Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	abate_v	abound_v	heat_n	22	3	8.2019	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25375	Chymical disceptations, or, Discourses upon acid and alkali wherein are examined the object of Mr. Boyle against these principles : together with a reply to a letter of Mr. S. Doctor of Physick & fellow of the colleg of *** : wherein many errors are corrected, touching the nature of these two salts / by Fran. Andre, Dr. in Physick ..., faithfully rendered out of French into English by J.W. ; to which is added, by the translator, a discourse of phlebotomy shewing the absolute evils, together with the accidental benefits thereof, in some cases.; Entretiéns sur l'acide et sur l'alkali. English	Saint André, François de, fl. 1677-1725.	1689 (1689)	Wing A3113A; ESTC R30709	47,738	222

least Harm yea be very Beneficial by accident in some Respects in some few Diseases of which the most noted are a Frenzy Quinsy Pleurisy an inveterate and stubborn Head-ach and in some Fevers which be in no wise malignant as also in Contusions Rheumatisms and Intermitting Fevers but it must be in young and strong Bodies if it be done without any cause of Fear and in some few other Diseases But especially it is most proper to temper the plethorick Bodies of our age who by an extravigant Destruction of vious Liquors cause themselves to abound in that pretious balsamick vital Liquor It helps a Frenzy by abating the Effervescence of the Blood in diminishing the Vital Spirits It helps a Quinzy by Revulsion and drawing back the Blood into the Veins which would have putrified there that it may supply the loss of that which was let out In a Pleurisy it obstructs also the Apostumation of the Blood collected in the Pleura and Intercostal Branches of the Aorta by Revulsion for that Blood there ready to putrify by reason of the great heat of the Parts and its own Disposition to Putrefaction does as the Blood is drawn out of the Arm repass into the Superiour Arteries and so becomes again circulated in them the Abscess thereof being thereby prevented It cures an inveterate Head-Ach by reason it appeases the Fury of the Spirits there and by reason it depleats the Veins and Arteries wherefore 't is they are not so distended and pained as before And as for Fevers I have told you already how it comes to be assisting to their Cure only intermitting Feavers accidentally are cur'd by altering the Cirlation and by putting Nature into a Fear of Death wherefore she musters up all her Forces to oppose it whereby very often the Root of the Fever is in this great Hurry and Commotion cut off and expell●● for as Duretius saith Animi act ones incidente aliqua occasione fortius agunt presertim in morturis Whence also in Swoonings and Aopoplectick fits it proves beneficial and hence also it is That great Fears have often been a means by stirring up all the natural Forces for their own Safety to rid some Persons of chronick accute and almost incurable Diseases as Experience has often manifested Rheumatisms it cures by Derivation and so it doth som Coughs by causing the sharp Lympha which Tickles the Lungs by its sharp pointed Corpuscles the which also afflict the Nerves and Tendons with accute Pains to be discharg'd from thence mediately into the subclavian Veins to supply the loss of the Blood let out and into the Mesenterial Glandula's to be mixed with the Chyle also to promote the speedy making the like quantity of Blood hence sometimes doth the Cause of a greedy Appetite proceed afte● Blood-letting and after the retreat of a sharp Disease for Nature being studious to repair her loss and especially When she has not been too much weakned by the Disease or Blood-letting do's manifest her wants by these hungry Symptoms It seems to assist the Circulation of the Blood when it is congealed by reason of the Obstruction of its Circulation in the small Veins which by the Contusion are so squeezed that they wholly deny its flux because it seems to afford it more Room for that Circulation but if we consider That the Blood is Conglebated only as I said in the smallest Veins and that the thinnest and most fluid Blood spins out at the Orifice we cannot think it can much further its quiet Circulation since fluidity is the greatest Promoter of it Lastly By its wasting the Spirits and depriving us of that pure nutritive Juice the Blood it keeps us back not suffering Nature to store up so much Nutriment to her self and thereby renders us equally as needy as if we put a greater restraint upon our Appetites and indulged them far less than we do To the former Advantages by Phlebotomy here is added by another hand this