Sounds as Amber continues warm a considerable time after the Sound made in rubbing of it ceaseth Several Qualities flow from an Alteration of Texture We observ'd likewise That the Fix'd Petre was of a Colour betwixt Blue and Green which it presently lost upon the Mixture of the Acid Spirit the Disposition of Parts being so alter'd as to reflect the Rays of Light differently to the Eye A Change not unlike which happens upon the Exposing Fix'd Nitre to the Air And it is not less to be admir'd That Soot which is Black and a Congeries of Opacous Exhalations should by the help of a good Fire fill the Receiver with Fumes as white as Milk And the Colours to be observ'd upon the Sublimation of Black Antimony and White Sal-Armoniack are no less pleasant But to return to the Experiment Having not long ago attempted to make Salt-Petre of Salt of Tartar and Aqua fortis the Mixture united prov'd to be of a very Green Colour which resided more peculiarly in some Parts of it than others tho' the Salt of Tartar was a particular Preparation whose Crystals were as white as Sugar Candy It is on this occasion likewise further to be observ'd That tho' Fumes of Nitre rais'd Distillation be of a Red Colour yet they condense into a Liquor altogether void of it and also That Fix'd Nitre tho' an Opacous Body yet does it unite with the imbib'd Spirit into Diaphanous Crystals Several Qualities destroy'd and regained by the Redintegration of Salt-Petre There is likewise to be observ'd Upon the Mixture of these two Ingredients a very offensive Smell caus'd by the Spirit of Salt-Petre emitting stinking Exhalations stirr'd up by the Mutual Conflict betwixt it and its Fix'd Salt where it is strange that this Mixture should have a Smell which is neither in Nitre nor either of the Ingredients and yet that it should lose that Smell again when turn'd into Nitre Besides the Taste of the Spirit being strongly Acid and the Taste of Nitre like that of Salt of Tartar it is surpizing that these two should unite into a Body of so much less pungency in Taste as Nitre bateing that it is a little sharper by reason of some Spirituous Parts sticking to the Particles of the Nitre But besides these there are several other Reflections may be made on the preceding Experiment for it seems a Question whether there is any real necessity of a distinct Sulphur to render a Body Inflammable or whether rather Inflammability depends on a disposition of Matter to be put into Motion by the help of adventitious Bodies as when the Ingredients of our Experiment are mixed or when a Piece of Iron is cast into Spirit of Nitre for the Parts of that Liquor which before were quiet and cold meeting with Pores which disorder their Motion they presently begin to move among one another with a strange Rapidity and to cause such a Heat that the Vessel would burn the Hands of them that held it And here it may not be amiss to take notice of one thing further that Occurs in our Experiment viz. that tho' Nitre put upon a burning Coal or a burning Coal being cast into it will consume it self in a Blue Flame yet when it is contiguous to the Sides of the Crucible which is red Hot it melts without the least Flame It may be also worth Enquiry why Nitre which is a solid Body should not rather stick in the Form of Sublimate to the Receiver like Sal Armoniack than condense only into a Liquor which does not again coagulate as some Volatile Spirits do But leaving these Phaenomena I shall observe further that though Spirit of Nitre exposed to the Air Insensibly exhales yet when associated with it's own fixed Salt it admits no such Effluviums Another thing to be observed is that upon a Mixture of these two Liquors several Saline Parts are tossed out of the Glass into the Air which falling down again several Grains of Salt will remain on the outside of the Vial which will be visible if the Experiment be tried in the Sun Beams And that there is a very brisk Motion amongst the Parts of Spirit of Nitre is evident by dropping some of it into a solution of Salt of Tartar for immediately some Grains were shattered in Pieces and thrown up to the top with a seeming Violence till the strength of those Liquors was mutually diminished by their frequent Occursions And that the Parts of each have contrary tendencies in their Motions is plain from this viz. if when the Ferment ceases more of one of these Liquors was dropped in there followed no Ebullition till some of the other was added to Ferment with it The same Particles of Matter have different Effects when in a Fluid from what they have in a solid Form And here it is seasonable to observe what different Effects the Parts of these Bodies have when at liberty and disjoyned in Liquids from what they produce when locked up in Concretes tho' their Effects even then are not wholly to be attributed to the briskness of their Motion but also to their determinate Sizes by which means Aqua Fortis which leaves Gold untouched will dissolve Silver yet by an Addition of Sal Armoniack it having acquired a new Figure and a peculiar Motion it Works upon Gold and for the like Reasons a Solution of fixed Nitre will dissolve Vnctuous Bodies which the Acid Spirit will not Work upon Again we may observe that the several substances into which Salt-Petre is reduced viz. the fixed Salt and the Volatile Liquor are both different from the Concrete it self which is an Argument against those Chymists that pretend that Bodies Distilled retain the Virtues of those Bodies they are Distilled from Chymistry rather destroys than discovers the Principles of Bodies for the Acid Spirit of Nitre will precipitate the same Bodies which fixed Nitre dissolves And so Spirit of Nitre will turn a Tincture of Brasil into a Yellow Colour which it will lose and in some Measure by an addition of a Tincture of fixed Nitre regain the former whereas a Solution of Salt-Petre changes neither of these Tinctures Eut to proceed This Experiment gives us Reason to believe that the Air is considerably concerned in the Production of Salt-Petre and in giving a Figure to it's Salts since the Crystals which shoot in the Solution exposed to the open Air are of a more exact Size and Figure than those obtained after a quicker Evaporation Besides which we have observed that a Mixture of Aqua Fortis and Salt of Tartar yielded Crystals much more like Nitre when it had been exposed to the the Air for some time than what it afforded upon an immediate Crystallization As for the Reason why the Crystals which shoot in the Air are more naturally Figured than others I conceive it to be because the Air is a more quiet and undisturbed Vehicle for them to move leasurely in by which means they have
