Part 28

I am of your _Authors_ mind, That _heat is not the cause of digestion_; but I dissent from him, when he says, That it is _the Ferment of the stomach that doth cause it_: For, in my opinion, Digestion is onely made by regular digestive motions, and ill digestion is caused by irregular motions, and when those motions are weak, then there is no digestion at all, but what was received, remains unaltered; but when they are strong and quick, then they make a speedy digestion. You may ask me, what are digestive motions? I answer, They are transchanging, or transforming motions: but since there be many sorts of transchanging motions, digestive motions are those, which transchange food into the nourishment of the body, and dispose properly, fitly and usefully of all the Parts of the food, as well of those which are converted into nourishment, as of those which are cast forth. For give me leave to tell you, _Madam_, that some parts of natural Matter, do force or cause other parts of Matter to move and work according to their will, without any change or alteration of their parts; as for example, Fire and Metal; for Fire will cause Metal to flow, but it doth not readily alter it from its nature of being Metal; neither doth Fire alter its nature from being Fire. And again, some parts of Matter will cause other parts to work and act to their own will, by forcing these over-powred parts to alter their own natural motions into the motions of the victorious Party, and so transforming them wholly into their own Figure; as for example, Fire will cause Wood to move so as to take its figure, to wit, the figure of Fire, that is, to change its own figurative motions into the motions of Fire: and this latter kind of moving or working is found in digestion; for the regular digestive motions do turn all food received from its own nature or figure, into the nourishment, figure, or nature of the body, as into flesh, blood, bones, and the like. But when several parts of Matter meet or joyn with equal force and power, then their several natural motions are either quite altered, or partly mixt: As for example; some received things not agreeing with the natural constitution of the body, the corporeal motions of the received, and those of the receiver, do dispute or oppose each other: for the motions of the received, not willing to change their nature conformable to the desire of the digestive motions, do resist, and then a War begins, whereby the body suffers most; for it causes either a sickness in the stomack, or a pain in the head, or in the heart, or in the bowels, or the like: Nay, if the received food gets an absolute victory, it dissolves and alters oftentimes the whole body, it self remaining entire and unaltered, as is evident in those that die of surfeits. But most commonly these strifes and quarrels, if violent, do alter and dissolve each others forms or natures. And many times it is not the fault of the Received, but of the Receiver; as for example, when the digestive and transforming motions are either irregular, or weak; for they being too weak, or too few, the meat or food received is digested onely by halves; and being irregular, it causes that which we call corruption. But it may be observed, that the Received food is either agreeable, or disagreeable, to the Receiver; if agreeable, then there is a united consent of Parts, to act regularly and perfectly in digestion; if disagreeable, then the Received acts to the Ruine, that is, to the alteration or dissolution of the Nature of the Receiver; but if it be neutral, that is, neither perfectly agreeable, nor perfectly disagreeable, but between both, then the receiver, or rather the digestive Motions of the receiver, use a double strength to alter and transform the received. But you may ask me, _Madam_, what the reason is, that many things received, after they are dissolved into small parts, those parts will keep their former colour and savour? I answer; The cause is, that either the retentive Motions in the Parts of the received, are too strong for the digestive and alterative Motions of the receiver, or perchance, this colour and savour is so proper to them, as not to be transchanged: but you must observe, that those digestive, alterative and transchanging motions, do not act or move all after one and the same manner; for some do dissolve the natural figure of the received, some disperse its dissolved parts into the parts of the body, some place the dispersed parts fitly and properly for the use, benefit, and consistence of the body; for there is so much variety in this one act of digestion, as no man is able to conceive; and if there be such variety in one Particular natural action, what variety will there not be in all Nature? Wherefore, it is not, as I mentioned in the beginning, either Ferment, or Heat, or any other thing, that causes digestion; for if all the constitution and nature of our body was grounded or did depend upon Ferment, then Brewers and Bakers, and those that deal with Ferments, would be the best Physicians. But I would fain know the cause which makes Ferment? You may say, saltness, and sowreness. But then I ask, From whence comes saltness and sowreness? You may say, From the Ferment. But then I shall be as wise as before. The best way, perhaps, may be to say, with your _Author_, that Ferment is a Primitive Cause, and a beginning or Principle of other things, and it self proceeds from nothing. But then it is beyond my imagination, how that can be a Principle of material things, which it self is nothing; that is, neither a substance, nor an accident. Good Lord! what a stir do men make about nothing! I am amazed to see their strange Fancies and Conceptions vented for the Truest Reasons: Wherefore I will return to my simple opinion; and as I cannot conceive any thing that is beyond Matter, or a Body; so I believe, according to my reason, that there is not any part in Nature, be it never so subtil or small, but is a self-moving substance, or endued with self-motion; and according to the regularity and irregularity of these motions, all natural effects are produced, either perfect, or imperfect; timely births, or untimely and monstrous births; death, health, and diseases, good and ill dispositions, natural and extravagant Appetites and Passions, (I say natural, that is, according to the nature of their figures;) Sympathy and Antipathy, Peace and War, Rational and Phantastical opinions. Nevertheless, all these motions, whether regular or irregular, are natural; for regularity and irregularity hath but a respect to particulars, and to our conceptions, because those motions which move not after the ordinary, common or usual way or manner, we call Irregular. But the curiosity and variety in Nature is unconceiveable by any particular Creature; and so leaving it, I rest,