further Benefit viz. That it is of excellent use for Women whe● their Terms dodg with them and begin to leave them and to prevent the settling of them in their Limbs or in their own Vessels putrifying and causing Ulcers Sores Piles and Fistula's in the inferiour Parts c. to prevent all which Evils Women so affected ought to bleed once a month for 3 Months together FINIS Errores Phlebot p. 10. l. 18 Crebrò p. 11. l. 5. Fat. p. 12. l. 6. above p. 15. l. 5. as the. Advertisement All Dr. Salmon's Works are certainly to be sold by Tho. Dawks living on Addle hill in Carter-lane near S. Paul's Church-yard Also the said Doctor 's Medicines truly prepared are in his absence to be sold by his Wife at his House at the Blew Balcony by the Ditch-side near Holborn Bridge There is also preparing for the said Dawks's Press A Practical Discourse concerning Swearing Not only-sharply reprooving the vain false rash inconsiderate Swearer but also chiefly reprimanding the Over-wise Quaker in the midst of all his vain-glorious Shew of seeming Holiness proving that he most abominably abuseth all those Scriptures he brings for Refusing to take an Oath before Authority when the Law of God commands it and the Glory of God as well as the Necessity of his Neighbour require it c. Place this leaf last of all

the Composition of Lac Virginis The Smell is an affection of the olfactory Nerves and the Tast is also one of the papillous Nerves of the Tongue as colours are of the Retain There is so great a Relation between the Taste and Smell that those things which are agreeable to the Smell are also almost alwayes to the Taste Whence it comes That the most part of Animals smell their Aliments before they tast them and they do not eat them except they find them agreeable to their Smell as we may take notice of it in Apes All the Difference between these two Senses is That the Particles which cause us to Smell are a great deal more subtile and thin than those which cause us to Taste As there are no Colors which we do not behold but by the different mixtures of Acids with Alkali's so there is also no Savour nor Odors which we do not perceive according to the divers Mixture of these two Salts 1. EXPERIMENT Which proves that Odours come from Acid and Alkali OIl of Roses drawn by Distillation which is an envelloped Acid mixt with a sufficient great quantity of water hath almost no odour but mingled with Salt of Tartar which is a powerful Alkali it makes a fluid Composition some drops of which being mingled with a quantity of water makes the water one of the most delectable odours in the World. 2. EXPERIMENT Which proves the same SUlphurs of Minerals which are envellopod Acids being to be dissolved by Fire or some other Dissolvant cast forth an odour as stinking as that of the Oil of Roses drawn by Distillation but mixt with some Alkali it 's pleasant 3. EXPERIMENT Which proves that the Difference of Tasts comes from the Diversity of Acids and Alkali's EXperience shews us That Saltness comes from the Mixture of Acids with Alkali's Soap which is salt gives us a familiar example thereof It is made with pure Alkali's and Oil which is an enveloped Acid. 4. EXPERIMENT Which proves that the Diversity of Savours depends upon the different Mixture and particular nature of Acids 〈◊〉 Alkali's SIlver reduced into Cristals by spirit of Niter which is a powerful Acid become of an extream bitter Tast Lead on the contrary dissolved in distilled Vinegar and reduced into salt acquires the sweetness of sugar c. I could bring several other Experiments to prove that the diversity of Odors and Savours depends upon the different Mixture of Acid and Alkali But tho' I have discoursed you thereof elsewhere I shall yet bring you one more sufficiently familiar which is that of Wine Wine having another Tast and another Smell before it is fermented than it has when it is fermenting or after it is Fermented for it changes by little and little its green Taste into a plesanter and becomes at last sour and loseth its temperament of Wine and all these changes happens to it according 〈◊〉 the Acids and Alkalies which are found therein are more or less intangled and 〈◊〉 as one of them is more or less exalted and there is almost no odor or savor through which it doth not pass before it grows four There remains no more but that I speak two words of the passive Principles The Water is the first of these Principles it serves as I have already told you as a Vehicle to the Acid and Alkali salts it serves also to dissolve them and put them in Motion because Salts act not except they are dissolved Salia non agunt nisi dissoluta Water causes the Destruction of Mixts when it is found