An Account of Books

VII. An Account of BOOKS. ΠΥΡΕΤΟΛΟΓΙΑ: Seu Exercitationes de Morbis Universalibus Acutis Authore Richardo Morton Med. D. Regii Collegii Medic. Lond. Socio & Censore. Lond. in 8°. 1692. The Doctor knowing well, that Indications in the Cure of Diseases cannot but be uncertain, if they are not founded upon an accurate Knowledge of their true Cause, which (at least in the universal Diseases) cannot be clearly discerned, unless the Origination, Situation, Structure and mutual Connexion of the Parts affected be also understood, shews in his Preliminary Discourse, that the Brain is the part which is first formed in the whole Body; then gives an account of its Substance, and how all the parts, whether Membranes, Muscles, Vessels, Viscera, Tendons, Cartilages or Bones are derived from it, and are Continuations of it, and are actuated and enabled to perform all their several Functions by Animal Spirits which they receive from thence. From whence he is induc'd to believe, that not only Cephalick Diseases, but all universal Distempers Acute or Chronic, are primarily occasion'd by these Animal Spirits when they are disorder'd, and their Oeconomy perverted by an extraneous and disagreeable Ferment, by which the Blood and the rest of the Humours are afterwards corrupted; and that therefore in the Cure of Universal Diseases, the principal Indications ought to be taken from the Disorders of the Spirits, and not not from the Corruption of the Humours; tho he denies not that the Indications arising from the Corruption of the Humours may also have their use. In order to establish his Hypothesis, he demonstrates the following Lemma's, That there are really such things as Animal Spirits, where he enumerates all their known Properties: That some of these Spirits are contain'd in every minute Fibre: That they flow from the Brain as Rays from the Sun, and that the Brain is as it were their great Cistern, and the Nerves the Pipes by which they are convey'd to the other parts: That they are the first Principle of Action, and do in divers manners agitate and operate upon the Humours: That they are intimately united to the Blood; and here he takes occasion to prove by many Arguments, That the Blood in its Circulation passes through the Habit of the Body between the Extremities of the Arteries and Capillary Veins: That these Spirits may be several ways vitiated, without any antecedent Corruption of the Humours; and tho the Blood out of which the Spirits are made should be antecedently corrupted, yet the universal Disease can't be said to be begun till the Spirits are infected: That the Blood and Humours are alter'd and corrupted by the Diseases of the Spirits, which he proves by several remarkable Instances, and shews how a Distemper in a particular part, as Consumption, &c. becomes an universal Disease. Then he proves by many cogent Arguments, that all universal Diseases, whether primarily such, or occasion'd by the disaffection of a particular part, do immediately arise from the Spirits, and that the Sympathy of one part with another, and the Translation of a Disease from one part to another can't otherwise be explained, and that some peculiar Dyscrasy's of the Spirits are the Causes of the Distempers even of particular parts, and that the Specifics us'd in their Cure have have not respect to the part affected, but to the particular Dyscrasy of the Spirits. After a short Account of Universal Diseases in general, he treats of the Nature of Acute Fevers, and calls the Ferment which occasions them a Poyson, which he proves to be of a very subtile Texture, tho we can't have any perception of it by any of our Senses; and therefore he forbears to give any particular Description of it, but goes on, and shews how clearly the Symptoms of Acute Fevers (which all proceed either from the oppression of the Spirits, or a greater degree of Elasticity which They acquire from the Imitation of the Poyson) may be explain'd by his Hypothesis. Accordingly, he tells us how it comes to pass, that Coldness of the external Parts, a quick and weak Pulse, and irregular Respiration accompany the first Insults of Fevers, and that he once at least hath known the Blood Actually cold in the beginning of the Distemper. He also gives the Reason of the Drowsiness, Lassitude, Shaking, Trembling, Tossing, Yauning, Giddiness, Sickness at Stomach which accompany the first Stage, and why a new Fit of Cold and Shaking (if the Fever be not intermitting) should