long apt to think that the same peccant matter may produce several Distempers as its effects are diversified partly by its greater or lesser quantities as well as more or less active qualities and partly by the particular Natures or Structures and Scituations of the Parts that it invades which seems to be favoured by the frequent Metastases of Morbifick matter in several Distempers since the same Acid or sharp Humours sometimes occasion a Colick sometimes after that a Palsey at other times a Cough a flux of the Belly an Opthalmia a Violent Head-ach Convulsions c. As the peccant Humour falls upon this or that part upon which account one or two Medicines may be able to cure several Distempers especially if endewed with any variety of active Virtues and upon these grounds I am inclined to believe that the Spirit of Human Blood may be a good Remedy in several internal affections of the Body and indeed Volatile Alkalies in general have been so prosperously made use of in Physick since the year 1656 as to invite several Physicians to employ them instead of other Medicines which clog and weaken the Patient and want several advantageous qualities which may be found in Volatile Alkalies And indeed Spirit of Human Blood mortifies Acid Salts which occasion several Diseases It is likewise a great Resolvent and fit to open Obstructions which produce not a few Diseases it is also Diaphoretick and Diuretick and able to discharge several noxious Salts and to expel several Malignant and Contagious Particles of matter It resists Putrefaction and Coagulation and gives a briskness and Spirituousness to the Blood which promotes free Circulation upon which account it is a good Cordial and an Antidote against some Poysons It is very friendly to the Genus Nervosum and to cure its Distempers and Balsamick in some sort of Asthams it neither causes great evacuations nor does it clog the Stomach or is disadvantageous in any manifest qualities And it may likwise be very good in such cases as Spirit of Sal-Armoniack hath been found successful in Helmont commends it in Epilepsies which he says it will cure in Adult Persons And I have known it cure an inveterate Consumptive Cough and a very bad Head-ach which had a long time baffled very eminent Physicians But besides the Virtues it hath when simply used its Virtues may be enobled and diversified by a long digestion or frequent Cohobations of the Spirit with the Oyls Salt or Phlegm of the same Concrete or by uniting it with Acids as Spirit of Nitre or Vinegar Verdigrease Oyl of Vitriol c. either used in a Liquid form or when reduced by evaporation into Crystals Or the Virtues of it may be enobled by uniting our Spirit with Metalline Solutions as of Gold Silver or Mercury and with Solutions of Minium made with Spirit of Vinegar by a Mixture of which Liquor and a slow evaporation of them I have obtained finely shaped Crystals Or again either by uniting with it Sulphur opened with Salt of Tartar or by dissolving in it Metalline Bodies as Copper Zinke and Iron Or by adding about a double weight of Alcohol of Wine for these Liquors being shaken together will in a very great measure coagulate into a Salt which will retain a considerable degree of quickness and penetrancy And why such Salts as these should not be efficacious I see no reason since such a kind of a Mixture tho' made with another Urinous Spirit hath had extraordinary effects in Fevers nor is the Liquor this Salt leaves behind useless in Medicine when well dephlegmed But this Spirit may be rendered still more commodious if impregnated with essential Oyls and by that means several Oyly Volatile Salts may be produced which may be useful in peculiar Distempers as those Oyls respect this or that part in their Medicinal Virtues CHAP. X. An Appendix to the Memoirs for the Natural History of Human Blood Containing first particulars referable to the second Part of the foregoing History EXPERIMENT I. HAving caused twelve Ounces of dryed Blood to be carefully distilled the Substances obtained from it were of Volatile Salt and Spirit together five Ounces the Liquor poured off from the wet Salt being thirteen Drachms fifty four Grains so that the Salt was three Ounces two Drachms and six Grains of fetid Oyl there were two Ounces of Caput Mortuum four Ounces and two Drachms so that about six Drachms of the whole was consumed in the Operation The Caput Mortuum being calcined yielded but six Drachms and a half of ashes the fixed Oleaginous Parts being consumed by the accension the colour of the ashes was reddish when cool tho' in the fire they appeared white as soon as the Oyl was consumed these ashes being turned into a Lixivium afforded five scruples of white fixed Salt besides a little which got into the contiguous Sand which being recovered by Water and reduced to a Salt made a scruple more So that there remained for the Terra Damnata fourteen Scruples and a half which is a good deal above twice the weight of the Salt whence it appears that the pure fixed Salt is but between the fifty seventh and fifty eighth part of dryed Blood and therefore probably amounts to no more than about the 170th part of the mass of Blood and the fixed Earth is to dryed Blood as about nineteen and about a half to one EXPERIMENT II. A parcel of Blood weighing ten Ounces and seventy three Grains being slowly distilled to dryness in a Head and Body on a digestive Furnace afforded of Phlegmatick Liquor seven Ounces two Drachms and forty seven Grains and of Caput Mortuum or dry Substance two Ounces two Drachms This pulverable matter being distilled in a Retort by degrees of fire yielded two Drachms forty eight Grains of Oyl The Spirit being poured off the Salt weighed but forty eight Grains and the Salt being washed out with the distilled Water we obtained thence by Sublimation into the neck of a Glass-Egg one Drachm five Grains of dry Salt The Caput Mortuum weighed six Drachms twelve Grains which being carefully calcined yielded two Scruples and four Grains of ashes which were red and these being elixivated afforded eighteen Grains of Salt besides the remaining Earth which is of a red colour with an Eye of Purple Particulars referrable to the Primary Title of the Natural History of Human Blood EXPERIMENT I. Spirit of Vinegar put upon Blood turned its red colour of a dark or dirty colour EXPERIMENT II. Juice of Limons poured upon the superficies of Blood impaired its florid colour EXPERIMENT III. Juice of Oranges changed Blood less than Limons EXPERIMENT IV. The black part of clotted Blood exposed to the Air presently became of a pleasant and florid colour EXPERIMENT V. Spirit of Sal-Armoniack dropped upon black clotted Blood presently rendered it florid but not so much as the open Air. EXPERIMENT VI. Fixed Alkalies or lixiviate Salts resolved per Deliquium turned it red but not so florid as the
