240 Mayow 



return with a new store of motive particles. What 

 has been said is besides much confirmed by an experi- 

 ment made by the most ingenious Steno ; for it is 

 established by his observation that a muscle can by 

 no means undergo contraction if the artery distributed 

 to it be tied with a ligature so that the afflux of blood 

 to the muscle is prevented. 



Indeed, I think that the chief use of muscular flesh 

 is that it may separate from the mass of the blood 

 certain particles necessary for the contraction of the 

 muscles. Indeed, we may point out that it is the 

 function of all kinds of parenchyma to separate by 

 way of filtration some particles of a definite kind from 

 the mass of the blood, as is manifest in the paren- 

 chymata of the liver, ^the kidneys, and others of the 

 kind. It is therefore probable that the parenchyma 

 of flesh which is associated with every muscle, has 

 been constructed in order that by its means particles 

 of a definite kind, necessary for setting up the con- 

 traction of muscles, should be filtered out of the mass 

 of the blood. 



But that the structure and use of muscular flesh 

 may be better understood, let us shortly inquire in 

 what manner the blood makes its way through the 

 flesh. For I do not think we should agree with those 

 who assume an extravasation of the blood. The 

 special ground for this opinion is that no nutrition of 

 the parts, so they say, could take place if the blood 

 were always retained in its vessels, just as a river will 

 not fertilise the neighbouring meadows unless its 

 waters flow over its banks to irrigate them. But it 

 seems scarcely admissible that so confused a thing as 

 the extravasation of the blood should occur in the 

 animal economy, where everything is arranged with 

 such admirable art and order. Besides, I really can- 



