_A ~Survey~ of QUADRUPEDS._
[Illustration]
CHAP. I.
_Of their Prone ~Posture~._
In taking a View of this Part of the Animal World, so far as the
Structure of their Bodies is conformable to that of Man, I shall pass
them by, and only take notice of some Peculiarities in them, which
are plain Indications of Design, and the Divine Super-intendence and
Management. And, 1. The most visible apparent Variation is the _Prone
Posture of their Body_: Concerning which, I shall take notice only of two
Things, the Parts ministring thereto, and the Use and Benefit thereof.
I. As for the Parts, ’tis observable, that in all these Creatures, the
_Legs_ are made exactly conformable to this Posture, as those in Man are
to his erect Posture: And what is farther observable also, is, that the
Legs and Feet are always admirably suited to the Motion and Exercises of
each Animal: In some they are made for Strength only, to support a vast,
unwieldy Body[a]; in others they are made for Agility and Swiftness[b],
in some they are made for only Walking and Running, in others for that,
and Swimming too[c]; in others for Walking and Digging[d]; and in others
for Walking and Flying[e]: In some they are made more lax and weak, for
the plainer Lands; in others rigid, stiff, and less flexible[f], for
traversing the Ice, and dangerous Precipices of the high Mountains[g];
in some they are shod with tough and hard Hoofs, some whole, some cleft;
in others with only a callous Skin. In which latter, ’tis observable that
the Feet are composed of Toes, some short for bare-going; some long to
supply the Place of a Hand[h]; some armed with long and strong Talons,
to catch, hold, and tear the Prey; some fenced only with short Nails, to
confirm the Steps in Running and Walking.
II. As the Posture of Man’s Body is the fittest for a rational Animal, so
is the Prone Posture of _Quadrupeds_ the most useful and beneficial to
themselves, as also most serviceable to Man. For they are hereby better
made for their gathering their Food, to pursue their Prey, to leap, to
climb, to swim, to guard themselves against their Enemies, and in a word,
to do whatever may be of principal Use to themselves; as also they are
hereby rendered more useful and serviceable to Man, for carrying his
Burdens, for tilling his Ground, yea, even for his Sports and Diversions.
And now I might here add a Survey of the excellent Contrivances of
the Parts ministring to this Posture of the four-footed Animals, the
admirable Structure of the Bones[i], the Joints and Muscles; their
various Sizes and Strength; their commodious Lodgment and Situation, the
nice Æquipoise of the Body, with a great deal more to the same purpose.
But I should be tedious to insist minutely upon such Particulars, and
besides, I have given a Touch upon these Kinds of Things, when I spake of
Man.
Passing by therefore many Things of this Kind, that might deserve Remark,
I shall only consider some of the Parts of _Quadrupeds_, differing from
what is found in Man[k], and which are manifest Works of Design.
FOOTNOTES:
[a] The Elephant being a Creature of prodigious Weight, the largest of
all Animals; _Pliny_ saith, hath its Legs accordingly made of an immense
Strength, like Pillars, rather than Legs.
[b] Deer, Hares, and other Creatures, remarkable for Swiftness, have
their Legs accordingly slender, but withal strong, and every way adapted
to their Swiftness.
[c] Thus the Feet of the _Otter_ are made, the Toes being all conjoined
with Membranes, as the Feet of Geese and Ducks are. And in Swimming, it
is observable, that when the Foot goes forward in the Water, the Toes are
close; but when backward, they are spread out, whereby they more forcibly
strike the Water, and drive themselves forward. The same may be observed
also in Ducks and Geese, _&c._
Of the _Castor_ or _Beaver_, the _French_ Academists say, _The Structure
of the Feet was very extraordinary, and sufficiently demonstrated, that
Nature hath designed this Animal to live in the Water, as well as upon
Land. For although it had four Feet, like Terrestrial Animals, yet the
hindmost seemed more proper to swim than walk with, the Five Toes of
which they were compos’d, being joined together like those of a Goose by
a Membrane, which serves this Animal to swim with. But the fore ones were
made otherwise; for there was no Membrane which held those Toes joined
together: And this was requisite for the Conveniency of this Animal,
which useth them as Hands like a Squirrel, when he eats._ Memoirs for a
Nat. Hist. of Animals, _pag. 84._
[d] The _Mole_’s Feet are a remarkable Instance.
