or the whole.

Qu. Con- leave the Remainder thicker. If a Gut cerning encreasing or Bladder were fixed upon any fwelled the Pref- Part with a Frame, or tied at each End, fure upon and fecured with fome cleaving Matter, any Part that Air could not get out, and more Air were forcibly pumped in, fo as to make a ftrong Preffure, what Effect would it have? Would it not repell the Humours, make them circulate, and contract the Part? Or, if a Man were put into a large Veffel, and Air pumped in, and the Preffure made ftronger, would it not force the Juices into the Sides of the Stomach and Guts, and the contrary, fee p. 49.

The Ufe of Blisters,

and how raifed.

TH

CHA P. XXIX.

The Use of Bliftering.

HE Intention of Blistering, is to discharge fome of the thinner Juices out of the Blood, when a Ferment hath thinned the Blood too much, or when there is too great a Quantity of small sharp Salts, or other like pointed Bodies in the Blood. And is performed, by applying some sharp Corpufcles to the Skin, which will open, and cut, the capillary Veffels which compofe the cuticular Glands, &c. and by a Plaister, or fome cleaving Mat

ter

ter, which will keep off the Air, and. fuffer the Steam to open the Pores, and thofe Corpufcles to enter, and be moved by the Steam in the Juices of the Glands, and that which they discharge. And af ter their Operation, and the Skin's being taken off, by continuing a Plaifter of fome cleaving Matter to keep off the Air, and fuffer the Steam to discharge the Juices at the Ends of the cut Glands, and to prevent the Air and Fire, Salts, &c. in it, from wounding the Ends of the Glands, or drying the Juices which iffue out, and preffing them into a dead Skin or Scab, which would ftop the Discharge. If Occafion require they repeat fome small Quantity of fharp Corpufcles mixed in the Plaifter, which will gently open the Pores, when applied to the Skin, or to the Ends of the cut Glands, to encrease the Secretion, or add Corpufcles of the contrary Quality to decrease it. Whether Qu. As to a Blister discharge fome volatile Salts, or the Mat&c. which will not fubfide, and go offter dif charged by Urine, nor at the outward Pores, but by them, only into the Stomach; or whether taking and their fome away, only leffen the Quantity which would have been fecreted into the Stomach, and confequently the Sharpness of the Ferment; or whether they fretted

Effects.

the

the Glands in the Blood-veffels, and made the subtle Juices in them, fecrete too much, fo as to diforder the Conftitution of the Blood, as Vinegar, which though not vifibly prejudicial to the Stomach, yet is mortal when injected into the Blood, and leffening their Quantity abate that Effect, I have not had Opportunity to observe. Doubtlefs, fome of the fharp Corpufcles applied in the Blifter, will, as they enter into the small Blood-veffels, be carried along with the Blood to all Parts of the Body; and will have various Effects upon the different Parts, according to their different Conftitution; and will more, or lefs open, or wound the Glands, and caufe Secretion in all Parts of the Body, till thofe Corpufcles be blunted, fheathed or discharged. And when the Glands in the Stomach, Guts, or Blood-veffels, are opened to a great Degree, or as it were wounded, they will iffue Juices against a great Strength of Steam for a while, as the fmall outward Veffels will do Blood or Juices, when they are wounded or cut, against the Preffure of the Air; because where the Parts are cut, there are no Valves to shut. "Tis not ftrange, that thofe Corpufcles fhould pafs, if thofe of Oil of Turpentine only touching the out

3

ward

་

ward Skin can infinuate themfelves, fo ininto the Pores, and thence into the Bloodveffels, that the Urine shall smell strong of it. The Matter discharged by the Blister will be compofed of Corpufcles of that Magnitude, or Juices of that Confistency, which the Glands or capillary Veffels, opened or cut, could discharge: For if the Paffages, as one may fay, in the feveral Strainers were not of different Sizes, the Juices, fecreted in each Part, would be the fame. When any one hath a Blifter, outward Wound, or is accustomed to have the outward Piles upon a fudden Stoppage of the Pores in any other outward Part, as by fhaving the Head with cold Water, going wethod, Abfence of Cloaths, or other Defence from the Cold, the Steam within, acts more forcibly upon the weak Parts, which are kept warm; and the bliftered Place, or Wound, will run, or the Piles break out, and bleed more than they would otherwife have done. Increafing the Force of the Steam within, by ftrong Drink, Action, &c. will have the fame Effect. If one have a fmall Appearance vid. above of the Piles after a Stool, preffing them p. 101. gently with one's Finger End, will put them up into the End-gut. If that be omitted,

omitted, till the End-gut be filled with Steam, though you push them up, they will return. But if you break Wind, and then put them up, they will not return; fo 'tis likely, when one hath the Piles, if one put up a Pipe with Holes in the Blifters not Sides, and let off the Steam, one might rifing, a then then put them up. I think it is accountbad Sign. ed a bad Sign when Blifters will not

The Ufe and Intent.

work. If the Steam rife not, or pass not, or the thin Parts of the Blood be born off, or the Blood be ftagnated, Blifters will have but fmall Effect, nor the Patient continue long without fome Change.

TH

HE Intention of making Iffues, Rowels, &c. is to discharge fome Matter out of the Blood, which is too grofs to be fecreted in proper Time, at any of the natural Places for Discharge, nor at the Glands cut by a Blister, but must be discharged at wider Glands or Veffels, cut and kept open, and defended from the Air. And fuch Glands or Veffels will discharge thicker Juices in Proportion to their Capacity; and perhaps,

but