black but also One saturated with Copper a Succedaneum to which may be made by adding to Sulphur as it melts over the Fire and equal Proportion of Salt of Tartar finely powder'd stirring them till they incorporate and become red Which Mixture being put into a Glass Retort with half it's weight of Sal-Armoniack dissolv'd in Water let it be distill'd in Sand shifting the Receivers as the Liquor drawn off is ting'd more or less so that the strongest may be preserv'd by it self And such Tryals as these will be of more use than those usually made with a bare Tincture of Galls since there are several Mineral Substances and other Bodies which Mineral Waters may be impregnated with which discover not themselves in an Infusion of Galls As Sulphur or Copper may be so lock'd up in these Waters as not to be perceiv'd till the Body of the Liquor is open'd by some proper Additament And even Arsenick it self may be so disguised as not to be perceiv'd when mix'd with the Waters yet if Spirit of Urine or Oyl of Tartar per Deliquium be dropp'd into a Solution of it it presently precipitates in the Form of a white Powder and so likewise if a Solution of Sublimate be added to it Whether Mineral Waters have Arsenick dissolved in them But to discover whether Mineral Waters be impregnated with Arsenick or not I put Dantzick or English Vitriol into a Solution of it either of which caus'd a dark precipitate gradually to subside 14. Whether Spirituous Acids volatile Alkalys or Lixivial Salts will precipitate such Waters 15. The Manner of Extracting Salts from such Waters and what Quantities may be extracted Guesses may be made concerning the Saltness of these Waters by trying whether they will Lather with Soap and if not what Quantity of Curdled Matter they will yield I have observ'd that even the lightest Waters will yield a small Quantity of common Salt 16. How to discover what Acidity is to be found without Evaporation Having taken a peculiar Method to try the Acidity of Mineral Waters by mixing them with an Infusion of Lignum Nephriticum in simple Water I found that tho' German Spaw yielded a small Quantity yet in that of Action there was none discernible 17. What may be observ'd by Distillation in Balnco 18. What and whether the same Quantity of Caput Mortuum be afforded by Evaporation and Distillation 19. Whether Mineral Waters will acquire the same Qualities and Texture by a Reunion of their Caput Mortuum when distill'd to such a Consistence in Glass-Vessels exactly luted which they had before 20. What Changes if any Mineral Waters undergo by being boil'd in Water in a Glass Hermetically seal'd From whence might be learn'd whether a Change of Qualities would succeed an Alteration of Texture without a manifest loss of Parts And whether an Agitation of Parts without the Influence of the Air would precipitate any thing or deprive it of it's Power to turn a Tincture of Galls Purple 21. How much the Mineral Waters exceed their Caput Mortuum in Proportien 22. What Parts are contain'd in the Caput Mortuum and whether dissoluble in Water 23. How much the Saline and Terrestrial Parts differ in Proportion 24. Whether in strong Fires the Salts be Volatile or Fix'd and to what Degree 25. Whether the Salts will Crystallize per se or with other Salts and what 's the Figure of the Genuine or Compounded Crystals 26. Whether Acid or Alkaline Qualities are most predominant The Acidity will either appear to the Taste or Smell or may be discover'd by turning Syrup of Violets red as also by making use of an Infusion of Lignum Nephriticum which upon a Mixture of Acids loses it's Blue Colour Their Acidity may likewise be discover'd by trying whether they will be precipitated by Alkalys or ferment with them And if Alkaly be predominant it on the contrary discovers it self by a Lixivial Taste and Smell and may be discover'd by turning Syrup of Violets Green or precipitating a Solution of Sublimate or Fermenting with Aqua fortis or lastly by increasing the Colour of a Tincture of Brasil or Log-wood in Common-water And tho' we have no such Springs here in England as afford Alkaline Salts yet without question in Egypt such may be found since their Latron or the Egyptian Nitre abounds with a Salt of an Alkaline Nature and I have obtain'd such an Alkaly from that Famous Water of Bourbon in France which would turn Syrup of Violets green and ferment with Volatile Acids If such Waters abound with Vitriol they 'll turn an Infusion of Galls black and Vomit those that drink them and if an Alkaly be added will yield a yellow Precipitate upon dropping of Spirit of Vrine or Salt of Tartar into them I have not found any of the Waters about London to be impregnated with Vitriol and I am told that in France the Mineral Waters are so far from being impregnated with Vitriol that there is a Vitriolate Spring in that Kingdom As for the Nature of the Salt which most Mineral Waters are impregnated with I think that it is not to be referr'd to any Glass but is either sui generis and a peculiar one or a Compound Salt made up of such as the Water is impregnated with in it's Passage through the Earth and that Purgative Salts may by a Change of Texture be made of Salts not at all Purgative I the rather believe because I have been told by an Ingenious Emperick That a Salt which I made of Salt of Tartar and Common Sulphur mix'd together had a gentle Purging Virtue 27. In what Menstruums the Caput Mortuum may be dissolv'd and in what it may not Whether Volatile or Fixt and what Qualities it hath in Respect of Colour or Smell What Proportion of Salt Mineral Waters afford It is to be admir'd what a great deal of Caput Mortuum some Mineral Waters yield in Comparison of others since those Waters which are purely Diuretick have very little if compared with the Caput Mortuum of Purging Waters For tho' a pound of Barnet Waters yielded a Drachm yet the same weight of Tunbridge afforded but a Grain And It is not a little strange that so small a Quantity of a Mineral should impregnate so much Water as I have by Tryal found a Grain of Iron Stone did enabling it to Tincture an Infusion of Galls deeper than Tunbridge or German Spaw Water would And I have try'd that half a Grain of Marchasite dissolv'd in Spirit of Nitre communicated a Tincture to 61440 Parts of Water tho' Part of that Marchasite was Sulphur and Part of it Caput Mortuum And here it may be seasonable to take notice That if so small a Portion of a Metalline Substance would when grosly dissolv'd impregnate so large a Quantity of Water how much more may it when rais'd in the Form of a Subtile Mineral Fume and as in such a Form it may impregnate a larger Quantity of Water so will it be