[e] The Wings of the _Bat_ are a prodigious Deviation from Nature’s
ordinary Way. So ’tis in the _Virginian Squirrel_, whose Skin is extended
between the Fore-Legs and its Body.
[f] Of the Legs of the _Elk_, the _French_ Academists say, _Although
some Authors report, that there are ~Elks~ in ~Moscovia~, whose Legs are
jointless; there is great Probability, that this Opinion is founded on
what is reported of those ~Elks~ of ~Muscovia~, as well as of ~Cæsar~’s
~Alce~, and ~Pliny~’s ~Machlis~, that they have Legs so stiff and
inflexible, that they do run on Ice without slipping; which is a Way that
is reported that they have to save themselves from the Wolves, ~&c.~_
ibid. p. 108.
[g] The common tame _Goat_ (whose Habitation is generally on Mountains
and Rocks, and who delighteth to walk on the tops of Pales, Houses, _&c._
and to take great and seemingly dangerous Leaps) I have observ’d, hath
the Joints of the Legs very stiff and strong, the Hoof hollow underneath,
and its Edges sharp. The like, I doubt not, is to be found the _Wild
Goat_, considering what Dr. _Scheuchzer_ hath said of its climbing the
most dangerous Craggs of the _Alps_, and the Manner of their hunting it.
_Vid._ _Iter. Alpin._ 3. p. 9.
[h] Thus in _Apes_ and _Monkeys_, in the _Beaver_ before, and divers
others.
[i] It is a singular Provision Nature hath made for the Strength of the
_Lion_, if that be true, which _Galen_ saith is reported of its Bones
being not hollow (as in other Animals) but solid: Which Report he thus
far confirms, that most of the Bones are so; and that those in the Legs,
and some other Parts, have only a small and obscure Cavity in them.
_Vid._ _Galen. de Us. Part._ L. 11. c. 18.
[k] _These Sorts of Differences in the Mechanism of Animals, upon the
Score of the Position of their Bodies, occur so often, that it would be
no mean Service to Anatomy——if any one would give us a History of those
Variations of the Parts of Animals, which spring from the different
Postures of their Bodies._ Drake Anat. V. 1. B. 1. c. 17.
CHAP. II.
_Of the HEADS of QUADRUPEDS._
It is remarkable, that in Man, the Head is of one singular Form; in the
four-footed Race, as various as their Species. In some square and large,
suitable to their slow Motion, Food, and Abode; in others less, slender,
and sharp, agreeable to their swifter Motion, or to make their Way to
their Food[a], or Habitation under Ground[b]. But passing by a great many
Observations that might be made of this Kind, I shall stop a little at
the Brain, as the most considerable Part of this part of the Body, being
the great Instrument of Life and Motion in _Quadrupeds_, as ’tis in Man
of that, as also in all Probability the chief Seat of his immortal Soul.
And accordingly it is a remarkable Difference, that in Man the Brain is
large, affording Substance and Room for so noble a Guest; whereas in
_Quadrupeds_, it is but small. And another Thing no less remarkable,
is the Situation of the _Cerebrum_ and _Cerebellum_, or the greater or
lesser Brain, which I shall give in the Words of one of the most exact
Anatomists we have of that Part[c]: “Since, saith he, God hath given
to Man a lofty Countenance, to behold the Heavens, and hath also seated
an immortal Soul in the Brain, capable of the Contemplation of heavenly
Things; therefore, as his Face is erect, so the Brain is set in an higher
Place, namely, above the _Cerebellum_ and all the Sensories. But in
Brutes, whose Face is prone towards the Earth, and whose Brain is capable
of Speculation, the _Cerebellum_, (whose Business it is to minister
to the Actions and Functions of the _Præcordia_, the principal Office
in those Creatures) in them is situated in the higher Place, and the
_Cerebrum_ lower. Also some of the Organs of Sense, as the Ears and Eyes,
are placed, if not above the _Cerebrum_, yet at least equal thereto.”