therein in too great a quantity as it compacts them and strictly unites their parts when it is found therein in a lesser quantity and it fills up the empty spaces which it meets with therein The Earth or Caput Mort. on the contrary being extreamly porous and light makes a great many vacancies in Bodies wherein it is found but on the other hand it hinders that those bodies be not destroy'd by the abundance of flegm It is unnecessary to bring you a great many Experiments to prove that Water and Earth are found in all Bodies and That they are Principles thereto but without any action I believe you are sufficiently convinced thereof and have several times observ'd That there is no Body from which we cannot draw some Flegm by Distillation and which leave not some Earth after Calcination and though we work never so much on Water and Earth it is Impossi to draw any other thing therefrom but water and Earth You are not ignorant also That rotten wood which hath no Acid and Alkali Salts and which hath nothing but some Flegm and Earth hath no more any action PYR. I could wish you would a little longer explain what you mean by the words Fermentation and Precipitation whereof you make use so often EUBUL By the Word Fermentation I mean an Internal Motion of all the parts of Bodies which are fermented in such Manner that they take no more the same place nor scituation as they had before and that they change consequently or at least alter very much the nature of the bodies which are fermented as for the difference of Effervescence in which there is made only a simple Motion of the integral parts of Mixts by the force of some exteriour Agent as Fire the which parts re-take afterwards the same scituation which thy occupied before unless their natures and qualities be in any wise changed There are several sorts of fermentations in Nature some are made with Effervescence as that which happens upon the mixture of Oil of Vitriol with Oil of Tartar and others are made without Effervescence as it happens in an Eg which a Hen hatcheth and in common Water when one casts thereinto some Drops of well-deflegm'd Spirit of Vitriol and this Fermentation is known only by the Heat which we feel at that instant There are some which are made without Heat as that which is made of Vitriol dissolved in water with Oil of Tartar There are some which are made with Fires and Flames as the Fermentation which is made of Calx Vive in the time it is sprinkled with a little Vinegar and others which are without Fire or flame as are the ordinary Fermentations There are still some sensible and insensible sensible as the Fermentation of Spirit of Niter with Oil of Tartar and insensible as that of Wine which sours PYR. Whence comes it that there are so many sorts of Fermentations EUB. Either Bodies are fermented of themselves as Wine or they are fermented by means of a Ferment as Dough with Leven either the Acid Salts and Alkali Salts are Exalted or else they are Intangled one in the other and in the Passive principles one of them is exalted and the other Intangled or one of them is in a great quantity and the other in a small quantity If the Acid Salts and Alkali Salts are each as powerful as the other the Fermentation cannot be made without Heat and

Effervescence as of spirit of Niter with oil of Tartar if on the contrary one of these two Salts is weak and the other strong as are the Alkali of Water and the Acid of Oil of Vitriol well deflegmed there is only made a little heat without effervescence if the Acid which is mingled with the Alkali is dis-intangled from its own Alkali and passive Principles as the Acid of Oil of Vitriol there is made a Fermentation with Heat and Effervescence and if on the contrary the Acid is intangled as in Vitriol in its Body there is only made a Fermentation with Effervescence without Heat In like manner if these two Salts are exalted and dis-intangled one from the other and from the passive Principles they take fire at the same time that they ferment as Calx vive doth when it is sprinkled with some Vinegar In a word if these two Salts are weak the Fermentation is insensible There are few Fermentations made but there is at the same time made a Precipitation tho' there are several Precipitations made without Fermentation as in the Precipitation which is done by Acids of Mercury sublimate dissolved in Water Precipitation is a Dis-uninion of a dissolved Body from its dissolvant in such manner that being separated therefrom it falls by its own weight to the bottom of the vessel which contain'd it Precipitation is made several wayes for either it is an Acid which holds an Alkali in dissolution or it s an Acid which