portend so much Danger as it doth. Then lays down the Indications which arise from these Symptoms, and treats of all the other Stages of the Distemper in the same manner. He takes notice how it comes to pass that Rheumatical Pains remove from place to place; and omits not those Symptoms which are in the Humours, namely, the Symptom of Cholera Morbus, Diarrhoea, Vomiting, Thirst, Dryness of the Skin, Redness and Thickness of Urine, &c. Now the Cause of this Fever being a Poyson from whence all these Symptoms have their Original, it ought to be cur'd by its proper Antidote. He informs us also what is to be done when the Antidote will not take place; and when he discourses of the Crisis of these Fevers, he observes that Sweats are not the Crisis itself, but a sign of of the Crisis, and gives the reason why immoderate Heat is a great hindrance of Sweating as well as Cold. He says but little of the *Febris Ephemeris*, which is the only Fever which arises from an evident Cause alone, as Motion, Heat, Intemperance, &c. This may degenerate into an Intermittent or Malignant Fever, and hath no Pathognomonic Sign by which it is distinguish'd from other Fevers besides its Duration, and hath but one Indication. When he comes to speak of Intermittent Fevers, he gives us another Argument to prove their Cause is a Poison, and that is, because it produces the same Symptoms which other Poisons do, to wit, Faintness, Vomiting, Universal Sickness, Spasmodick Pains, &c. But this is so mild a Poison, that the Animal Spirits are rather vex'd and irritated, than destroy'd by it, and by their own Elasticity rid themselves of it in a short time. This Poison, he says, cannot be lodg'd in any part of the Body, except in the Fibres, because the whole Body being vascular, the Blood circulating perpetually thro' all the parts, would otherwise be put into a continued Feverish Commotion; but in the Fibrous Filaments it is at liberty to put the Spirits into Periodical Explosions. Speaking of the Procatarctic Causes of Intermittent Fevers, he acquaints us how they come to be Endemic in some places, and why those who seem equally liable to this Distemper from the evident Causes of it, are not equally seized with it. Then he solves the *Phænomena* of the Symptoms with great Perspicuity, discourses of the Duration of this Fever, and shews, that the *Cortex Peruv. is not the occasion of the frequent Returns of this Disease, and proves that the Ferments of Quotidian, Tertian and Quartan Intermittents are not specifically different.* He thinks it not worth his while to enumerate the Diagnostics of this Disease when it is regular and genuine; but because it is often so obscure by the Violence of some particular Symptom, that it is frequently mistaken for some other Disease, as Head-ach, Apoplexy, Colic, Pleurisy, Cholera Morbus, Diarrhoea, Dysentery, &c. He reckons up the several Distempers which it so exactly imitates, and teaches us how to distinguish it from them, which is chiefly to be done by the Colour and Contents of the Urine, and the Periodical Exacerbation of the Symptoms. In his Chapter of Prognostics he observes, that no body dies of an Intermittent but in the Cold Fit. That the Symptoms are often of more dangerous consequence than the Poison itself. That an Emetic, or sometimes some slight Remedies given before the Third Fit often cure the Disease; but if the Fever hangs long upon the Patient, it is often turn'd into a Continu'd Fever, or produces Chronical Distempers, which will not be cur'd without the use of the Cortex Peruvi, with several other remarkable things, of all which he gives the Reason. In the Chapter of the Intentions of Cure, he lays down two Indications, one in the Fit, and another in the lucid Interval; and tells us how and why Blood-letting, Emetics, Purges, Opiates, Diaphoretics are so often very injurious to the Patient. Then he describes the Method to be taken when Intermittents lie hid under the shapes of other Diseases. He observes by the by, that when this Fever is accompanied with an Efflorescens like that of an Erysipelas, or Scarlet Fever, it is also joyn'd with a Periodical Diarrhoea, or Cholera Morbus. He gives the reason how it came to pass, that the Ancients were so absurd in the Cure of this Fever, and how Specifics were brought in request; and here he treats of all the known Specifics, as Amulets, Pericarpia, Infusion of Crocus Metallorum, Diaphoretic Antimony, Salt of Wormwood, Bitters, &c. and shews their