Another Convenience in this Position of the _Cerebrum_ and _Cerebellum_,
the last ingenious Anatomist[d] tells us is this, “In the Head of Man,
saith he, the Base of the _Brain_ and _Cerebell_, yea, of the whole
Skull, is set parallel to the Horizon; by which Means there is the less
Danger of the two Brains joggling, or slipping out of their Place. But
in _Quadrupeds_, whose Head hangs down, the Base of the Skull makes a
right Angle with the Horizon, by which Means the Brain is undermost,
and the _Cerebell_ uppermost; so that one would be apt to imagine the
_Cerebell_ should not be steady, but joggle out of its Place. To remedy
which Inconvenience he tells us, And lest the frequent Concussions of the
_Cerebell_ should cause a Fainting, or disorderly Motion of the Spirits
about the _Præcordia_, therefore, by the Artifice of Nature, sufficient
Provision is made in all, by the _dura Meninx_ closely encompassing
the _Cerebellum_; besides which, it is (in some) guarded with a strong
bony Fence; and in others, as the Hare, the Coney, and such lesser
_Quadrupeds_, a part of the _Cerebell_ is on each Side fenced with the
_Os Petrosum_: So that by this double Stay, its whole Mass is firmly
contained within the Skull.”
Besides these Peculiarities, I might take notice of divers other Things
no less remarkable, as the _Nictitating Membrane_ of the Eye[e], the
different Passages of the _Carotid Arteries_[f] through the Skull, their
Branching into the _Rete Mirabile_[g], the different Magnitude of the
_Nates_, and some other Parts of the Brain in Beasts, quite different
from what it is in Man: But the Touches already given, may be Instances
sufficient to prevent my being tedious in inlarging upon these admirable
Works of God.
FOOTNOTES:
[a] Thus _Swine_, for Instance, who dig in the Earth for Roots and other
Food, have their Neck, and all Parts of their Head very well adapted to
that Service. Their Neck short, brawny, and strong; their Eyes set pretty
high out of the Way; their Snout long; their Nose callous and strong;
and their Sense of Smelling very accurate, to hunt out and distinguish
their Food in Mud, under Ground, and other the like Places where it lies
concealed.
[b] What hath been said of _Swine_ is no less, rather more remarkable in
the _Mole_, whose Neck, Nose, Eyes and Ears, are all fitted in the nicest
Manner to its subterraneous Way of Life.
[c] _Willis Cereb. Anat._ cap. 6. _Cumque huic Deus os sublime dederit,
~&c.~_
[d] Id. paulo post. _In capite humano Cerebri & Cerebelli, ~&c.~_
[e] See _Book IV. Ch. 2. Note (kk)._
[f] _Arteria Carotis Aliquanto posterius in homine quàm in alio quovis
animali, Calvariam ingreditur, scil. juxta illud foramen, per quod
sinus lateralis in Venam jugularem desiturus cranio elabitur; nam in
cæteris hæc arteria sub extremitate, seu processu acuto ossis petrosi,
inter cranium emergit: verùm in capite humano, eadem, ambage longiori
circumducta (ut sanguinis torrens, priusquam ad cerebri oram appellit,
fracto impetu, leniùs & placidiùs fluat) prope specum ab ingressu sinûs
lateralis factum, Calvariæ basin attingit;——& in majorem cautelam, tunicâ
insuper ascititiâ crassiore investitur._ And so he goes on to shew the
Conveniency of this Guard the Artery hath, and its Passage to the Brain,
and then saith, _Si hujusmodi conformationis ratio inquiritur, facilè
occurrit, in capite humano, ubi generosi affectus & magni animorum
impetus ac ardores excitantur, sanguinis in Cerebri oras appulsum debere
esse liberum & expeditum, ~&c.~ Atque hoc quidem respectu differt Homo à
plerisque Brutis, quibus, Arteria in mille surculos divisa, ne sanguinem
pleniore alveo, aut citatiore, quàm par est, cursu, ad cerebrum evehat,
Plexus Retiformes constituit, quibus nempe efficitur, ut sanguis tardo
admodum, lenique & æquabili fere stillicidio, in cerebrum illabatur._ And
then he goes on to give a farther Account of this _Artery_, and the _Rete
mirabile_ in divers Creatures. _Willis_, ibid. cap. 8.
