DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68888#0214
144 Micrographia.
beyond their natural tone, but are also prick’d, perhaps, or corroded by
the pungent and incongruous pores of the intruded liquor.
And this feems to be the reason, why Aqua sortis, and other saline li-
quors, if they come to touch the sensitive parts, as in a cut of the skin,
or the like, do so violently and intollerably excruciate and torment the
Patient. And ’tis not unlikely, but the Inventors of that Diabolical pra-
ctice of poisoning the points of Arrows and Ponyards, might receive
their firss hint from some such Inflance in natural contrivances, as this of
the Nettle: for the ground why such poison’d weapons kill so infallibly
as they do, seems no other then this of our Nettle’s hinging 5 for the Pon-
yard or Dart makes a passage or entrance into the sensitive or vital parts
of the body, whereby the contagious subflance comes to be dissblv’d by,
and mix’d with the ssuid parts or humours of the body,and by that means
soreads it felf by degrees into the whole liquid part of the body, in the
lame manner, as a few grains of Salt,put into a great quantity ofWater,
will by degrees diffufe it self over the whole.
And this I take to be the reason of killing of Toads, Frogs, Efls, and
feveral Filhes, by brewing Salt on their backs (which Experiment was
(hewn to the Royal Society by a very ingenious Gentleman, and a worthy
Member of it) for those creatures having always a continual exsudation,
as it were,ofllimy and watry parts,sweating out of the pores of their skin,
the saline particles, by that means obtain a vehicle,which conveys them in-
to the internal and vital parts of the body.
This feems also to be the reason why bathing in Mineral waters are
liich soveraign remedies for multitudes of distempers,Specially chronical}
for the liquid & warm vehicles of the Mineral particles,which are known
to be in very considerable quantities in thofe healing baths,by the body’s
long stay in them, do by degrees beep and insinuate themfelves into the
pores and parts of the skin,and thereby thofe Mineral particles have their
ways and passages open’d to penetrate into the inner parts, and mingle
themfelves with theftagnant juices of the feveral parts 5 besides,many of
thofe oflensive parts which were united with thofe stagnant juices, and
which were contrary to the natural conssitution of the parts, and so be-
come irksome and painfull to the body,but could not be difeharged,be-
caufe Nature had made no provision for such accidental misehiefs, are, by
means of this (baking, and filling the pores of the skin with a liquor, af-
forded a passage through that liquor that fills the pores into the am*
bient ssuid, and thereby the body comes to be difeharged.
So that’tis very evident,there may be a good as well as an evil applica-
tion of this Principle. And the ingenious Invention of that Excellent
person, Dostor Wren, of injeding liquors into the veins of an Animal,
feems to be reducible to this head: I cannot ssay, nor is this a fit place, to
mention the feveral Experiments made of this kind by the mob incom-
parable Mr. Boyles the multitudes made by the lately mention’d Phyfician
Doctor Clark^ the Hissory whereof, as he has been pleas’d to commu-
nicate to the Royal Society, so he may perhaps be prevail’d with to make
publiquehimfelf: But I fliall rather hint, that certainly, if this Principle
were
beyond their natural tone, but are also prick’d, perhaps, or corroded by
the pungent and incongruous pores of the intruded liquor.
And this feems to be the reason, why Aqua sortis, and other saline li-
quors, if they come to touch the sensitive parts, as in a cut of the skin,
or the like, do so violently and intollerably excruciate and torment the
Patient. And ’tis not unlikely, but the Inventors of that Diabolical pra-
ctice of poisoning the points of Arrows and Ponyards, might receive
their firss hint from some such Inflance in natural contrivances, as this of
the Nettle: for the ground why such poison’d weapons kill so infallibly
as they do, seems no other then this of our Nettle’s hinging 5 for the Pon-
yard or Dart makes a passage or entrance into the sensitive or vital parts
of the body, whereby the contagious subflance comes to be dissblv’d by,
and mix’d with the ssuid parts or humours of the body,and by that means
soreads it felf by degrees into the whole liquid part of the body, in the
lame manner, as a few grains of Salt,put into a great quantity ofWater,
will by degrees diffufe it self over the whole.
And this I take to be the reason of killing of Toads, Frogs, Efls, and
feveral Filhes, by brewing Salt on their backs (which Experiment was
(hewn to the Royal Society by a very ingenious Gentleman, and a worthy
Member of it) for those creatures having always a continual exsudation,
as it were,ofllimy and watry parts,sweating out of the pores of their skin,
the saline particles, by that means obtain a vehicle,which conveys them in-
to the internal and vital parts of the body.
This feems also to be the reason why bathing in Mineral waters are
liich soveraign remedies for multitudes of distempers,Specially chronical}
for the liquid & warm vehicles of the Mineral particles,which are known
to be in very considerable quantities in thofe healing baths,by the body’s
long stay in them, do by degrees beep and insinuate themfelves into the
pores and parts of the skin,and thereby thofe Mineral particles have their
ways and passages open’d to penetrate into the inner parts, and mingle
themfelves with theftagnant juices of the feveral parts 5 besides,many of
thofe oflensive parts which were united with thofe stagnant juices, and
which were contrary to the natural conssitution of the parts, and so be-
come irksome and painfull to the body,but could not be difeharged,be-
caufe Nature had made no provision for such accidental misehiefs, are, by
means of this (baking, and filling the pores of the skin with a liquor, af-
forded a passage through that liquor that fills the pores into the am*
bient ssuid, and thereby the body comes to be difeharged.
So that’tis very evident,there may be a good as well as an evil applica-
tion of this Principle. And the ingenious Invention of that Excellent
person, Dostor Wren, of injeding liquors into the veins of an Animal,
feems to be reducible to this head: I cannot ssay, nor is this a fit place, to
mention the feveral Experiments made of this kind by the mob incom-
parable Mr. Boyles the multitudes made by the lately mention’d Phyfician
Doctor Clark^ the Hissory whereof, as he has been pleas’d to commu-
nicate to the Royal Society, so he may perhaps be prevail’d with to make
publiquehimfelf: But I fliall rather hint, that certainly, if this Principle
were