Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 001.djvu/188

 Mouth, but by a Peculiar ductus, by him described, into the Intestins, where, according to his alledged experience, it is turn'd into Chyle: which he affirms, he hath discover'd, by taking an Egge from under a brooding Hen, when the Chicken was ready to break forth, and when he was looking for the passage of the Yolk, out of its integument into the Liver, by finding it pass thence into the Intestins, as he found the White to do by the mouth into the belly. Whence he inclines to infer, that, since every fœtus; takes in at the mouth the liquor it swims in, and since the Chicken receives the white of the Egge into the mouth, and the yolk by the new discover'd ductus into the Intestins, it cannot be certainly made out, that a part of the Chyle is conveyed into the Liver, before it passes into the Heart: Exhorting in the mean time the Patrons of the Liver, that they would produce Experiments to evince their Ratiocinations.

III. Regenri de Graeff, de Succi Pancreatici Natura & usu, Exercitatio Anatomico-medica. In this Tract, the Industrious Author, after he has enumerated the various opinions of Anatomists concerning the use of that kernelly substance, call'd Pancreas (in English, the Sweetbred) endeavours to prove experimentally that this Glandule was not form'd by Nature, to separate any Excrementitious humor, and to convey it into the Intestins, but to prepare an useful juyce out of the Blood and Animal spirits, of a somewhat Acid taste, and to carry the same into the Gut, call'd Duodenum, to be there mixt with the Aliment, that has been in some degree already fermented in the Stomack, for a further fermentation, to be produced by the conflax of the said acid Pancreatick juyce and some Bilious matter, abounding with volatile Salt, causing an Effervescence; which done, that juyce is, together with the purer part of the nourishment, carried into the Milkie veins; thence into the common receptacle of the Chyle and Lymphatick liquor, and so through the ductus Thoracicus into the right Ventricle of the Heart.

This Assertion, first advanced (saith the Author) partly by Gothofredus Mebius partly by Franciscus de le Boe Sylvius, he undertakes to prove by experiments; which, indeed, he has with much industry, tried upon several Animals, to the end that he might collect some of this juyce of the Pancreas for a taste: which having at last obtained, and found it somewhat acid, he thereupon proceeds to deliver his opinion both of the constitution and quantity of this Succus in healthy Animals, and the vices thereof, in the unhealthy: deriving most diseases partly from its too great Acidity, or from its saltness, or harshness; partly from its paucity or redundancy: but especially, endeavouring to reduce from thence, as all intermittent Feavers (of all the Phænomena whereof he ventures to assign the causes from this Hypothesis) so also the Gout, Syncope’s, Stranguries, Oppilations, Diarrhæas, Dysenteries, Hysterical and Colick passions, &c. All which he concludes with mentioning the waies and remedies to cure the manifold peccancy of this juyce by Evacuations and Alterations.

This seeming to be a new as well as a considerable discovery, it is hop'd, that others will by this intimation be invited to prosecute the same by further experiment, either to confirm what this Author has started, if true, or to rectifie it, if he be mistaken.

NOTE.

In Fig. 1. of of these Tracts, the Graver hath placed the bended end of the sprinting Wire, CF, above the Wire-staple B, between it and the Ring E, of the Weight D; whereas that end should have been so expressed, as to pass under the Wire-staple, betwixt its two Wires, into the said Ring.

London, Printed for John Martyn, and James Allestry, Printers to the Royal Society. 1666.