[g] _Galen_ thinks the _Rete mirabile_ is for concocting and elaborating
the Animal Spirits, as the _Epididymides_, [the Convolutions κιρσοειδοῦς
ἕλικος] are for elaborating the Seed. _De Us. Part._ L. 9. c. 4. This
_Rete_ is much more conspicuous in Beasts than Man; and as Dr. _Willis_
well judges, serves, 1. To bridle the too rapid Incursion of the Blood
into the Brain of those Creatures, whose Heads hang down much. 2. To
separate some of the superfluous serous Parts of the Blood, and send
them to the Salival Glands, before the Blood enters the Brain of those
Animals, whose Blood is naturally of a watery Constitution. 3. To obviate
any Obstructions that may happen in the Arteries, by giving a free
Passage through other Vessels, when some are stopped.
In _Quadrupeds_, as the _Carotid Arteries_ are branched into the _Rete
Mirabile_, for the bridling the too rapid Current of Blood into the
Brain; so the _Vertebral Arteries_, are, near their Entrance into the
Skull, bent into an acuter Angle than in Man, which is a wise Provision
for the same Purpose.
CHAP. III.
_Of the Necks of QUADRUPEDS._
From the Head pass we to the Neck, no principal Part of the Body, but yet
a good Instance of the Creator’s Wisdom and Design, inasmuch as in Man it
is short, agreeable to the Erection of his Body; but in the Four-footed
Tribe it is long, answerable to the Length of the Legs[a], and in some
of these long, and less strong, serving to carry the Mouth to the Ground;
in others shorter, brawny and strong, serving to dig, and heave up great
Burdens[b].
But that which deserves especial Remark, is that peculiar Provision made
in the Necks of all, or most granivorous _Quadrupeds_, for the perpetual
holding down their Head in gathering their Food, by that strong,
tendinous and insensible _Aponeurosis_, or Ligament[c] braced from the
Head to the middle of the Back. By which means the Head, although heavy,
may be long held down without any Labour, Pain, or Uneasiness to the
Muscles of the Neck, that would otherwise be wearied by being so long
put upon the Stretch.
FOOTNOTES:
[a] It is very remarkable, that in all the Species of _Quadrupeds_, this
Equality holds, except only the _Elephant_; and that there should be a
sufficient special Provision made for that Creature, by its _Proboscis_
or _Trunk_. A Member so admirably contrived, so curiously wrought, and
with so great Agility and Readiness, applied by that unwieldy Creature to
all its several Occasions, that I take it to be a manifest Instance of
the Creator’s Workmanship. See its Anatomy to Dr. _A. Moulen_’s _Anat.
of the ~Elephant~_, p. 33. As also in Mr. _Blair_’s Account in _Phil.
Trans._ Nᵒ. 326.
_Aliorum ea est humilitas ut cibum terrestrem rostris facilè contingant.
Quæ autem altiora sunt, ut Anseres, ut Cygni, ut Grues, ut Cameli,
adjuvantur proceritate collorum. Manus etiam data Elephantis, qui propter
magnitudinem corporis difficiles aditus habebant ad pastum._ Cic. de N.
