-they affect or difpirit our Bodies, more than a great Degree of Cold does, when the Wind comes from another Quarter: Whether 'tis by hindering a due Discharge out of the Blood at the Pores and Lungs, or whether the Air, being faturated, is not able to admit and bear off what is difcharged at the Lungs, or whether it infinuate its Corpufcles into the Blood at the Lungs, and leave them there, or all these upon our Ways, I am not certain. But the Pulfe Bodies. is difordered, and 'tis likely the Juices are

Its Effects

rendered thicker, or lefs able to fecrete, or lefs active when fecreted, and the Steam does not rife in fufficient Quantity, or is too grofs to pafs, or is obftructed by the Thickness of the Blood and Juices; and being fo pent up in the Guts, and inward Parts, extends them, caufes a croaking Noise in the Guts, hinders due Digestion, and regular Discharges. And though the Phyficians order their Patients to keep within Doors warm, when an Eaft Wind blows, I think those who can endure Exercise, need it more than at any other Time; and brifker Liquors then than they are accustomed to. In this Cafe, as in others, when the Blood is thickned too much, or when regular Difcharges of the Steam and Excrements are

not

not made, the Veffels will extend, and cause Pain, where they have been strained, bruised or broken, or where they are weakeft, in Proportion to the Quantity of Matter in the Air, the Time it continues, &c. when any confiderable Quantity of Rain falls, during the Time this Wind blows, it abates the Effects for fome Time. If this Wind continue for any confiderable Time, till it has thickned the Blood fo much, that the Juices cannot pass into the Veffels in the Sides of the Guts, to fhut the Valves freely, the Steam will pass out of one Divifion of the Guts into another, irregularly, both down and up, and encreases the faid croaking Noife in the Guts, and will hinder the feveral Parts from contracting in their Turns, and confequently the Juices from iffuing into the Sides of the Stomach and Guts, for Digeftion, Discharge, &c.

Difference of the Conftitu

CHAP.

XXI.

The Caufes of different Conflitutions.

T

HE Word Conftitution is very common in every one's Mouth, tion de- what they mean by it, is difficult to guess. pends upon I think the Difference of the Operations rent For- in different Bodies, muft proceed from mation of the different Sizes of the feveral Tubes the Organical Parts, and Glands, from the Strength or Thick

the diffe

nefs of their Sides or Valves, and the different Quantities of the Flefh, and the Thickness of the Skin, or the Difference in Solidnefs or Laxness of the Flesh, or Skin, which environs and covers them. 'Tis true, the Fluids are a great Part of the conftituent Parts of the Body; but fuppofing two Bodies, whofe Tubes or Valves differ in Capacity, in any one or more Parts, and whofe Flesh differ in Quantity, and Skin in Thickness or Degree of Solidnefs, fed with the fame Diet, ufing the fame Exercife, and every Thing exactly, the Fluids will differ, and contain more of this, or that fort of Matter, &c. and confequently the Operations differ. If the Ducts and Glands into the Stomach and Guts be wider, and fecrete

more

more of that fort of Liquor, in one than another, the Operations there will be ftronger, and there will remain lefs of that Matter in the Blood, fo of Gall, or any other of the Juices. A Man that has a great Quantity of Flesh, or is fat, cannot perfpire the Steam in fuch Quantity at the Pores, but the greater Quantity will go at the Lungs, and in violent Exercise choak him. A Man that is lean, or has little Flesh to cover the Arteries, Veins, &c. will be weak, because the Steam will perspire at the Pores too faft. A Man whofe Ducts or Glands for fecreting the Juices, to open the Valves, and discharge the Excrements, are too ftraight, will often be coftive, and those, who have them too open, will often be too loose. The 'on form'd Conftitution no doubt, is formed in the in the Womb, by the different Juices of the Womb, Parents, by the Food of the Mother, and afterwards various Accidents, and may be, in a great by various Measure, changed afterwards by various forts of Food, and by divers other Means. A Perfon that has been breed, or accuftomed, to eat cold Fruits, and fuch Things as give Opportunity to the Juices to iffue plentifully into the Stomach, and afterwards eats and drinks hot Food, and. ftrong Liquor, will straighten the Ducts. 0 4

and

Conftituti

Acciden ts

and Glands into his Stomach, and alterthe Compofition of his Blood. In Northern Countries, where the Corpufcles of the Vegetables, as Oats, &c. are light and hot, where the Heat is not fufficient to raise Fruit, whofe Corpufcles are cool and heavy, thefe People's Blood abounds with Corpufcles which occafions the Scurvy. Thofe who feed on too cold Fruit, or Diet, will make too great a Discharge, or Waste of the Juices into the Stomach, and occafion fomething like the Rot in Sheep, which feed upon the cold Grafs. A thousand Inftances might be produced whereby the Conftitution is altered; and the Skill of the Phyfician confifts chiefly in knowing what Ducts or Glands let go or retain too much, or too large, or too fmall Corpuscles, and how to widen or ftraighten, open or fhut them. Weak, cold Food causes a great Supply of Juices to iffue out of the Blood, into the Stomach, and requires Action to free more to fupply the Blood. Liquor, and Food moderately strong, need fewer Juices to raise them into Steam, and fuffer fewer Juices to iffue out of the Blood: And if there be equal Action, confequently the Blood will be ftocked with a greater Quantity of those Juices; and Errors may

be