vi The PREFACE. 



, Improvements there ha've been, or are likely to he 



7nade in the Theory of Medicine^ are all under the 

 Conduil of Arithmetick and Geometry. 



A human Body is a curious Machine, and fo is 

 tjoat of every Creature through the nx>hole Creation ; 

 for the component and conjiituent Farts of a Horfe 

 d^e fuhjeii to the fame La<ws of Motion as that of a 

 human Body, and both thefe to the fame La<ws by 

 tvhich the infinitely njoife GoD governs the Univerfe: 

 For both Man and Beafi are compofed of Solids and 

 Fluids, njohich are governed by the Lavos of Gravi- 

 tation, Impulfe, and Rea^ion ; and luhat Changes 

 are brought about in the Animal Oeconomy, by the 

 Motion of Matter, under the Condu^ of thefe Lavos^ 

 can no voay be ejiimated fo vjell as from the Mathe- 

 maticks. 



Let us not voonder, then, to fee a Phyfician take 

 Ben ix Hand, in order to nvrite dovon a Difcourfe 

 upon the Dijiempers in Horfes, feeing (as I have faid 

 before) the Property of Body is alike in hujnan and 

 brute Creatures: And, befides, there is full as much 

 Learning required to treat tolerably upon this Suhje^, 

 as there is in compiling any other phyfical Treatife ; 

 vohich Truth I could plainly make appear, from fe- 

 ver al Circumfiances, but that my Time at prefent 

 forbids it. Therefore, I fay, let ?zot my Brethren 

 murmur and complain at me, as if I voere debafing 

 the ProfeJJion, feeing it is certainly Fa£f, that he 

 ixjbo cannot vjrite fenfihly about the Dijiempers in 

 brute Creatures, is not fitly qualified to prefer ibe for 

 Man, by reajon "'tis plain he has not fiudied Nature 

 thoroughly. 



It is a received Maxi?n, that Medicine Jhould be- 

 gin vjhere Philofoploy ends ', and it is undoubtedly an 

 effential Qualification in a Phyfician to be a good 

 Philofopher : But all the Phihfophy that has yet ap- 

 peared in the World, is no better than trifiing Ro- 

 rnance, except v;hat has been ^rit by the glorious 



Sir 



