119 



4. The diseases of the fluids lie chiefly in the 

 blood, when it is either too thick and sizy, whereby 

 Us motion becomes too languid and slow, whence 

 spring the diseases owing to obstruction : or too thin. 

 From the former cause arise leprosies, scirrhws, le- 

 thargies, melancholy, hysteric affections: and. if at 

 the same time it abounds in acid salts, the sharp points 

 of these tear the tender fibresj and occasion the scur- 

 vy, king's evil, consumption, with a whole train of 

 painful distempers. Fevers frequently arise from the 

 too great thinness in the blood. 



The plague is not an European disease. It is pro- 

 perly a disease of Asia, where it is epidemical, and 

 is never known elsewhere, but, by importation from 

 thence. The small- pox also is an exotic disease, 

 and was not known in Europe, or even Asia-minor, 

 till a spice. trade was opened by the later princes of 

 Egypt, to the remotest part of the East Indies. 

 Thence it originally came,and there it rages at this day. 



5. As to the diseases ascribed to the animal spi- 

 rits, some are thought to proceed from the suppres- 

 sion or diminution of their motion, as apoplexies and 

 palsies, some from their excessive or irregular motion, 

 as madness, convulsions, epilepsies. 



I know not whether the gentlemen of the faculty 

 would not term the following, u a disease of the ani- 

 mal spirits." Donald Monro ? at Strathbogi,in Scotland, 

 imitates unawares ail the motions of those he is with: 

 he is a little slender, old man, and was subject to this 

 infirmity from his infancy. He is loath to have it 

 observed, and therefore casts down his eyes in the 

 streets, and turns them aside when in company. We 

 had made several trials before he perceived it, and af- 

 terward had much a-dp to make him stay. He imi- 

 tated not only our scratching our heads,but the wring- 

 ing our hands, and every other motion. We needed 

 not to persuade him to be covered ; for he still co- 

 vered or uncovered as we did, and all so exactly, and 