D. L. 2. c. 47.
_Quod iis animalibus quæ pedes habent fissos in digitos, Collum brevius
sit factum, quàm ut per ipsum Cibum ori admovere queant: iis verò quæ
ungulas habent solidas, aut bifidas, longius, ut prona atque inclinantia
pasci queant. Qui id etiam opus non sit Artificis utilitatis memoris? Ad
hæc quòd Grues at Ciconiæ, cùm crura haberent longiora, ob eam causam
Rostrum etiam magnum, & Collum longius habuerint. Pisces autem neque
Collum penitus habuere, utpote qui neque Crura habent. Quo pacto non id
etiam est admirandum?_ Galen. de Us. part. L. 11. c. 8.
[b] As in _Moles_ and _Swine_, in _Ch. 2. Note (a)._
[c] Called the _Whiteleather_, _Packwax_, _Taxwax_, and _Fixfax_.
CHAP. IV.
_Of the STOMACHS of QUADRUPEDS._
From the Neck, let us descend to the _Stomach_, a Part as of absolute
Necessity to the Being and Well-being of Animals, so is in the several
Species of _Quadrupeds_, sized, contrived, and made with the utmost
Variety and Art.[a] What Artist, what Being, but the infinite Conservator
of the World, could so well adapt every Food to all the several Kinds
of those grand Devourers of it! Who could so well sute their Stomachs
to the Reception and Digestion thereof; one kind of Stomach to the
Carnivorous, another to the Herbaceous Animals; one fitted to digest by
bare Mastication; and a whole set of Stomachs in others, to digest with
the Help of _Rumination_! Which last Act, together with the _Apparatus_
for that Service, is so peculiar, and withal so curious an Artifice of
Nature, that it might justly deserve a more particular Enquiry; but
having formerly mention’d it[b], and least I should be too tedious, I
shall pass it by.
FOOTNOTES:
[a] The peculiar Contrivance and Make of the _Dromedary_’s or _Camel_’s
Stomach, is very remarkable, which I will give from the _Parisian
Anatomists_: _At the top of the Second ~[of the 4 Ventricles]~ there
were several square Holes, which were the Orifices of about 30 Cavities,
made like Sacks placed between the two Membranes, which do compose
the Substance of this Ventricle. The View of these Sacks made us to
think that they might well be the Reservatories, where ~Pliny~ saith,
that Camels do a long Time keep the Water, which they drink in great
Abundance——to supply the Wants thereof in the dry Desarts, ~&c.~_ Vid.
Memoirs, _&c._ Anat. of Dromedary, p. 39. See also _Peyer_, _Merycol._ L.
2. c. 3.
[b] _Book IV. ch. 11._
CHAP. V.
_Of the HEART of QUADRUPEDS._
In this Part there is a notable Difference found between the Heart of Man
and that of Beasts, concerning the latter, of which I might take notice
of the remarkable Confirmation of the Hearts of Amphibious _Quadrupeds_,
and their Difference from those of Land-Animals, some having but one
Ventricle[a], some three[b], and some but two (like Land-Animals) but
then the _Foramen Ovale_ therewith[c]. All which may be justly esteemed
as wonderful, as they are excellent Provisions for the Manner of those
Animals living. But I shall content my self with bare Hints of these
Things, and speak only of two Peculiars more, and that but briefly.
One is the Situation of the Heart, which in Beasts is near the middle of
the whole Body; in Man, nearer the Head[d]. The Reasons of which I shall
give from one of the most curious Anatomists of that Part[e]. “Seeing,
saith he, the Trajection and Distribution of the Blood depends wholly on
the Systole of the Heart, and that its Liquor is not driven of its own
Nature so readily into the upper Parts as into Vessels even with it, or
downwards into those under it: If the Situation of the Heart had been
further from the Head, it must needs either have been made stronger to
cast out its Liquor with greater Force; or else the Head would want its
due Proportion of Blood. But in Animals that have a longer Neck, and
which is extended towards their Food as it were, the Heart is seated as
far from the other Parts; and they find no Inconvenience from it, because
they feed with their Head for the most part hanging down; and so the
Blood, as it hath farther to go to their Head than in others, so it goes
a plainer and often a steep Way[f].”
