On the Vital Principle. 227 



jeftions -, for the confequence would be, as it is 

 urged by one of Cicero's fpeakers, cum mi/en 

 animi ejfent, quod plerifque contigerit, turn Dei 

 partem ejfe mijeram, quod fieri nonpoteji*. If it be 

 faid that the living principle, on this hypothefis, 

 is the connedling medium between the mind and 

 the body, this fuppofes the Deity to ad fubordi- 

 nately to the human mind, which cannot be ad- 

 mitted. 



When Mr. Hunter's dodrine of the life of the 

 blood was firft propofed, it was faid to be a revi- 

 val of an opinion fuggefted by Dr. Harvey f. A 

 very fimilar theory, however, prevailed long be- 

 fore Dr. Harvey : Galen made the heart the feat of 

 the calidum innatunty and Sennertus exprefsly fays, 

 that the heart and arteries form and contain the 

 vital power J. Since the time of Dr. Harvey, 

 the life of the blood has been aflerted by feveral 

 authors of eminence. Willis fays. Sanguinis ani~ 

 mationem, non/olum placita philofophorumy fed indu- 

 hitata Jacra Jcriptura- tejiimonia plane ajerunt%. 

 Hoffman employs the fame argument to prove 

 the fame aflertion, and he elfewhere exprefsly 



* De Nat. Deor. 



t Medical Comment, vol. If. p. 198. 

 X Inftlt. Med. p. 338. Nothing could have prevented 

 this able writer from attributing life to the blood itfelf, 

 but his belief in the common perfuafion, that the right 

 ventricle of the heart contained air alone. 

 S De Mot Mufc. p, 71. 



Q.^ mentions 



