Historians relate this story, but they do 

 not, so far as I know, attempt to account 

 for it ; but they wrote before the invention 

 of spasm. 



"We explain inflammation by spasm, which 

 stops the blood in its course, and an increased 

 action of the vessels which pushes it on, and 

 both these are produced by the vis medica- 

 trix naturae. This kind of reasoning is 

 not confined to physic alone ; for when men 

 cannot explain any of the phenomena of 

 nature, in one progressive series of cause 

 and effect, they set up two opposite agents, 

 the one to do good, the other to do ill ; 

 and the magic lanthorn is carried over the 

 world, Pull baker, pull devil ; pull devil, 

 " pull baker." .Push vessel, hold spasm ; 

 hold spasm, push vessel. The vis medica* 



jc naturae brings on a spasm to remove the 



