ON GENERATION. 383 



the 18th and 19th years of his age, this young nobleman, having 

 travelled through France and Italy, came to London, having at 

 this time a very large open cavity in his side, through which 

 the lungs, as it was believed, could both be seen and touched. 

 When this circumstance was told as something miraculous to 

 his Serene Majesty King Charles, he straightway sent me to 

 wait on the young man, that I might ascertain the true state 

 of the case. And what did I find ? A young man, well grown, 

 of good complexion, and apparently possessed of an excellent 

 constitution, so that I thought the whole story must be a fable. 

 Having saluted him according to custom, however, and informed 

 him of the king's expressed desire that I should wait upon him, 

 he immediately showed me everything, and laid open his left 

 side for my inspection, by removing a plate which he wore 

 there by way of defence against accidental blows and other 

 external injuries. I found a large open space in the chest, 

 into which I could readily introduce three of my fingers and 

 my thumb ; which done, I straightway perceived a certain 

 protuberant fleshy part, affected with an alternating extrusive 

 and intrusive movement ; this part I touched gently. Amazed 

 with the novelty of such a state, I examined everything again 

 and again, and when I had satisfied myself, I saw that it was 

 a case of old and extensive ulcer, beyond the reach of art, but 

 brought by a miracle to a kind of cure, the interior being in- 

 vested with a membrane, and the edges protected with a tough 

 skin. But the fleshy part, (which I at first sight took for a mass 

 of granulations, and others had always regarded as a portion 

 of the lung,) from its pulsating motions and the rhythm they 

 observed with the pulse, when the fingers of one of my hands 

 were applied to it, those of the other to the artery at the wrist as 

 well as from their discordance with the respiratory movements, 

 I saw was no portion of the lung that I was handling, but the 

 apex of the heart ! covered over with a layer of fungous flesh 

 by way of external defence, as commonly happens in old foul 

 ulcers. The servant of this young man was in the habit daily 

 of cleansing the cavity from its accumulated sordes by means 

 of injections of tepid water ; after which the plate was applied, 

 and, with this in its place, the young man felt adequate to any 

 exercise or expedition, and, in short, he led a pleasant life in 

 perfect safety. 