is dissolved by an Alkali as it happens in the Composition of Regulus of Antimony in which the Sulphur of Antimony which is an Acid is separated from the Regulus and remains in the Foeces dissolved by the Alkali's of Tartar and Niter If it is an Acid which holds an Alkali in dissolution where the union is so perfect that there is not the least Pore empty as in all the compound Mineral Salts as Vitriol the Precipitation cannot be made but by an Alkali or else where the union is not so perfect and there remains a great many Pores which are not filled by this Acid as in corrosive sublimate The Precipitation may be done as well by Acids OTHER DISCOVRSES UPON Acid Alkali PYROPH THOSE Arguings which we had at our last Meeing have almost wholly persuaded me of the Verity of the Hypothesis of Acid and Alkali But I must confess dear EUBULUS that I have been extreamly shaken by the Reflections of the Incomparable Mr. Boyle upon these Principles which are lately fallen into my hands and the Objections which he makes are so strong that it seems impossible to bring a solution thereof EUB. I doubt not but that the Objections which the leared Mr. Boyle makes against Our Hypothesis have much seeming Truth in them but nevertheless I believe that they may be resolved with great Ease when one very exactly considers what I have said to you concerning the nature of these two Principles and all their force will serve to make the Truth of this Hypothesis the more conspicuous PYR. Mr. Boyle thinks it strange That they should explain all the Qualities of Bodies and the other Phoenomena's of Nature by this new System and that they attribute to it an Extent which ought only to be given to Matter and Motion EUB. You may easily conclude by the several Phoenomena's of all sort of Species which I have explained to you according to these Principles That it will be easy to Explain all those which they shall be able to prefer and I do not see Why the Extent that is given to this Hypothesis ought to be different from that of Matter and Motion since that in it self is found the Existence of the Matter and Cause of Motion PYR Our illustrious Englishman pretends That they have not made Experiments enough nor sufficient Inductions to prove That Acid and Alkali are to be found in all Bodies and in all the sensible Parts of Mixts and That they ought not to conclude that these Two Salts are to be found therein because such or such Effects are the Emanations of these Principles as for Example When the Patrons of Acid and Alkali see Aqua Fort. or Spirit of Niter dissolve Filings of Copper they conclude thereupon That the Dissolvant which is Acid meets in those filings of Copper with an Alkali upon which it works Whereas they do not take Notice That a well deflegm'd Spirit of Urine which in their Hypothesis is a Volatile Alkali dissolved in a little Flegm do's dissolve filings of Copper as readily and much more naturally than Aqua Fort. doth EUB. I believe you have sufficiently proved by those Experiments which I brought you That there is Acid and Alkali in all parts of Mixts It is most easy to separate these Two Principles from Animals Vegetables and the most part of Minerals but as for Metals These Principles are therein so strictly united one with the other That it is almost Impossible to dis-unite them Nevertheless we see therein the same Effects as we know are produced in other Bodies by Acid and Alkali and therefore we have good ground to believe That these principles are also to be met with therein and That the same effects are produced by the same Causes Thus when we see Spirit of Niter and the volatile spirit of sal Armoniack dissolve filings of Copper we conclude That there is Acid and Alkali in those filings and That the Acid spirit of Niter acts on the Alkali which it finds therein and the sharp spirit of sal Armoniack on its Acid for 't is a sure Maxim That Acid spirits never act nor ferment but with Alkali's and Alkali's on the contrary never act upon any other Bodies but Acids and thus Mr. Boyle's Objection is of no force seeing Spirit of Niter and Spirit of sal Armoniack meet in the filings of Copper with different Parts upon which they act differently and they act not any otherwise on the same subject PYR. He continues his Objections by an Experiment like the former He saies That in the Solution which is made of Iron by Acid Spirits they are wont to attribute this Effect to the Acidity of the Liquor which dissolved it although Iron is dissolv'd redily enough and also in the Cold too in sharp Spirits EUB. This Objection is as easily resolved as the former for there is found in Iron as there is in Copper Acid and Alkali The Spirit of Niter acts on its Alkali and the Spirit of sal Armoniack on its Sulphur or Acid and 't is sufficient that the one or other of these Two Liquors act upon the Alkali or Acid of the Iron to make the Metal change its Form as for the rest it is sufficiently easy to know That there are Acid and Alkali in Iron by this That Iron cast into Cream hinders that the Butter cannot be made in as much as it charges it self with the Acid which ought to make the Coagulation and there are none but Alkalies which have the Priviledge to