uncertainty; and communicates the Receipt of a Powder, with which he hath cur'd some Intermittents, which would not yield to the Cortex Peruvi, which Cortex he considers in two whole Chapters. In the first of which is contain'd the Natural History of this Bark, the Name of the Tree, the time of its coming into use in Europe, and how the Europeans came to the knowledge of it. It seems it met with great opposition when it was first brought into use at London; and some Physicians cry'd it down because it perform'd the Cure (as they thought) too soon; others, because they could not reconcile the manner of its Operation to their Hypothesis and Doctrine of Humours, declaim'd against it as a Medicine too hot or too dry, or some way or other not qualify'd for the purpose. Some Foreigners indeed defended it, and maintained that it had Qualities, such as Heat, Tenuity of Parts, &c. by which it might well enough effect the Cure of Agues: But our Author concludes, that it cures them, not as it is hot or dry, or possessed of any other Qualities; to which purpose he gives an Instance of a Fruit in Sardinia, that hath the same degrees of Heat and Siccity with the Cortex, which creates a Tertian as certainly as the Cortex cures it; and therefore the Arguments for or against the Cortex taken from its manifest Qualities, are in his Opinion of no Validity. After he hath answer'd the Objections and Calumnies of abundance of Foreign Authors against this Medicine, he declares that he hath never in 25 years Observation seen any ill effect of the Cortex, only a small temporary Deafness, which vanished upon the Omission of the Medicine. But if the Patient hath a great Antipathy to the Bark, it sometimes causes Vomiting and Fainting, and so does Honey, and several other very innocent things when they meet with a peculiar Idiosyncrasy. The Author considers in the next place, how the Cortex performs this Cure, and makes it appear that that the several Solutions which have been given of this Phænomenon hitherto, are insufficient; then discourses of the Nature of Poisons and Antidotes, and the manner of their Operation; and shews that Fevers have manifest Symptoms of Poison accompanying them, and such as would be produc'd by Arsenic, Mercury, Colocynthis, or some other known Poison, and then concludes that the Cortex cures Them, as other Antidotes do other Poisons, and waves any farther nice Speculations concerning the manner of its Operation, which he knows can be but meer Guesses and Conjectures, and is contented to give an undeniable Proof that it is an Antidote: Among other Arguments to that purpose, he thinks the smallness of the Dose in which he gave it when it came over unadulterated, before the Merchants were sensible of its Value, and before Talbor knew it or made use of it, may pass for One; and the Performance of the Cure without any Evacuation, for another. He deduceth some Coralleries from what he hath said on that Subject, and by the by teacheth us how External Medicines conduce toward the cure of Fevers; then proceeds in the next Chapter to give the Marks of the true and genuine Bark, because that of the Shops is generally adulterated, and sets down several Forms in which he gives it, with this Remark, That it must be given always in Substance, because the Chymical Preparations of it are scarce ever found to have any Efficacy; and subjoins several Rules, which, if well observ'd, may prevent the return of the Disease. The Histories in the 9th Chapter, which confirm all that he hath laid down in the preceding Treatise, are not of Regular intermitting Fevers cur'd by the Cortex, it being granted that Agues are daily so cur'd, but of such as were conceal'd under the Symptoms of other Diseases, as Colic, Apoplexy, Rheumatism, Peripneumony, Universal Spasm, &c. which is a Work of great moment in the Practice of Physick, and was never undertaken by any other. Among those Histories is one very remarkable of an Intermittent, which was partly occasion'd by the Stone of the Kidneys; and Three, of Patients which he cur'd with his own Specific when the Cortex would not prevail, and in these Histories he is very punctual and exact, and sets down all the particulars that were any way material in this method of Cure. The Second Exercitation begins with a general Discourse of continued Fevers, whose Ferment is in a higher degree Venomous than the Ferment of the Intermittents, and therefore the Spirits cannot cast it off entirely at once, but are always