Tongue. How the Letters thereof are meet representations of the motions of the Mouth? How the Hebrew Alphabet may be described (as 'tis done here) by representing the Letters thereof in the mouths of so many pictured Mens heads? How this Alphabet is to be compared with other ways of Writing? To which is added, a disquisition concerning the true ancient manner of Writing, and the original of other ways, and how the true way may be found out, and how much the Names of the Letters conduce thereunto? 3. Of the Nature and Properties of the Tongue of Man. Where, first, is considered the Speech of young Children, how and in what order that is made; then, the requisiteness of the change of Tone to Speech; and how by the various openings of the Mouth and the Teeth, that change is caused. After which, the Author proceeds to the description of the Tongue, Windpipe, Larynx, Epiglottis; where he not only shews, how by a peculiar use of the Epiglottis one may come to speak inwardly, as do the Ventriloqui, by attracting the Breath, and without opening the Mouth; but annexeth also divers Rules concerning the Motions of the Tongue, observing especially the perpetual concord of the Mouth and Tongue in their motions, and the representation of the Tongue's motion, requisite for every Letter, in the Image and Figure of such Letter. 4. Of the Breath of Man, its quality, and its necessity for the forming of the Voice. Where he shews, how by inspiring, the Breath is distributed through the Lungs (the nature of which he also describes), and how the same circulates through the whole Body. 5. Of the Animation of the Voice of Man by his Masculine and Generative Power. Where he discourses of the difficulty found in little Children, to pronounce certain Letters; and also of the weakness of the Voice in Children and Eunuchs. So much of the first Part. The second Part, in one Dialogue, gives an account, How the Motions and Configurations of the Mouth, and the Framing of the Voice, are represented in the Hebrew Alphabet (for, to this Tongue the Author confines himself; but with what reason, the Intelligent Reader of the Book itself may judge:) explaining the Sound of each Letter, the Motion of the Tongue accompanying the Sound, and the Figure of the Letter, resulting from thence; together with each Letter's name, signification, and aptitude, to form the next following Letter. Which done, he proceeds to shew, how the Vowels are formed by the different Openings of the Mouth and Teeth; so that to every Vowel belongs a peculiar dimension of Wideness in the Mouth: And according to the shape of the outward Mouth, the Tongue and Breath are conformably moved within. To which are added, the Names of the Vowels, and their Figures; their absence in most ancient Writings, and the several places in the Mouth for their formation. All which is concluded partly with a deduction of the Cause, why the Hebrew Tongue is written from the Right hand to the Left? partly, with an Explanation of the method used to compose out of such Letters and Language a Grammar, viz. by comparing the Consonants with one another, and the Vowels as well with one another as with the Consonants; forasmuch as the nature of one being well considered with respect to the other, 'tis not difficult to judge, how they agree or disagree together: Whence Rules may be formed, how and why this or that Letter or Vowel is to be changed into another, &c. The third Part treateth of the perfection of the Hebrew Tongue; wherein it consists, and how highly 'tis to be valued: To which is subjoyn'd, first, a disquisition of Reason, why the Radical Words in the Hebrew Tongue can consist of no more than three Consonants? Secondly, a Discourse touching the Hebrew Accents, shewing, that 'tis a new Invention, and that the ancient Art of Musick being lost; and consequently to us unknown, the modern Hebrew Accents cannot reasonably be said to have been the Musical Notes of the Ancients, since especially all sorts of Hebrew Books, and even their Chapters are marked therewith; though the Author acknowledges, that the newness deprives them not of the advantage of being useful. 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.