Madam,

_Your faithful Friend_

_and Servant._

XXX.

_MADAM,_

Your _Author_ says,[1] it is an ancient Truth, _That whatsoever things, meats being digested and cast out by vomit, are of a sowre taste and smell, yea, although they were seasoned with much sugar._ But I do not assent to this opinion; for I think that some Vomits have no more taste then pure Water hath. Neither am I of his mind, That _Digestion is hastened by sharpness or tartness:_ For do but try it by one simple experiment; take any kind of flesh-meat, boyl or stew it with Vinegar, or sowre wine, or with much salt; and you will find, that it doth require a longer time, or rather more motions to dissolve, then if you boyl it in fair water, without such ingredients as are sowre, sharp, or salt; also if you do but observe, you will find the dregs more sandy, stony and hard, being drest with much salt, and sharp wine, or vinegar, then when they are not mixt with such contracting and fixing Ingredients. Wherefore, if the Ferment of the stomack hath such a restringent and contracting quality, certainly digestions will be but slow and unprofitable; but Nature requires expulsion as much as attraction, and dilation as much as contraction, and digestion is a kind of dilation. Wherefore, in my judgment; contracting tartness and sharpness doth rather hinder digestion then further it. Next I perceive, your _Author_ inclines to the opinion, _That Choler is not made by meat_:[2] But I would ask him, whether any humor be made of meat, or whether blood, flesh, &c. are made and nourished by meat? If they be not, then my answer is, That we eat to no purpose; but if they be, then Choler is made so too. But if he says, That some are made, and some not; then I would ask, what that humor is made of, that is not made by meat or food received into the body? But we find that humors, blood, flesh, &c. will be sometimes more, sometimes less, according either to feeding, or to digestion, which digestion is a contribution of food to every several part of the body for its nourishment; and when there is a decay of those parts, then it is caused either by fasting, or by irregular digestion, or by extraordinary evacuation, or by distempered matter, &c. all which, causes sickness, paleness, leanness, weakness, and the like. Again: your _Author_ is against the opinion of the Schools, _That the Gall is a receptacle of superfluous humors and dregs_: for he says, _it has rather the constitution of a necessary and vital bowel, and is the balsom of the liver and blood._ Truly, it may be so, for any thing I know, or it may be not; for your _Author_ could but guess, not assuredly know, unless he had been in a man as big as the Whale in whose belly _Jonas_ was three days, and had observed the interior parts and motions of every part for three years time, and yet he might perchance have been as ignorant at the coming forth, as if he never had been there; for Natures actions are not onely curious, but very various; and not onely various, but very obscure; in so much, as the most ingenious Artists cannot trace her ways, or imitate her actions; for Art being but a Creature, can do or know no more then a Creature; and although she is an ingenious Creature, which can and hath found out some things profitable and useful for the life of others, yet she is but a handmaid to Nature, and not her Mistress; which your _Author_, in my opinion, too rashly affirms, when he says,[3] That _the Art of Chymistry is not onely the Chambermaid and emulating Ape, but now and then the Mistress of Nature_: For Art is an effect of Nature, and to prefer the effect before the cause, is absurd. But concerning Chymistry, I have spoken in another place; I'le return to my former Discourse: and I wonder much why your _Author_ is so opposite to the Schools, concerning the doctrine of the Gall's being a receptacle for superfluities and dregs; for I think there is not any Creature that has not places or receptacles for superfluous matter, such as we call dregs; for even the purest and hardest Mineral, as Gold, has its dross, although in a less proportion then some other Creatures; nay, I am perswaded, that even Light, which your _Author_ doth so much worship, may have some superfluous matter, which may be named dregs; and since Nature has made parts in all Creatures to receive and discharge superfluous matter, (which receiving and discharging is nothing else but a joyning and dividing of parts to and from parts,) why may not the Gall be as well for that use as any other part? But I pray mistake me not, when I say _superfluous matter or dregs_; for I understand by it, that which is not useful to the nourishment or consistence of such or such a Creature; but to speak properly, there is neither superfluity of matter nor dregs in Nature. Moreover, your _Author_ mentions a _six-fold digestion_, and makes every digestion to be performed by inbreathing or inspiration; For _in the first digestion_, he says, _The spleen doth inspire a sowre Ferment into the Meat: In the second, The Gall doth inspire a ferment, or fermental blas into the slender entrails: In the third, The Liver doth inspire a bloody ferment into the veins of the Mensentery_, &c. I answer, first, I am confident Nature has more ways then to work onely by Inspirations, not onely in General, but in every Particular. Next, I believe there are not onely six, but many more digestions in an animal Creature; for not onely every sort of food, but every bit that is eaten, may require a several digestion, and every several part of the body works either to expel, or preserve, or for both; so that there are numerous several Motions in every Creature, and many changes of motions in each particular part; but Nature is in them all. And so leaving her, I rest,