in a Feverish Commotion. If the Spirits in every Conflict gain ground of the Poyson, tho never so little, the Fever is a Remittent; but when the Poyson is in the highest degree venomous, the Spirits are siderated in some measure from the very beginning, and the Fever thereby occasion'd is continual, without any remission and malignant, because the Poyson is equal if not superior to the Spirits. The Venom therefore of these Fevers differs only in degree, and Malignant Fevers often-times are changed into Remittent, and Remittent into Malignant: And it is very well worth Observation, that Epidemical Fevers, tho highly malignant, have a manifest Remission on the Third Day, sometimes also on the Fifth and the Seventh; and when they draw towards a good Crisis, and the Spirits begin to be expanded, remit again at set times. Hence it is to be concluded, that a Remitting Fever is not fatal, unless it be accompany'd with some Symptomatical Inflammation or Colligation. How the Poyson in the Remittent Fever comes to produce these Symptoms is here shewed by the Author. Continued Malignant Fevers he reserves for a Fifth Exercitation. After this he comes to discourse of Remitting Fevers in particular, which he divides into Genuine and Spurious. By Spurious Remittents he means those which are accompany'd with some violent Symptom; then he gives a Description of the Disease and its ordinary Symptoms, and a very good Reason why every Exacerbation of a Remitting Fever doth not begin with Cold and Shivering as the Paroxism of an Ague doth. The Diagnostic of this Fever when it is regular are taken from the Exacerbations and Remissions, the Pulse, the Colour of the Urine and Periodical Sweats; but when it is Spurious, it is very difficult to discern what Distemper it is, for the Violence of the Symptoms make the Fever scarce perceptible. Here therefore the Author teacheth us how to distinguish it, and observeth that the Symptoms in this case are always such, as argue the strength and vigour of the Spirits, tho they are in part opprest'd with the Poyson; and particularly, that an Efflorescence like an Erysipelas about the Nose and Lips (when it happens) is a certain mark of this Distemper. Then he speaks of the Evident Cause of this Fever, which he finds to be the Atmosphere; and that therefore this Distemper is constant and Endemical in some places, and in almost all places Epidemical in the Autumn. The Prognostics are these which follow, and several others: The Remitting Fever before it becomes fatal is always turned into a continued Fever without Remission, and is very apt to degenerate into it about the state of the Disease, especially if the Symptoms are suppress'd rashly and without good Caution. The Spurious Remittent is not more fatal than the Simple in its own Nature, but on the Account of its Symptoms. A Remittent sometime after the state of the Disease turns into an Intermittent, which is very apt to return, and very hard to be cur'd. The Crisis of this Fever when left to Nature is tedious and uncertain. The Cortex makes as certain certain a Cure in the Remittent Fever as in the Intermittent, but in the Spurious Remittent it hath not its Effect so soon. This Fever cur'd with the Cortex is apt to return in the shape of an Intermittent; but when it is cur'd by Nature, the Patient seldom hath a Relapse. No critical Solution of this Fever is certain but Sweating and Salivating. The strength of the Pulse is always a good secure sign, tho the Symptoms seem terrible and dangerous. Almost all Epidemical, Autumnal and Camp-Fevers are either Genuine or Spurious Remittents. There is but one thing Indicated in this Fever, that is the Correction, or rather Abolition of the Poyson, which occasions all the Tumult; unless the Spirits are put into Explosions, or the Humours colliquated, or the Fever inclining to Malignancy; for in these cases there arise several Indications. But because this Poyson is not always extinguish'd by the same means, but sometimes by its proper Antidote, sometimes by the natural and repeated Expansion of the Spirits. Our Author shews what is to be done when the Distemper is left to Nature; and tho he looks upon that to be a very uncertain way of Cure, yet he lays down the Rules to be observ'd in this Rational Method, by which if a Physician be guided, he shall do nothing that is absurd or Empirical; and therefore gives a Description of the Disease, and its several Stages when it is left wholly to its self, and the