Spirit of Human Blood being kept in Vacuo Byliano when the Air was pumpt out it afforded fewer and less bubbles than an equal quantity of common Water TITLE XIV Of the Hostility of the Spirit of Human Blood with Acids whether they be in the form of Liquors or Fumes IT exercises its Hostility against more than one sort of Acid Spirits as Spirit of Salt of Nitre Spirit and Oyl of Vitriol Aqua Fortis Aqua Regis c. And not only against Facitious but natural ones as the Juice of Lemons upon its Mixture with which there presently ensued a great commotion with noise But there is not only an Hostility evident betwixt the Parts of these Liquors but also their Effluvia for if Spirit of Salt of Nitre be put into a Vial somewhat wide mouthed and Spirit of Blood rectified into another when these Liquors are held near one another their invisible Emanations joyning together will form a manifest Smoak Some pure Volatile Salt of Human Blood being just satiated with Spirit of Nitre we slowly evaporated the superfluous moisture which being done we took the compound Crystals which the Mixture afforded and put it into a Bolt-Head with a slender and a long neck and then adding to it a convenient quantity of Salt of Tartar and as much distilled Water as made the Mixture Liquid enough the Salt of Tartar detained the Spirit of Nitre and a good proportion of the Volatile Salt ascended in a dry form to the neck of the Vessel Spirit of Blood and Nitre being mixed together there ensued a conflict in which thick white fumes rose plentifully and circulating in the Vessel ran down the sides of it in a white stream untill the fumes ceased to rise again the Mixture in the mean time appearing reddish Being setled and seeming to have been so discoloured by a fattish Substance we put to it a little rain Water and having by filtration separated the Faeces and slowly evaporated the thus clarified Liquor the saline Parts shot into Crystals like those of Salt-Petre but after a while seemed yellow as if tinged with the Oyl N. Tho' on several occasions the Spirit of Blood appears Oyly yet I not long since dissolved another parcel of Blood whose Liquor was clear and limpid a year after Some of the before mentioned Crystals being put upon well kindled Charcoal presently melted and burnt away like Salt-Petre but the flame seemed not so halituous and differed in colour being not at all blue but yellow and after the Deflagration ceased there remained upon the Coal a lump of dirty coloured matter which had scarce any taste nor was that little it had Alkalious This brittle Substance being held in the flame became red hot without any sensible imminution and so it did upon a live Coal TITLE XV. Of the Medicinal Virtues of Spirit of Human Blood outwardly applyed SINCE we meet not with any Acid Substance except in the Pancreatick Juice of a sound Person And since the fixed Salt of Blood does much resemble Sea-salt whether its Spirit be Acid or no and since several Parts of the Body whether Solid or Liquid afford a Liquor impregnated with store of Volatile Salt it is not amiss to think that the Spirit of Human Blood may have considerable effects in several Diseases even when externally applyed And that Spirit of Sal-Armoniack hath been found successful in assisting several People in Apoplexies Epilepsies c. when applyed to or put up the Nostrils it 's confirmed by the experience of several learned and able Physicians and upon the like reason I prepared a Volatile Salt sublimed from a compound Salt obtained from Spirit of Blood satiated with Nitre And for a like purpose to bring over the Saline Part of Blood in a liquid form we mixed two Parts of dryed Blood with three of Spirit of Blood and distilling them with a pretty strong fire we obtained a pretty deal of Spirit unaccompanyed with any Volatile Salt in a dry form and this Spirit seemed to have a stronger taste and smell before rectification than Spirit of Human Blood prepared another way had after rectification and had we made use of more Lime I question not but that we should have obtained a more piercing Spirit since it would have retained more of the Oyl and the superfluous moisture And on this occasion I shall add that I have often found Head-aches cured by the separated application of Spirit of Human Blood which is likewise good in Hysterick and Hypochondriacal Cases and in fainting Fits and if the smell of it makes it too nauseous that may be corrected according to the method already laid down in this Chapter to which I shall add that a few drops of Oyl of Rhodium being dissolved in Alcohol of Wine if that be mixed with Spirit of Human Blood it will give it a very grateful and odoriferous smell And here I shall add that Medicines made of Amber have been found successful not only in Convulsions and other Distempers of the Genus Nervosum but the Tincture of it in Spirit of Wine hath proved successful enough in Diseases both of Men and Women And this Tincture may not inconveniently or unsuccessfully be added to correct the Odour and increase the Virtues of Spirit of Human Blood and tho Oyl of Amber will not mix readily with Spirit of Wine yet if they be shaken together and left to settle at leisure tho' they settle in distinct masses yet the Spirit would even in the cold extract a high and a yellow Tincture little different from the Oyl it self which may be mixed with the Spirit of Blood till the smell of the Amber be predominant To what hath been said of the external use of Spirit of Human Blood I shall add that if the Oyl in these Mixtures should be too much predominant it may be easily separated by runing it through a Tunnel whose Orifice at the bottom is formed so small and sharp as to give way for the Spirit to run off first which may when thus separated be kept in a distinct Vessel And since if the Vinous Spirit be sufficiently rectified there will by the Coagulation of the Saline and Urinous Parts be produced a kind of Salt you may either pour the Liquid part into another Vessel and then use them separate or else separate the Salt by sublimation in a dry form and Spirit of Human Blood thus separated will have a fragrant brisk and piercing Odour But To conclude this Spirit is not only good in respect of the Virtues ascribed to its scent but it may be good likwise when used as a fomentation as Spirit of Sal-Armoniack hath been effectual in removing the Pains of the Gout and in the Erisipelas And since upon the account of its Alkalizate Nature it may be good to correct Acidities it may be for that purpose made use of both by Physicians and Chirurgeons TITLE XVI Of the Medicinal Virtues of Spirit of Human Blood inwardly used I Have been