of Urine c. he adds also That there is no less Difference between Acids some dissolve Bodies which others cannot dissolve as Aqua Fortis which dissolves Silver Mercury c. and touches not Gold and as Aqua Regis which dissolves Gold and touches neither Silver nor the other Metals Spirit of Vinegar well deflegm'd dissolves Lead in the Cold and reduces it into minute parts which Spirit of common Salt cannot do and he concludes this Chap demanding whether Acid and Alkali have the Simplicity that a Philosopher requires in Principles and in Smiling at the Definition that they are Wont to give That Acid is an Enemy to Alkali and Alkali to Acid. EUB. The Division of simple Salts into Acid and Alkali is as Just and Exact as can be wish'd Acids and Alkali's having not any agreement in Virtue and Property and the one never produceth the Effects of the other as Mr. Boyle would have it as for Example Alkali's are Bodies vacuous and full of holes which precipitate Vitriol of Mars dissolved in Water which whiten Linnen and Stuffs which make a Dissolution of Milk and Blood coagalated by Acids c. Acids on the contrary are pointed Bodys which fill up the little holes they meet with in Alkali's which foul Linnen and Stuffs which coagulate Blood and Milk c. in a word which have not any of the Properties of Alkali's And though Salts of one and the same Denomination differ in some things yet nevertheless they all agree in Nature and use for we see That Alkali's whether fixed or volatile are Bodys full of holes That they all precipitate Vitriol of Mars That Acids on the contrary are pointed Bodies c. so that when some Alkali's precipitate corrosive Sublimate dissolved in water into a tawny coloured Powder and some others into a white powder that does not prove That they have a different Nature one from the other but that comes from the Diversity of their Pores some having them more conformable to the Acid which had sublimed the Mercury and others less and they blunt after this manner more or less the points of those Acids whence comes the Diversity of colours of the precipitate It is not also the Diversity of Natures that makes that Volatile Alkali's dissolves Copper more readily than fixed Alkali's do but only the greater agitation of their parts all Acids work on Silver and the other Metals but more or less according to the greater or lesser Relation their points have with the pores of those Metals These Acids never work on Gold which cannot be dissolved but by salt Menstruums as I have said else-where And whatsoever Mr. Boyle says of spirit of Salt which he cites for a most powerful Acid is Salt and not a pure Acid notwithstanding the Acid seems to predominate therein and That is the Reason why spirit of Salt works neither on silver nor the other Metals These two Salts have the Simplicity that a Philosopher requires in Principles because they are composed of Particles of one and the same Nature and can never be resolv'd into any other Substances In respect of the Definition which Mr. Boyle relates of Acid and Alkali he has Reason to blame it because he doth in no wise explain the Nature of these Principles no more than if one should say That that which dissolves a Body dissolvable by an Acid ought to be an Acid That all which precipitates a body dissolv'd by an Acid ought to be an Alkali but Mr. Boyle cannot say the same thing of the Definition which I have already so many times repeated concerning Acid and Alkali That the Acid is a Salt composed of small pointed parts which ferment with Alkali's makes the Essence of all Bodies The Alkali on the contrary is a vacuous Salt which ferments with Acids and precipitates Vitriol of Mars dissolved in water This Definition explains clearly their Nature Kind and Difference for these two Principles agree in that they are Salts and they differ in that one of them is pointed and the other porous and unequal and that one fills the Pores of the other and is its absolute Master PYR. This Famous English-Man will not allow Chap. 4. That the Fermentation or Heat and Ebulition which is caused when these Two Salts are mingled together is a sure Token to