360 M E M O I R S e/^ /y&^ 
it over upon fpirit of vitriol, where it fermented very ftrongly y 
and yet the fever is laid to intermit; theie difeafes are perfed:Iy 
well dilcovered by the quicknels of the pulle, which quicknefs is 
owins to the faultinefs of the blood, either in quantity, quality 
or its motion ; neither can it offend either in quantity or quality, 
bat it affects its motion 5 hence he fuppofes that a fever is an uni- 
verfal heightened circulation of the blood, and that a ^elinum^ 
that is, that inconne^led, incoherent and ridiculous imagination, 
and method of exprefling ourfelves in a fever, is entirely the 
effe£l: of this greater motion, which is difcovered by a quick 
pulfe. 
Thefe things being fuppofed, the queflion may be ftated thus 5 
how wounding by Cantharides makes our pulfe not fo quick, and 
conlequently our blood to havie a more flow and natural motion ? 
That this great eflfe^l docs not proceed from the pain of a blifler, 
is evident, becaufe pain very often brings on a fever 5 nor from a 
peculiar lort of fermentation of the particles of Cantharides with 
the blood, becaule there is no fuch thing as a chemical fermen- 
tation in our blood ; and the quantity of Lympha^ that is thereby 
feparated from the blood, is acknowledged by mod phyficians to 
be too weak a caufe for fo great an effefl:; the Doctor therefore 
proceeds to enquire after a better Iblution of this aftonifliing 
phiEnomenon, thus; the pulle is no other than the fide of an 
artery diftended by a determinate quantity of blood, derived thro* 
its cavity by a certain motion, every time the heart is contra^ed, 
and that touches and beats up the finger ; a pulle is more fre- 
quent, not fo much that it beats oftener than any other perlon's, 
but that it beats quicker in the fame perlbn when he is laid to 
have a fever, than bc^fore, when he was reputed to be in perfect 
health, and there is no pulle, but when the heart is contra6icd 5 
and the heart being a mulcle, and contra6led at every pulle, is 
not only either the chief or lole caule that determines and 
ftretches the fides of the arteries, and makes a pulle, or a very 
extraordinary meafure of fuch diftenlions; but it has the greateft 
fhare m propelling the blood round the whole body, in refpedl 
of the help of the arteries, which they are fuppofed to give by 
their reftitution after their extraordinary diftenfion ; be it how it 
will, both their actions are by contradion, which was never fup- 
poied to be performed, but by an influx of fpirits into the fibres 
of the mufcles lb contraded; fo that now the queftion changes 
thus; how wounding by Cantharides makes the contradion of 
the heart weaker ? The contradiion of mufcles and conlequently of 
the heart, being by the Ipirits that flow into them, therefore 
what- 