more clearly understand how a Superadded Form modifies the Actions of a Body we need but reflect on the Parts of a Watch from whence the Forma Totius proceeds where we may see how the Spring by being bent acquires a Tendency to expand and how the Wheels moderate that Expansion From whence we may gather how the Parts of a Body which united make the Forma Totius concur in superadding several New Qualities to the whole So a piece of Lead is Vitrify'd by the Action of the Fire by which Action the Parts which before were pliable become brittle and being otherwise rang'd as to Situation give way to the Rays of Light and becomes Transparent And Salt-Petre by the Addition of Coal and Sulphur instead of burning by degrees and leaving an Alkalizate Salt behind it flashes all away at once Compound may act by Virtue of one single Ingredient VII Besides the Actions of a Body which are specifick in respect of the whole it may have several Operations depending on the separate and particular Properties of an Ingredient This may appear from what hath been deliver'd above But to make it more clear I shall again intimate what hath been before deliver'd viz. That the Parts of a Watch retain several of their Pristine Qualities when put together as they did before To which another Instance might be added from what is elsewhere said of Gun-powder To which it may be added That several Ingredients in Physical Compositions retain their own Qualities tho' the Composition hath in General a Particular Effect upon the account of its Mixture As for Instance Ambergreece retains its Smell as well as Aloes its Taste when made up into Pills with other Ingregredients and Opium likewise its Soporifick Qualities tho' mix'd with so great a number of Ingredients as those of Venice-Treacle Another Example we have in the Precipitate of Gold and Mercury by Heat which tho' it hath a red Colour different from both the Ingredients yet the Mercury retains its Salivating Faculty The most noted often esteem'd the Specifick Form VIII That is often call'd the Specifick Form in several Natural Bodies which is not the Presiding but only the most Eminent To prove this we are to consider what hath been already observ'd As First That the Signification of the Word Form is made use of Arbitrarily and without sufficient Distinction Secondly That Forms are only Respective and the Result of a Determinate Coexistence of the Parts of Matter Thirdly That they are attributed to Bodies upon the account of some particular Qualities as Unctuousness in Oyls c. or some particular Use Pourthly Agreeably to these a Body must be endued wich several of those Qualities upon the Account of which Bodies are referr'd to different Classes As in Vitrum Antimonii in which besides those Qualities by which it is referr'd to Glass it hath a Vomitive and Purgative Faculty by which it is brought into another Class in Physick Fifthly It is not requisite that these Forms should depend on one another since neither the Vomitive nor Purgative Faculty depend on the Form of Glass they both being inherent in the Calx before it was Vitrify'd and would be preserv'd tho' the Glass without an Addition of other Matter should be turn'd into a Regulus Sixthly To these Observations we may add That the Qualities of Bodies are said to be less or more Noble in respect of their different Uses As in Glass of Antimony tho' the Glass may be taken for the Noblest Form by an Artist yet it s other Antimonial Qualities are more Eminent amongst Chymists and Physicians Seventhly From these Considerations we may gather that the most Predominant Form is not always that which denominates the Form of a Body but sometimes that which is most Eminent that is most regarded Some are rather Concurrent Forms than Subordinate IX The Forms just now mention'd are rather to be esteem'd Concurrent than Subordinate And indeed where the Denominating or most regarded Form may be so vary'd they rather seem Concurrent than Subordinate in respect of the Body whose Attributes they are So that the Subjection of some sort of Forms seems very difficult to be explain'd And indeed we are so apt to mistake Names for Things since by only denominating some Bodies which have Particular Operations we are apt to attribute what is the sole Effect of Modification to that Metaphysical Conception which we have of an Aery Form rather than to the Body consider'd as a Physical Agent endued with a Mechanical and Adventitious Texture And it is so far from Appearing that there is any thing of Supereminency or Dominion of one Form in all the Operations of a Compound Body that in some Simple Bodies the Specifick Form is not in the least concern'd in the Effects of them as Water will scald by Virtue of its Adventitious Heat which is contrary to those Qualities attributed to its Form as such And so Springiness may be added to or taken away from Silver without altering the Specifick Form of the Metal nor does the Form of a File consider'd as Metal affect what is attributed to it upon the Account of those Asperities Nor is the more than usual Hardness the Product of the Substantial Form but an acquir'd Temper given it by the Smith It would be an easy Matter to add several other Instances But to conclude Tho' the uncertain Signification of Terms hath made the Foregoing Discourse the more Difficult and Dark yet I hope it may serve to detect some receiv'd Errors and promote a truer Theory concerning these Matters CHAP. V. Experiments and Thoughts about the Production and Reproduction of Forms Bodies distinguish'd into Spaecies how IT was not without Grounds that I intimated in the preceding Chapter about Qualities that Bodies are in a great measure distinguished into several Species by a sort of Tacit Agreement there being as yet no Diagnosticks sufficient to distinguish the several Species of things but they are rather taken for distinct Species by being known by such Names than any true Characteristicks As for instance some well skill'd in the Writings of Aristotle hold that Water and Ice are not esteemed distinct Kinds of Bodies they both having the same Nature yet Galen not without Reason favours the contrary Opinion since they differ both in respect of Fluidity and Firmness as well as Transparency Besides Ice and Salt beaten together will freeze other Liquors whereas Water and Salt will not where there seems to be difference enough to denominate them Two distinct Species of Bodies as well as that Must Vinegar Wine Spirit of Wine or Tartar should be esteemed so or that a Chick should be thought different from the Egg which was hatched Yet some Aristotelians have been very doubtful whether the Natures of them be different or not as also whether Clouds Hail Rain or Snow differ in Specie from Water tho' the Writers concerning Meteors usâ—â—â—ly treat of them as different And if so