Reasons of its Symptoms. For instance, Why the Lassitude, Soreness, Head-ach and Pains, whether fixt or moveable, vanish of their own accord in the state of the Fever, whatever its Event is like to be: How the several Stages come to be of an uncertain Duration, and longer and shorter as the Spirits are stronger or weaker, &c. He shews the Faults or Mistakes and ill Practice of three sorts of Men in this Rational Cure, namely, of the Ancients, of the Modern Chymists, of the Surgeons and Apothec- Apothecaries; then lays down his own Scheme of Practice according to his own Hypothesis, and descends to every particular Symptom, and shews in what manner it is to be dealt withal: And here he takes occasion to discourse particularly of the use of Alcalies, Vesicatories, Suppedanea and Pidgeons, or part of Animals apply'd outwardly to any part of the Body, of Alexipharmicks and Opiates. But tho the Author hath done several Cures this Rational way, yet considering its tediousness and uncertainty, and the Proclivity of the Fever itself to degenerate into a Malignant, and the several other Inconveniences of this Method, he hath treated it for several Years after the other Method, which he is just going to describe. When the Remittent is Genuine, the Antidote is to be given as soon as the Fever remits; and there is nothing else needful; for when the Poyson which is the Fuel of the Fever is taken away, the Flame must necessarily go out. But if the Fever be permitted to encrease till it is ready to turn malignant, or hath its Type almost lost and disguis'd by the violence of some Symptom; after Blood-letting, &c. the Spirits must be erected with Theriacal Bolus's and Vesicatories, and then the Anditote will take place. If the Patient is inclin'd to vomit, and cannot retain this unpalatable Medicine, the Tone of the Stomach must first be corroborated, and the Acrimony of its Ferment softned and rebated, and then some Laudanum must be mixt with the Antidote. The Author takes notice also how a Symptomatical Diarrhoea, or Cholera, and the Symptoms of Inflammation and Explosion are to be manag'd; and observes, That when this Fever is accompany'd with Inflammation, it will not be cur'd without quantities of the Cortex larger than ordinary; and that when it is joyn'd with Explosion of the Spirits, those Spasms will not be quieted with an ordinary Dose of Laudanum, but require that it should be administered in great quantities, and be often repeated; but the Fever itself must always be cur'd with the Cortex. When a Remitting Fever is turning Malignant, the Cortex is still to be used as long as the Patient can bear it; but unless the Spirits are raised by Epispastics and Alexipharmicks to a degree of Vigour fit to actuate and guide the Antidote, the Antidote must needs be useless. To this Treatise the Author subjoins several select Histories of Spurious Remittents, some of which degenerated into Malignant Fevers, the better to illustrate his Hypothesis, and to confirm the admirable use and virtue of the Cortex. He concludes his Book with a Compendious History of this Remitting Fever from the Year 1658. to the Year 1692. in which it is very observable that the great Plague in 1665. (of which here is a brief Account) did not quite obliterate this Fever; and that when Dysenteries reign'd so much in London from 1666. till 1672. the Flux and the Gripings were only Symptomatical, but the Disease itself a Remitting Fever, and was successfully cur'd by the Cortex mixt with Laudanum. Here is likewise an History of the Measles, which were Epidemical in the Autumn 1672. which very much resembled a Remitting Fever, and in some cases admitted of the use of the Cortex: But he says little upon that Subject, desiring, as soon as his other Employments will give him leave to publish an entire Treatise of the Measles, Scarlet Fever, Small Pox, and other Inflammatory Fevers, in which he hath already made good Progress. Catalogus Plantarum Horti Academicici Argentinensis, in usum rei Herbariae Studiosorum, Adcurante Marco Mappo Med. Doctore & Professore Seniore, & Archiatro Argentinensi Argentorati apud Jo. Fredericum Spoor, 1691. in 12°. The Author in his Preface tells us, that Physicians have been obliged of late very much to enlarge their Enquiries, beyond what in times past was customary with them: So that it is now required of them not only to make a more exact Search into the Mysteries of the Parts and Humours of Humane Bodies by Anatomy into Cosmetics, they