know Acid and Alkali For he pretends That these Effects depend principally on the Mechanick Disposition and Construction of Parts and That 't is sufficient to produce heat when the parts of a Body are agitated with vehemence on all sides and for the Ebulition That the Bodies which are mingled intercept the parts of the air or the warm Vapours in the time that they are excited and That there happens often in this mixture Heat without Ebulition and Ebulition without Heat He relates some Experiments of both For he saith When Oil of Vitriol which is a powerful Acid or Salt of Tartar which is a powerful Alkali are mingled with Water which is neither Acid nor Alkali There is at that time a considerable heat excited without any Ebulition and That on the contrary in the Mixture which is made of spirit of verdigriss made per se which is an Acid with salt of Tartar there is made a great Ebulition and gross Froth without any remarkable heat EUB. It is very true That the Heat and Ebulition which happens in Fermentation depends upon the Mechanick disposition and Construction of the parts of Bodys which are Fermented But this Construction or Disposition likewise depends wholly upon the different nature of Acids and Alkali's and their divers mixtures one with the other as I have already caused you to observe where I spoke of Fermentation and its Differences which would be needless here to repeat as for the oil of Vitriol and Salt of Tartar which heat water when they are dissolved therein you shall observe That there is in Oil of vitriol a metallick part of Iron or Copper according to the Nature of the Vitriol which was elevated in the Distillation by the Acid of that Salt as Experience sufficiently teacheth us This oil coming to be dissolved in the water there is then made a separation of the Metallick part from the Acid which had elevated it and an action of that Acid upon the Alkali of the water which is powerful enough since it hardens red hot Iron and hinders it from going into scoria's when it is squenched therein for there is none but Alkali's which can produce this effect then there is made on all sides an agitation of their parts with sufficient Vehemence whence comes the heat which happens in this mixture In regard of that which results from the mixture of salt of Tartar with water you shall understand that salt of Tartar does hot heat water but when it is too much or too little calcined when it is too much calcined it is charged with an Acid from the fire which coming to be dissolved in water it separates

also it is That fat persons are the smallest Eaters by reason of the lack of internal Heat But a little after the Doctor speaks yet more fully to the Purpose Qui sanguinem habent sale volatilizato bene suturatum ●i sunt minus Febribus obnoxii hinc etiam qui saepius sanguinem emittunt ad Febres aptiore sunt Thus far he whose single Testimony in sufficient And since it appears That it doth so little hinder the approach of a Feaver that it rather furthers it it seems impossible That it should absolutely and alone cure any Fever For it is granted by all Physicians That a Fever has a property to pollute the Blood and that this can be taken away à posteriori that is by withdrawing what is putrified and contaminated seems very absurd to think being contrary to that Philosophick Axiom Manente causa manet Effectus Besides It is generally believed That the material cause of a Fever do's not possess the Vessels about the heart but rather the Vena cava and therefore how can Blood-letting be supposed to remove either the efficient or material causes thereof Wherefore consequently it can be no true Remover of a Fever but only an Abater of one of its most troublesem Symptoms viz. Heat which it do's by impoverishing the Stock of vital Spirits which maitaining Contest with the Radix of the Fever does by that contentious Motion cause that preternatural excessive Heat and Ebulition of the Blood which is particularly affected therewith hence it is That old Persons whose vital Spirits are poor in quantity and consequently not able to combate so strongly with the Disease do not appear so hot in a Fever as those whose Spirits are stronger and in a larger quantity and other persons after a tedious Warfare with this cruel Disease some small time before Death the Spirits having given up the Victory as not being able any longer to oppose the same do seem to be totally freed from all the Symptoms of their Fever For as I said the Spirits by reason of their Paucity and Imbecility do then resign up their noble Members to the Mercy of the Disease whose truculent Forces quickly invades the very Royal Pavillion of Life it self and