which being dryed in the Air formed Bodies like Moss and here and there small Mushrooms prettily coloured And from other Granates I obtained a Tincture which after evaporation did in the Cold afford saline Concretions but so small that their figures could not be determined And probably were tryals made other Mineral Concretes might be wrought on by appropriated Menstruums for tho' the Spar that is found in Lead Mines next the Veins of Ore be Semidiaphanous and usually breaks in smooth and Glassy Superficies and looks like a Talck and also for the most Part is made up of figured Particles shaped like Rhombuus's or Rhomboides yet I found it was a more open Body than Talk being dissolved in Spirit of Salt without the assistance of Heat But I am apt to believe that besides the methods already mentioned there are other methods to discover the Metalline Ingredients of a Body by Fusions and proper Additaments And to conclude this Chapter I shall subjoyn the following Experiment viz. Having dissolved Stony Stiriae of petrifyed Water in Spirit of French Verdigrease and after a gentle Evaporation placed it in a cool place it yielded â—…stals figured much like those of pure Nitro◠〈◊〉 some of this Stony solution being mixed wiâ—â— a solution of Copper they did not precipitate each other but upon Evaporation yielded Crystals transparent and colourless and that were richly adorned with a greenish blue Tincture of the Metal CHAP. II. Containing a Conjecture about the Causes of the Virtues of Gems FROM what hath been elsewhere and in the preceding Chapter laid down it appears that the Earth does not only abound with several Mineral and Metalline substances a great many of which are undiscoverd and a great many already known but also that several Mines are furnished with Water which being impregnated variously may be no dispicable Menstruums but may likewise concur to the Production of Mineral Bodies and not only serve as corrosive Menstruums but pure Solvents to Mineral Earths And that common Water is able to impregnate it self not only with Saline but Mineral Parts is evident from the various tasts of Waters and their uses some being fitter for brewing others for washing some for dying particular Colours and some to temper Steel and others again for other uses And amongst the most remarkable â—…ies are Thermae and Acidulae reckoned up by various Authors as also Salt Springs and those Waters of Hungary and other Parts which yield a Vitriol which is a substance compounded and decompounded containing a saline a Sulphureous a Metalline and an Earthy Part and if Water may be thus impregnated with Metalline Parts it is no difficulty to apprehend how a Lapidescent Humour being sufficiently mixed with and proportioned to it may be coagulated into Stony Stiriae and from such like Coalitions may arise those precious Stones and transparent Gems for the Virtue of specifick Juices are so powerful that I have seen Vegetable substances sufficiently hardened by them to grave on Iron and I had a substance which I looked upon to be a petrifyed Gum which was hard enough to grave on Glass And if the Parts of Minerals may thus by being dissolved in Water be mixed with a petrifyed Body by this means Gems may not only be impregnated but thence receive their Medicinal Virtues as the Nature of the Mineral is different in Qualities and abounds in Quantity which Original of their Virtues may be rendeed probable not only by what hath been said in the foregoing Chapter but by their different colours And that their Impregnation with Mineral Parts enobles them with Medicinal Virtues is evident from the Testimony of Experience and is rendered probable by the Effects of a Loadstone which tho a much harder substance than some Gems emits Effluvia very copiously and hath not only manifest Effects on Iron but Humane Bodies And even those Pebbles with which they counterfeit Diamonds have been caused in a trice to emit copious and strongly scented Steams and even Diamonds the hardest of Gems may by rubbing be caused to emit Electrical Effluvia And tho' it be thought by some that the digestion of a Man's Stomach is not able to extract the Metalline Parts yet there may be a greater Congruity betwixt the Juices of our Bodies and the Mineral substances with which they were impregnated than we are aware of besides we see that the Stomach hath manifest Effects on Chalybeate Preparations and even crude Steel it self And I have obtained a Tincture from several hard Bodies and even Gems themselves by a Liquor distilled from a Vegetable substance as temperately qualifyed as Bread And that the natural Heat of our Bodies may contribute to the extracting of the Virtues of precious Stones I am perswaded since it makes an evident alteration in the hardest of them so as to render a Diamond Electrical and I have had one which by warm Water would be excited to shine in the dark And indeed it is not altogether improbable that Gems having the most subtile Mineral Steams in them being not dispersed by the action of fire they may be more Effectual considering their quantity than Preparations of Metals which have undergone a Fusion And their Virtues may sometimes be much different upon the account of a great quantity of Mineral Particles since Vunzerus tells us that amongst those Stones which are called Nephritick Stones some are much more effectual than others besides the petrifick Juices themselves may have distinct natures and peculiar Qualities upon the account of their Coalitions with Adventitious Liquors And if petrifying Liquors may have such manifest effects on several Bodies one would think indisposed to petrify why may not such a Liquor subdue transparent Minerals abounding with Saline Sulphureous and Bituminous Bodies which being excited may emit their most subtil Parts and as in the Earth there are severl Bodies compounded by the action of Subterraneal fires those petrifyed may enable the Body with correspondent Qualities on which occasion I here subjoyn that I have seen a saline substance which was formed in the Bowels of the Earth like that which is artificially made And I have seen Volatile Salts and Sulphurs shoot into transparent Crystals in a fluid Medium after Distillation which have been more curiously figured than several Gems And if it be objected in disfavour of the Medicinal Virtues of Gems that they grow no lighter when they are said to emit Effluvia I shall add that not to urge that the Antimonial Cup impregnates Wine without losing of its substance and that Mercury will give Water a Virtue of killing Worms by being boiled in it tho' by these means it loses nothing of its weight I shall rather demand how it appears that Bodies grow no lighter by the loss of their Effluvia And tho' in some cases the Gem may be lighter than Crystal yet it is no argument of their more languid Effects since the specifick Gravity of those Bodies they are impregnated with may be of a saline Nature