being frequently advised with on their uses, but also to remedy the Body even after Death, by teaching to embalm and preserve the same. Amongst these Studies is the knowledge of Exotick Plants, which has receiv'd very considerable Accessions by Physicians and Apothecaries, whom Necessity forcing to the knowledge of the parts of their own, and Exotic Plants in common and ordinary use, they are thereby help'd to judge of the Virtues of others of the same kind coming from abroad: And seeing this Study is very large, those who are addicted to it ought to be very thankful to any, who by their provident Care and Charges furnish their Gardens with the most elegant Plants of Asia, Africa, America, or distant places of Europe, amongst which this Garden of Strasbourg our Author gives the Catalogue of, is one. He publishes this Catalogue on two Accounts; the first and chief of which is for the keeping a mutual Commerce between the Author and those who keep A a. Gardens Gardens of the same kind, for the furnishing others with what he has, and being supplied with what he wants from them. The other reason is, the use of those who design to attain to the Knowledge of Plants, on whose Account he has only given (for the most part) one single Name, he observing that the multitude of Names given the same Plant by several Authors, in differing Kingdoms, having respect to their various Properties, Forms, Virtues and lesser Accidents, has given great disturbance to the Learners: On which score this Author almost only uses the Names of Caspar Bauhin in his Pinax and Dr. Herman's Catalogue of the Garden of Leyden, preferring the Names given by Caspar Bauhin, being now commonly used by most Herbalists, even before those very long Names who are since given them, for very small reasons, in place of his. For the Plants not known in Bauhin's time he uses the Names in Dr. Herman's Catalogue, as well as for those whose Names are to be reform'd, to which he subjoins Bauhin's Name likewise. The Book itself gives the Names of the Plants in the Garden Alphabetically, wherein are some curious Plants gathered from near home and from far, amongst which are few Non-descripts, or such as have not been taken notice of by other Writers, some of which may perhaps be Varieties, as may be seen more at large in the Book. Stephani Chauvini Lexicon Rationale, sive The- saurus Philosophicus, &c. Retorodami, in Folio, 1692. This Philosophical Dictionary is contrived in an Al- phabetical Order, and is intended by the Author as a Key to Philosophy, discovering what may be known by the Light of Nature, expounding the Philosophical Terms, and their various Acceptations according to the Ancient and Modern Opinions: It will be sufficient to inform the Reader, that he explains Words relating to Logic, Natural and Moral Philosophy: especially such as cause the greatest Contests in the Schools both of the Ancients and Moderns. Amongst them are interspersed Astronomical, Optical, Mechanical, Chymical, and Physico-Mathematical Words, chiefly such as explain Bodies and their several Affections; the whole is rendered the more intelligible by several Schemes contained in 30 Folio Plates, exhibiting to the Readers view the several Hypotheses, with the Structures of very many Instruments and Machines, as Barometers, Thermometers, Hygrometers, Telescopes and Microscopes, made use of by the late Inquisitive Age in searching deeper into the nature of Bodies. As a Spec- imen, I shall present the Reader with an Abstract of what he writes of the Telescope. First, He gives the Definition, Use and Effects thereof; proceeding to seve- ral sorts, he describes the common one made with a Convex Object-Lens and Concave Eye-glass, the Astro- nomical Telescope, with two Convex Lens, another with two Convexes and a Concave. The Terrestrial Telescope, with three Convexes, and two others with four Convexes; of each of these he gives the Schemes and demonstrates their Effects. ERRATA in some former Numbers of these Tracts. Numb. 192 Page 462, line 4. dele five. p. 489. l. 25. dele him. No. 194. p. 544. l. 5. r. sepe. p. 554. l. 6. for Brack r. Back. No. 195. p. 565. l. 12. r. 163. p. 568. l. 13. for more r. move. No. 196. p. 584. l. penult. r. Chartula. p. 587. l.4. r. notin. p. 589. & 590. in Marg. r: Fig. 3. p. 593. l. 6. r. Animalcules. LONDON: Printed for S. Smith and B. Walford, Printers to the Royal Society, at the Princes Arms in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1693.