The other peculiar Matter is, the fastning (I formerly mentioned) which
the Cone of the _Pericardium_ hath in Man to the _Diaphragm_[g], whereas
in all _Quadrupeds_ it is loose. By which Means the Motion of the
_Midriff_, in that necessary Act of Respiration, is assisted both in the
upright Posture of Man, as also in the prone Posture of _Quadrupeds_[h];
which would be hindred, or rendred more difficult, if the Case was
otherwise: “Which must needs be the Effect of Wisdom and Design, and
that Man was intended by Nature to walk erect, and not upon all-four, as
_Quadrupeds_ do:” To express it in the Words of a great Judge in such
Matters [i].
FOOTNOTES:
[a] _Frogs_ are generally thought to have but one Ventricle in their
Hearts.
[b] The _Tortoise_ hath three Ventricles, as the _Parisian Academists_
in their _Memoirs_ affirm. _Besides these two Ventricles ~[before spoken
of]~ which were in the hinder Part of the Heart, which faceth the Spine;
there was_, say they, _a third in the Fore-part, inclining a little
towards the Right-side, ~&c.~_ Memoirs, _&c._ p. 259. But Mr. _Bussiere_
charges this as a Mistake in those ingenious Gentlemen, and asserts there
is but one Ventricle in the _Tortoise_’s Heart. See his Description of
the Heart of the _Land Tortoise_, in _Philos. Transact._ Nᵒ. 328.
[c] The _Sea-Calf_ is said by the _French Academists_, to have this
Provision, and their Account of it is this: _Its Heart was round
and flat. Its Ventricles appeared very large, and its Auricles
small.——Underneath the great Aperture, through which the Trunk of the
~Vena Cava~ conveyed the Blood into the right Ventricle of the Heart,
there was another, which penetrated into the ~Arteria Venosa~, and from
thence into the left Ventricle, and afterwards into the ~Aorta~. This
Hole called the ~Foramen Ovale~ in the ~Fœtus~, make the ~Anastomisis~,
by the Means of which, the Blood goes from the ~Cava~ into the ~Aorta~,
without passing through the Lungs._ French Anatomists, p. 124.
[d] Τὴν τε Καρδίαν περὶ τὸ μέσον πλὴν ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ, &c. Arist. Hist. An. L.
2. c. 17.
[e] Dr. _Lower_, _de Corde_, c. 1.
[f] I might have mentioned another wise Provision from the same Author,
which take in his own Words: _In Vitulu & Equis, imò plerique aliis
animalibus majoribus, non solas propagines à Nervo sexti paris ut in
Homine, sed etiam plurimas à Nervo intercostali, ubi rectà cor transit,
cor accedere, imò in parenchyma ejus dimitti: & hoc ideo à Naturâ quasi
subsidium Brutis comparatum, ne capita quæ terram prona spectant, non
satis facilè aut copiosè Spiritus Animales impertirent._ Blasii Anat.
Animal. Par. 1. c. 4. ex Lowero. de Corde.
[g] _Diaphragmatis circulo nerveo firmiter adheret ~[Pericardium]~ quod
Homini singulare; nam ab eo in Canibus & Simiis distat, item in aliis
animalibus omnibus._ Bartholm. Anat. L. 2. c. 5.
[h] _Finalem causam quod atrinet,——cùm erectus sit Hominis incessus atque
figura, eoque facilius abdominis viscera suo pondere descendant, minore
Diaphragmatis nixu atque Systole ad Inspirationem opus est; porro, cùm in
Exspiratione pariter necessarium sit Diaphragma relaxari,——cùm capsula
cordis omnino connectendum fuit, in Homine, ne fortè, quamdiu erectus
incedit, ab Hepatis aliorumque viscerum appensorum pondere deorsum adeò
deprimeretur, ut neque Pulmo satis concidere, neque Expiratio debito
modo peragi potuerit. Quocirea in Quadrupedibus, ubi abdominis viscera
in ipsum Diaphragma incumbunt, ipsumque in pectoris cavitatem suo
pondere impellant, ista partium accretio Exspirationi quidem inutilis,
Inspirationi autem debitam Diaphragmatis tensionem impediendo, prorsus
incommoda fuisset._ Lower, ib. p. 8.