Madam,

_Your Faithful Friend_

_and Servant._

[1] _Ch._ Of a Six-fold digestion.

[2] See _The passive deceiving of the Schools, the humorists,_ c. 1.

[3] _Ch._ Heat doth not digest efficiently.

XXXI.

_MADAM,_

Your _Author_, in opposition to the Schools, endeavouring to prove that there are no humors in an animal body, except blood, proves many humors in himself. But I can see no reason, why Nature should not make several humors, as well as several Elements, Vegetables, Minerals, Animals, and other Creatures; and that in several parts of the body, and many several ways; for to mention but one sort of other Creatures, _viz._ Vegetables, they are, as we see, not onely produced many several ways, but in many several grounds; either by sowing, setting, or grafting, either in clayie, limy, sandy, chalky, dry, or wet grounds: And why may not several humors be produced as well of other Creatures and parts, as others are produced of them? for all parts of Nature are produced one from another, as being all of one and the same Matter, onely the variation of corporeal motions makes all the difference and variety between them, which variety of motions is impossible to be known by any particular Creature; for Nature can do more then any Creature can conceive. Truly, _Madam_, I should not be of such a mind, as to oppose the Schools herein so eagerly as your _Author_ doth; but artificial actions make men to have erroneous opinions of the actions of Nature, judging them all according to the rule and measure of Art, when as Art oft deludes men under the cover of truth, and makes them many times believe falshood for truth; for Nature is pleased with variety, and so doth make numerous absurdities, doubts, opinions, disputations, objections, and the like. Moreover, your _Author_ is as much against the radical moisture, as he is against the four humors; saying, that according to this opinion of the Schools, a fat belly, through much grease affording more fuel to the radical moisture, must of necessity live longer. But this, in my opinion, is onely a wilful mistake; for I am confident, that the Schools do not understand radical moisture to be gross, fat radical oyl, but a thin oylie substance. Neither do they believe radical heat to be a burning, fiery and consuming heat, but such a degree of natural heat, as is comfortable, nourishing, refreshing, and proper for the life of the animal Creature: Wherefore radical heat and moisture doth not onely consist in the Grease of the body; for a lean body may have as much, and some of them more Radical moisture, then fat bodies. But your _Author_ instead of this radical moisture, makes a nourishable moisture, onely, as I suppose, out of a mind to contradict the Schools; when as I do not perceive, that the Schools mean by Radical moisture, any other then a nourishable moisture, and therefore this distinction is needless. Lastly, he condemns the Schools, for making an affinity betwixt the bowels and the brain. But he might as will condemn Politicians, for saying there is an affinity betwixt Governors and Subjects, or betwixt command and obedience; but as the actions of Particulars, even from the meanest in a Commonwealth, may chance to make a Publick disturbance, so likewise in the Common-wealth of the body, one single action in a particular part may cause a disturbance of the whole Body, nay, a total ruine and dissolution of the composed; which dissolution is called Death; and yet these causes are neither Light, nor Blas, nor Gas, no more then men are shining Suns, or flaming Torches, or blazing Meteors, or azure Skies. Wherefore leaving your _Author_ to his contradicting humor, I rest,