of Vapours will appear from what hath elsewhere been delivered and that Quick-silver will we are assured by the effects of Fumigations in the Lues Venerea and that it may be incorporated with Stones may be observed in some kinds of native Cinnabar And I have found that not only artificial but natural Sal-Armoniack may be raised in the form of Exhalations by the help of fire And that Sal-Armoniack Sulphur and Mercury may be sublimed into a Gold like substance appears from the Preparations of Aurum Musicum and that the Earth abounds with Mineral Exhalations of various kinds appears from what hath been elsewhere delivered as well by us as several other Authors and since the Earth abounds with so great a Number of Minerals there is no question but some of them may be able to penetrate and tinge some indurated Stones and that a small quantity of a Mineral may be sufficient to tinge a great quantity of a Stony substance will appear from several Experiments already delivered But to proceed to the last Argument to be alledged on this occasion I shall add that it appears that opacous Gems receive their Virtues from Mineral Particles since most of them consist of Mineral Bodies petrified And tho' most of these Bodies differ little from artificial ones we are not therefore to deny them Medicinal Virtues since several Medicinal and specifick Virtues are attributed to Chymical Preparations and that artificial Bodies may be endewed with Medicinal Virtues appears from Galen who delivers the ashes of a Cray-Fish as an Antidote against the biting of a mad Dog And even Treacle is esteemed not only as an Alexipharmick but endewed with specifick Virtues upon the account of its manifest as well as occult Qualities And to what I have said I shall add that several Stones of the same kind differ in the goodness of their Medicinal Qualities as Lapis Nephriticus and several of them have Virtues which seem to belong to other kinds when they are impregnated with the like Exhalations so that I have seen a Blood-Stone which would stop Hemorrhagies when made use of without the Persons knowledge yet by its colour it seemed to be of another kind of Stone But to the foregoing Particulars I shall add that subterraneal Exhalations may be so powerful and penetrating as to petrifie both Animal and Vegetable Substances as appears from petrifyed Skulls Bones and pieces of Wood and that Vegetable substances may be hardened into Stones is evident since Lapis Lyncurius a Stone near Naples being rubbed and moistened and then exposed to the Sun in a due season will yield Mushrooms fit to be eaten so that the seminal Principles of Vegetables may be petrifyed without losing a power of exerting themselves when they find an opportunity And these kind of Stones are sometimes found to be of an extraordinary bigness And that other Earths subject to be petrifyed may be endewed with Medicinal Virtues appears since I knew a Clay-Pit in which a Bed of Clay yielded by distillation a Volatile and strong Salt which was a good Cordial and a great opening and Diaphoretick Medicine And that sublimable Salts Sulphurs and Bitumens may be met with in the Bowels of the Earth and in the Bodies of Stones I have found by their Chymical Examens And that Metalline Parts may concur to the Composition of a Medicinal Stone may appear from native Sulphur which is it self a compound Body besides a good proportion of Mineral Earth CHAP. III. Of the Atmospheres of Consistent Solids Of the Atmospheres of consistent Bodies THAT fluid Bodies such as Water Wine Urine c. emit Effluvia is too evident to want proof and that even consistent and solid Bodies emit Effluvia will appear from what follows since not only Leaves of Plants but Ambergrease c. are manifestly odoriferous And not only Volatile Salts are sensibly diminished by being exposed to the Air but Camphire which is a tough tenacious Body And even from the Electrical Qualities of Amber hard Wax c. it appears that they emit corporeal Effluvia which sensibly affect the Nostrils when violently rubbed And as further instances of the Effluvia of consistent Bodies we may add that not only Apples but Eggs lose of their weight in Winter and so does Wood for having caused a Cup to be made of it and Counterpoised it it grew sensibly and gradually lighter so that tho' it wanted two drachms of two ounces yet it lost forty grains of that weight in ten hours And even Ice which weighed two ounces in a frosty Night lost ten grains of its former weight tho' not in the least thawed And it is known to those that deal amongst Lead and Tin that those Bodies emit very hurtful Effluvia and Cold-share Iron hath been observed to smell so rank whilst red hot that the Smith could scarce endure to work it and not only Iron but Brass and Copper when heated smell very unpleasantly And to these instances I shall add that besides Load-Stones black Marble as well as other Stones whilst a Polishing will emit sensible Effluvia which is evident by the smells they emit And amongst other Bodies which convince us that they emit sensible Effluvia by their smell I shall enumerate those Conical Stones called Thunder-Stones which upon attrition emit a Sulphureous smell and so did a Substance which much resembled a Marchasite And I made a Mixture of a Metalline Body and a coagulated Mercury which had considerable effects on the Eyes as well as other Parts near which it was worn as an Appensum And Vitrum Saturni made with a good quantity of Minium is not devoid of Electricity nor is Brass free from an offensive smell when its Parts are put into a violent concussion by turning And amongst Electrical Bodies I have seen some of so close a Texture and so hard that they would strike fire and Aqua Fortis it self would not work upon them as Cornelians Rock-Crystal c. And even so hard Bodies as Diamonds are found to be Electrical And I have observed that Concretions called Cugoli made use of by Glass-men in the East-Indies emits a smell upon attrition and so will a Calculus Humanus and Iron it self if held to a grinding Stone without the use of Water And Marchasites likewise upon an attrition emit a Sulphureous Odour And even so fixed Bodies as Regulus of Antimony and its Glass communicate to Liquors Emetick and Purgative Emanations and Glass it self which is fixed enough to endure the force of the Fire upon Attrition emits offensive Effluvia And the Heat of the Sun and Fire have so great a stroke in exciting the Atmospheres of Bodies exposed to them that Amber being exposed to the former and Glass to the latter they both became Electrical And I question not but that if a great many Bodies not yet tryed were carefully weighed they would appear sensibly to emit Effluvia tho' the waste made by some Bodies is so small as to be