[i] _Dr. ~Tyson~’s Anat. of the Orang-Outang, in ~Ray~’s Wisd. of God_,
p. 262.
CHAP. VI.
_Of the Difference between MAN and QUADRUPEDS in the ~Nervous~ Kind._
There is only one Difference more between _Man_ and _Quadrupeds_ that I
shall take notice of, and that is the Nervous Kind: And because it would
be tedious to insist upon many Particulars[a], I shall, for a Sample,
insist chiefly upon one, and that is, of Nature’s prodigious Care for a
due Communication and Correspondence between the Head and Heart of Man,
more than what is in the four-footed Tribe. For this Purpose, besides
the Correspondence, those Parts have by Means of the Nerves of the _Par
Vagum_ (common both to Man and Beast) there is a farther and more special
Communication and Correspondence occasioned by the Branches[b] of the
_intercostal Pair_ sent from the _Cervical Plexus_ to the Heart, and
_Præcordia_. By which Means the Heart and Brain of Man have a mutual
and very intimate Correspondence and Concern with each other, more than
is in other Creatures; or as one of the most curious Anatomists and
Observers of these Things saith[c], “Brutes are as ’twere Machines made
with a simpler, and less operose _Apparatus_, and endowed therefore
with only one and the same Kind of Motion, or determined to do the same
Thing: Whereas in Man, there is a great Variety of Motions and Actions.
For by the Commerce of the aforesaid _Cervical Plexus_[d] he saith, The
Conceptions of the Brain presently affect the Heart, and agitate its
Vessels and whole Appendage, together with the _Diaphragm_. From whence
the Alteration in the Motion of the Blood, the Pulse and Respiration. So
also on the contrary, when any Thing affects or alters the Heart, those
Impressions are not only retorted to the Brain by the same Duct of the
Nerves, but also the Blood it self (its Course being once changed) flies
to the Brain with a different and unusual Course, and there agitating
the animal Spirits with divers Impulses, produceth various Conceptions
and Thoughts in the Mind.” And he tells us, “That hence it was that the
ancient Divines and Philosophers too, made the Heart the Seat of Wisdom;
and certainly (saith he) the Works of Wisdom and Virtue do very much
depend upon this Commerce which is between the Heart and Brain:” And
so he goeth on with more to the same purpose. Upon the Account of this
_Intercostal Commerce_ with the Heart, being wanting in Brutes, there
is another singularly careful and wise Provision the infinite Creator
hath made in them, and that is, That by Reason both the _Par Vagum_ and
the _Intercostal_ too, do not send their Branches to the Heart, and
its Appendage in Brutes, therefore, lest their Heart should want a due
Proportion of Nervous Vessels, the _Par Vagum_ sends more Branches to
their Heart than to that of Man. This as it is a remarkable Difference
between Rational and Irrational Creatures; so it is as remarkable an
Argument of the Creator’s Art and Care; who altho’ he hath denied
Brute-Animals Reason, and the Nerves ministring thereto, yet hath another
Way supplied what is necessary to their Life and State. But let us hear
the same great Author’s Descant upon the Point[e]; “Inasmuch saith he,
as Beasts are void of Discretion, and but little subject to various and
different Passions, therefore there was no need that the Spirits that
were to be convey’d from the Brain to the _Præcordia_, should pass two
different Ways, namely, one for the Service of the vital Functions, and
another for the reciprocal Impressions of the Affections; but it was
sufficient that all their Spirits, whatever Use they were designed for,
should be conveyed one and the same Way.”