Madam,

_Your faithful Friend_

_and Servant._

XXXII.

_MADAM,_

I do verily believe, with the Schools, the _Purging of the Brain_, against your _Author_;[1] For I know no reason, why all the parts of a man's body should not stand in need of evacuation and Purging, as well as some. 'Tis true, if the substance or nourishment received were all useful, and onely enough for the maintenance, subsistance and continuance of the Creature, and no more, then there would be no need of such sort of evacuation; but I believe the corporeal self-motions in a body, discharge the superfluous matter out of every part of the body, if the motions of the superfluous matter be not too strong, and over-power the motions in the parts of the body; but some parts do produce more superfluities then others, by reason their property is more to dilate, then to contract, and more to attract, then to retain or fix; which parts are the brain, stomack, bowels, bladder, gall, and the like: wherefore, as there is nourishment in all parts of the body, so there are also excrements in all parts, for there is no nourishment without excrement. Next your _Author_ says, That _the nourishment of the solid parts is made with the transmutation of the whole venal blood into nourishment, without a separation of the pure from the impure._ But I pray give me leave to ask, _Madam_, whether the solid Parts are not Instruments for the nourishment of the Venal blood? Truly, I cannot conceive, how blood should be nourished, wanting those solid parts, and their particular motions and imployments. Again: his opinion is, _That the brain is nourished by a few and slender veins; neither doth a passage or channel appear whereby a moist excrement may derive, or a vapour enter._ And by reason of the want of such a passage, in another place[2] he is pleased to affirm, _That nothing can fume up from the stomack into the brain_, and therefore _Wine doth not make drunk with fuming from the stomach into the head, but the Winie spirit is immediately snatched into the arteries out of the stomach without digestion, and so into the head, and there breeds a confusion._ First, I am not of the opinion, that all nourishment comes from the veins, or from one particular part of the body, no more do Excrements; neither do I believe that every passage in the body is visible to Anatomists, for Natures works are too curious and intricate for any particular Creature to find them out, which is the cause that Anatomists and Chymists are so oft mistaken in natural causes and effects; for certainly, they sometimes believe great Errors for great Truths. Next, as for Drunkenness, I believe that many, who drink much Wine, are drunk before such time as the Wine spirit can get into the Arteries; but if there be Pores to the Brain, as it is most probable, the spirit of Wine may more easily ascend and enter those Pores, then the Pores of the Arteries, or the Mouth-veins, and so make a circular journey to the Head. But as for Excrements, whereof I spake in the beginning, as they are made several manners or ways, and in several parts of the body, so they are also discharged several ways from several parts, and several ways from each particular part, indeed so many several ways and manners, as would puzzle the wisest man in the world, nay your _Authors Interior keeper of the Brain_, to find them out. Wherefore, to conclude, he is the best Physician, that can tell how to discharge superfluity, and to retain useful nourishments; or to restore by the application of proper Medicines, decaying parts, or to put in order Irregular motions; and not those that have Irregular opinions of Immaterial causes: To which, I leave them, and rest,

Madam,

_Your faithful Friend_

_and humble Servant._

[1] _Ch._ Call'd _The Erring Watchman, or Wandring Keeper_.

[2] _Ch._ call'd _The Spirit of Life_.

XXXIII.

_MADAM,_