bright Copper within about half a minute of an hour the Verge of the moistened part of the Surface appeared blueish and in a little time after the rest of the wetted Part acquired a fine Azure Having poured Spirit of Blood upon filings of Zinke or Spiltre it presently began to work manifestly in the cold and when assisted by a little Heat it dissolved the Zinke briskly and not without producing store of bubbles being also a little discoloured by the operation of this Experiment Having put a piece of clotted Blood which had been exposed to the Air into a slender Vial of clear Glass and then poured on a little rectified Spirit of Human Blood and shook the Glass a little the blackness of the superficial part of the Blood presently disappeared and became a florid Scarlet and the Liquor was tinged with a fairer red and from a succession of bubbles passing from time to time out of the cold into it seemed to work somewhat like a Menstruum but in a little time after the Blood was degenerated from its former colour to a little more dark one But another clot of Blood one side of which was red and the other black being put into the Vial and Spirit of Blood poured upon it the red side had its colour improved but the other continued black and dirty And I once preserved twelve drachms of Blood in two of the Spirit of Blood and found that twelve months after it remained fair and florid and little less than totally fluid and when the Vessel was opened there appeared little sign of Putrefaction but only a small clot was fastened to the bottom the rest passing readily through a strainer so that the Spirit seemed to have a great embalming Virtue since it was able to preserve six times its weight of a Body so apt to putrefie But to what hath been observed I shall add that having comitted the Mixture to Distillation the first Liquor was a kind of Phlegm which was succeeded by a Spirituous Liquor and Volatile Salt in a dry form Having poured some of our Spirit upon filings of Iron where they were not in the least Rusty and kept them together a while in digestion we found as we expected that that Liquor by working upon them had produced a light substance something paler than a Crocus and there appeared likewise in the Liquor good store of thin Plates which after a gentle Agitation being held against the Sun-Beams exhibited the colours of the Rain-Bow very vividly but the taste of the Liquor appeared not at all Martial TITLE IX Of the Tincture that may be drawn with Spirit of Human Blood SPirit of Blood being put upon Saffron presently acquired a yellow colour and from Tu merick a Tincture like a solution of Gold which may doubtless prove a good Medicine in the Jaundice and some of this Spirit being put upon powder of Blood it presently extracted from it a colour as red as that of French Claret but when I made use of another parcel of Spirit well rectified I found that it extracted not a Tincture so soon and after several hours the colour it obtained was brown which in some hours after was heightned into redness and in a longer time it became almost as red as the former Tincture To shew that Spirit of Human Blood may extract Tinctures out of the hardest Bodies we put filings with it into a small Egg and kept them all night in digestion in a moderate Heat and the next day we found the Liquor tinged with a deep brownish red and those filings which stuck to the sides of the Vessel and were above the Liquor were turned by the Exhalations of this Spirit into a yellow Crocus But the Mixture being kept some days longer in the same Vessel the colour of it was grown Opacous and appeared to be black when it was looked upon in a considerable bulk but it seemed of another colour when looked upon as it was spread thin upon white Paper Some of this Ticture being poured upon an infusion of Galls it would not make it of an Inky colour nor was the precipitate which presently fell to the bottom of an Inky colour From which Experiments it appears that it is unsafe either to suppose that if Chalybeates be dissolved in the Body it must be by some Acid Juice or to conclude that if Steel be dissolved by the Liquors of our Bodies they must be ex predominio Alkalizate since a Liquor that is very different from Acids dissolves it but without touching further upon this account I shall rather commend it to the consideration of Physicians to pitch upon some other method of explicating the effects of Chalybeates upon Human Bodies and whether martial Medicines may not be made use of which are prepared by Volatite Alkalies instead of Acids Spirit of Human Blood being kept in digestion with powder of Amber it extracted no considerable Tincture but whether the fault was in the fineness of the Amber or the weakness of the Spirit I shall leave undetermined Some Spirit of Human Blood being put upon some of that Gum called Seed-Lac soon became tinged which I supposed to proceed from a superficial colour of some Parts of the Gum proceeding from some adhering Blood of the little winged insects who by their bitings occasioned this Gum upon the twigs of the Trees where it is found so that the colour seems not to be given by the Gum but the Blood of those Animals and may probably be a good solvent Medicine since most of the insects used in Physick consists of Parts very subtle and penetrating and of considerable Efficacy TITLE X. Of the Coagulating power of the Spirit of Human Blood HIghly rectified Spirit of Human Blood being well mingled by shakeing it with a convenient quantity of Urinous Spirits there will presently ensue a Coagulation or a concretion of Parts either of the whole Mixture or a Portion of it into corpuscles of a Saline form which cohering loosely together make up a mass of a fluid and consistent soft temper in which form it will continue in a cool place several months TITLE XI Of the Precipitating power of Spirit of Human Blood IT hath a power of Precipitating as other Volatile Spirits most Bodies dissolved in Acid Menstruums I say most because there is no need this rule should be general or hold when the Body is of such a Nature that it may be as well dissolved by an Acid as an Alkaly and that there are such Bodies appears since Spirit of Human Blood will dissolve both Copper and Zink which may be likewise dissolved by Aqua Fortis and other Acid Menstruums But that this Spirit will precipitate other Bodies dissolved in Acid Menstruums I am convinced by several tryals made on red Lead dissolved in Vinegar Silver in Aqua Fortis Gold in Aqua Regia and Tin dissolved in an appropriated Menstruum and several other Bodies And out of a Solution of common Salt made in Water