Art. VII. 2,3.1. TORPENTIA. 75 



of mucaginous or faccharine folutions Aide eafier over each oth- 

 er by being mixed with a greater portion of water, and thence 

 flimulate the veflels lefs» 



At the fame time it muft be obferved, that the particles of 

 water themfelves, and of animal gluten difiblved in water, as 

 the glue ufed by carpenters, flide eafier over each other by an 

 additional quantity of the fluid matter of heat. 



Thefe two fluids of heat and of water may be efteemed the 

 univerfal folvents or lubricants in refoect, to animal bodies, and 

 thus facilitate the circulation, and the fecretion of the various 

 glands. At the fame time it is poflible, that thefe two fluids 

 may occaiionally aflume an aerial form, as in the cavity of the 

 chefl, and by comprefling the lungs may caufe one kind of 

 afthma, which is relieved by breathing colder air. An increas- 

 ed quantity of heal by adding ftimulus to every part of the'fyf- 

 tem belongs to the article Incitantia. 



III. 1. The application of cold to the fkin, which is only 

 another expreilion for the diminution of the degree of heat we 

 are accuftomed to, benumbs the cutaneous abforbents into inac- 

 tion ; and by Sympathy the urinary and inteftinal abforbents be- 

 come alfo quieicent. The fecerning veflels continuing their ac- 

 tion fomewhat ionger, from the warmth of the blood. Hence 

 the ufual fecretions are poured into the bladder and interlines, 

 and no abforption is retaken from them. Hence fprinkling the 

 fkin with cold water increafes the quantity of urine, which is 

 pale \ and of (tool, which is fluid ; thefe have erroneoufly been 

 afcribed to increafed fecretion, or to obflrutled perfpiration. 



The thin difcharge from the noflrils of fome people in cold 

 weather is owing to the torpid ftate of the abforbent veflels of 

 the membrana fchneideriana, which as above are benumbed 

 fooner than tliofe, which perform the fecretion of the mucus. 



The quick anhelation, and palpitation of the heart, of thofe, 

 who are immerfed in cold water, depends on the quiefcence of 

 the external abforbent veflels and capillaries. Hence the cuta- 

 neous circulation is diminilhed, and 1>y affbeiation an almolt 

 univerfal torpor of the fyflem is induced ; thence the heart be- 

 comes incapable to pufh forwards its blood through all the inac- 

 tive capillaries and glands ; and as the terminating veflels of the 

 pulmonary artery fufler a fimilar inaction by affbeiation, the 

 blood is with difficulty pufhed through the lungs. 



Some have imagined, that a fpafmodic conflricl:ion of the 

 Smaller veflels took place,, and have thus accounted for their 

 fl fiance to the force of the heart. But there feems no nece< 

 to introduce this imaginary fpafm 5 fince thofe, who are con- 

 yerfant in injecting bodies, find it neceflary nrft to put them 



into 



