A Letter to the President of the Royal Society, from Frank Nicholls, M. D. F. R. S. Giving an Account of a Polypus, Resembling a Branch of the Pulmonary Vein, Coughed up by an Asthmatic Person

Eclipses of the fourth Satellite for the Year 1732. D. H. M. S. January 15 at 11 59 52* an Immersion. at 13 59 54* an Emission. After which Time the Satellite will pass wide of the Shadow of Jupiter; and there will be no more Eclipses till the Beginning of the Year 1734. IV. A Letter to the President of the Royal Society, from Frank Nicholls, M.D. F.R.S. giving an Account of a Polypus, resembling a Branch of the Pulmonary Vein, coughed up by an asthmatic Person. SIR, Nicholas Tulpius, in the 7th Observation of his second Book, presents us with the Case of a Man who, with a large Effusion of Blood, threw up, by coughing, two Branches of the Pulmonary Vein, six Inches long, with their several Ramifications, freed from the Trachea and Substance of the Lungs, as if dissected by the most accurate Anatomist. This Case he observes to be very extraordinary, and not to be parallell'd in the Writings of physical Authors. A little Acquaintance with the Structure of the Lungs sufficiently evinces the Impossibility of the Fact, as there stated; wherefore (not doubting the Veracity of the Author) I always believed him to be deceived by a *Polypus* of the Vein, which might be cough'd up in the Manner by him described. But the following Case will give another Light to this Affair. *July* the 18th 1730, I was consulted by Mr. ——— of Black Friars, on Behalf of his Brother, living in Essex, who was asthmatic, and cough'd up Phlegm resembling Worms; to remedy which, I directed the Use of a *Lac Ammoniacum* with Squills; from the Use of which he expectorated more easily, but continued still to cough up the same Substances. The 11th Instant, on the Road to London, he was seized with a Shivering, and pleuretic Pains; a white Tongue, hard and quick Pulse, &c. By repeated Bleeding his Pains decreased, but the Cough remained more violent than usual. On examining the expectorated Phlegm (which was tinged with Blood) I found it fibrous, and (when expanded in Water) exactly resembling the Vessels in the Lungs. These Substances are as tough as the Coats of the Veins, and (like them) hollow. Mr. —— has cough'd up more or less of them every Day, for seven Years; sometimes perfectly white, and sometimes tinged with Blood: Notwithstanding which, he has had no other Complaint, has had a good Appetite, and Colour, and a greater Share of Fat than any Man would choose. The Specimen here shewn (as in Fig. 1.) was expectorated, when I was present, the 16th Instant. It nearly resembles the first Draught of *Tulpius*, and is no more than a viscid Phlegm, secreted by the relaxed Glands of of the Trachea, and afterwards concreted by the Heat of the Part. As this may serve to explain the remarkable Case of Tulpius, so I thought it worth being communicated to the Society. I am, With great Respect, Your very humble Servant, Frank Nicholls. June 17. 1731. V. An Account of an Experiment explaining a mechanical Paradox, viz. that two Bodies of equal Weight suspended on a certain sort of Balance [as in Tab. Fig. 2.] do not lose their Æquilibrium, by being removed one farther from, the other nearer to the Center. By the Rev. T. J. Desaguliers, L. L. D. & F. R. S. Proposition. If the two Weights P, W, in Fig. 3. hang at the Ends of the Balance A B, whose Center of Motion is C; those Weights will act against each other (because their Directions are contrary) with Forces made up of the Quantity of Matter in each multiplied by its Velocity; that is, by the Velocity which the Motion of the Balance turning about C will give to the Body suspended. Now the Velocity of an heavy Body is its perpendicular Ascent or Descent, as will appear