On Muscular Motion and Animal Spirits 295 



the blood-vessels of the lungs, and also to some extent 

 the great artery, are sometimes found obstructed and 

 almost closed by the accretion of cartilage in their 

 interior, or by clots of blood, and the ventricles of 

 the heart, or at least one of them, inordinately 

 distended with grumous blood. 



In confirmation of what has just been said, I may 

 here submit an observation made not long since by 

 the learned and ingenious Dr Thomas Millington, 

 who has kindly given me an account of it, as 

 follows. 



A young man of good position, about twenty years 

 of age, of a delicate and slender habit of body, 

 suffered for some years from palpitation of the heart, 

 which was so violent that the ribs were forced out- 

 wards by the heart's impact, and a quite notable 

 tumour was formed on the left side of the chest ; 

 and if the hand were placed on it, the heart could be 

 felt violently dashed against the thorax, and one 

 could, so to speak, hold it in the hand. But yet the 

 pulse of the arteries in the wrist was very languid. 

 I can myself testify that this was the case with the 

 said patient. 



Moreover this patient became breathless and suf- 

 fered from violent palpitation and faintness after any 

 brisker movement. And at last, after a long drive in 

 a carriage, he had a more violent attack, with frequent 

 swoons and coldness of the extremities, and died. On 

 opening the body the heart was found tumid, especially 

 its right ventricle, which was larger than usual and 

 turgid with coagulated blood ; indeed its muscular 

 wall was very thick and " strong. Further, the 

 pulmonary artery and vein were distended with 

 grumous blood, and that vein, where it opens into 

 the left ventricle of the heart, was nearly closed by 