Here now in the _Nervous Kind_ we have manifest Acts of the Creator’s
Design and Wisdom, in this so manifest and distinct a Provision for
Rational and Irrational Creatures; and that _Man_ was evidently intended
to be the one, as the _Genus_ of _Quadrupeds_ was the other.
FOOTNOTES:
[a] Amongst these, I might name the Site of the Nerves proceeding from
the _Medulla Spinalis_, which Dr. _Lower_ takes notice of. In Beasts,
whose Spine is above the rest of the Body, the Nerves tend directly
downwards; but in Man, it being erect, the Nerves spring out of the
Spine, not at Right, but in Oblique Angles downwards, and pass also in
the Body the same Way. _Ibid._ p. 16.
[b] _In plerisq; Brutis tantùm hâc viâ ~(i.e. by the _Par vagum_)~ & vix
omnino per ullos Paris Intercostalis nervos, aditus ad cor aut Appendicem
ejus patescit. Verùm in Homine, Nervus Intercostalis, præter officia ejus
in imo ventre huic cum cæteris animalibus communia, etiam ante pectoris
claustra internuncii specialis loco est, qui Cerebri & Cordis sensa mutua
ultra citraque refert._ Willis Nervor. descr. & usus, Cap. 26.
[c] Id. ib. _Dum hanc utriusque speciei differentiam perpendo, succurrit
animo, Bruta esse velut machinas, ~&c.~_
[d] That our great Man was not mistaken, there is great Reason to
imagine, from what he observed in dissecting a _Fool_. Besides, the Brain
being but small, he saith, _Præcipua autem discriminis nota quam inter
illius & viri cordati partes advertimus, bæcce erat; nempe quòd prædictus
Nervi Intercacostalis Plexus, quem Cerebri & Cordis internuncium &
Hominis proprium diximus, in Stulto hoc valde exilis, & minori Nervorum
satellitio stipatus fuerit._ Ibid.
[e] Id. ib. cap. 29. _In quantum Bestiæ prudentiâ carent, & variis
diversisque passionibus, ~&c.~_
CHAP. VII.
_The CONCLUSION._
And now ’tis Time to pause a while, and reflect upon the whole. And as
from the Confederations in the preceding Book, we have especial Reason to
be thankful to our infinitely merciful Maker, for his no less kind than
wonderful Contrivances of our Body; so we have Reason from this brief
View I have taken of this last Tribe of the Creation, to acknowledge and
admire the same Creator’s Work and Contrivances in them. For we have
here a large Family of Animals, in every particular Respect, curiously
contrived and made, for that especial Posture, Place, Food, and Office
or Business which they obtain in the World. So that if we consider their
own particular Happiness and Good, or Man’s Use and Service; or if we
view them throughout, and consider the Parts wherein they agree with Man,
or those especially wherein they differ, we shall find all to be so far
from being Things fortuitous, undesigned, or any way accidental, that
every Thing is done for the best; all wisely contrived, and incomparably
fitted up, and every way worthy of the great Creator. And he that will
shut his Eyes, and not see God[a] in these his Works, even of the poor
Beasts of the Earth, that will not say (as _Elihu_ hath it, Job xxxv. 10,
11.) _Where is God my Maker, who teacheth us more than the Beasts of the
Earth, and maketh us wiser than the Fowls of the Heaven?_ Of such an one
we may use the Psalmist’s Expression, _Psal_. xlxix. 12. That _he is like
the Beasts[b] that perish_.
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FOOTNOTES:
[a]
_——Deum namque ire per omnes_
_Terrasque tractusque Maris, Cœlumque profundum,_
_Hinc Pecudes, Armenta, viros, genus omne Ferarum._
Virgil Georg. L. 4.
[b] _Illos qui nullum omnino Deum esse dixerunt, non modò non
Philosophos, sed ne homines quidem fuisse dixerim; qui, mutis simillimi,
ex solo corpore constiterunt, nihil videntes animo._ Lactant. L. 7. c. 9.
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