as suddenly subverts it by committing it into the frozen Arms of a drowzy Death Whence it is held as a dangerous Prognostick when a Fever abates in the Violency of its Symptoms without any CRISIS or natural Assistance or without any medicinal Aid or without any certain Signs of approaching Health as well as sure Tokens of Nature's obtaining the Victory over the Disease So that it is no Wonder why Phlebotomy seems to afford so great Refreshment to the afflicted even in the most troublesom Symptoms because by depriving Nature of some of her provoked Forces it compells the rest for want of Power to suffer patiently the Cruelty of the Disease which if it be not very malignant as those Fevers called Ephemera Synochus non putrida and sometimes in those putrid ones called Synochus putrida and the continual Quotidian Tertian and Quartan the Contention ceasing and the corrupted blood being partly let out and the rest by some proper Medicament being corrected and amended Nature doth with much Difficulty and with great Debility at length obtain a pleasing Health Now if Phlebotomy did only let out the corrupted Blood and left still behind those Spirits which used to flow with it then Blood-letting by partly removing the Effect might ease Nature of a great deal of that which she otherwise must with abundance more Toil cast out And Reason would tell us That the natural Forces being still the same in Quantity and Power and the Inimical vitiated Blood being diminished and partly let out Nature must needs be the better able to cast out and purge the rest But since we find that the Blood and Spirits are Correlatives and do issue out together the Spirits going forth in such Quantity and the Blood let forth could be Vehicle too This proves then That Phlebotomy as it doth take away some of the corrupted Blood so it takes away also those Spirits which might have assisted to its correction some better way thereby rather weakning than assisting Nature But Phlebotomy being used in any malignant Disease is utterly destructive without a Miracle for in the Meazles Small Pox Plague c. It most commonly obstructs Nature in her Intentions so much debilitating her strength that she oft proves unable to cast forth the malignant Matter but by its poison is wholly over-come and destroy'd or at least is not capable of making an exact Purgation and though with extream hazard she escape Death yet there is such a stock of malignant matter left behind secretly lurking in the Mass of Blood which will upon a small Excitation discover its presence there by untoward troublesom Symptoms unless by powerful Remedies it be dispossest before it has fermented it self to that height It has been the Audacity of some Physicians to prescribe Blood-letting even in the Small Pox and Plague supposing That in the first the corrupted Blood being partly let out it would be impossible that the afflicted persons should have so many of those deforming Pussles as they otherwise would have had and therefore Blood-letting in such Cases might be lawful if it were upon no other account but the preserving the threatned Beauty of a youthful Face 'T is true by allaying the Effervescence of the Blood and weakning the expulsive Faculty partly as they say by reason part of that Corruption is let forth which otherwise perhaps might have made some hundreds of those filthy Pussles There is if the Diseased escape Death a great diminution of them and thereby those sweet Features which they before possest are not wholy rased But that this cannot be performed without ●●nifest Hazard of the Patient's Life Experience and Reason hath shewen since so many great Persons have fell meerly to save a handsome Face The Spirits by Blood-letting being diminished and enervated so that they can no longer endeavour for their own Recovery for as Hippocrates saith Natura est morborum Medi●a●ri● Besides Phlebotomy generally by weakning the retentive Faculty produces a Diarrhaea which was ever accounted a dangerous Symptom in malig●●● Diseases but most particularly in the Small Pox and upon this Account it is That Phlebotomy sometimes by producing 〈◊〉 accident on the a simple Feaver But in the Plague they pretend That the opening of a Vein is necessary for Prevention sake Be●ause the less Effervescence is in the Circulation of the Blood the less obnoxious we are to the Contagion The most noted man of this Opinion I find to be the above mentioned Dr. Willis in his Book of Fevers pag. 157. Where he saies Vbi adest Plethora cum magna sanguinis Turgescentia ●ut quibus longa Consuetudine sanguis solenniter mitti solebat iis venam secare convenit quo enim sanguis minus effervescet sine tumultu in