600 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. FaNNO 1683. 



L" 



deep sediment at the bottom, as likewise it did a second time, having changed 

 the old and put it in fresh spirits. Whence all this should issue I cannot see, 

 but by these orifices at the sides, which first I supposed had received and licked 

 it in. And being in so large a quantity, how otherwise could it be well received 

 into the body, but by these many mouths? which being always open, and lying 

 of all sides too, do greedily exhaust and devour the best part of the chyle, and 

 nutritious aliment. That hence may be well accounted for, that appetitus ca- 

 ninus, that great thirst, that atrophy, that are often observed in those that are 

 afflicted with this worm. Indeed Spigelius thinks this bulimy and atrophy are 

 occasioned not so much by the worms devouring the chyle, as 1 . Corrupting it. 

 2. Hindering its distribution by occluding the meseraick veins. 3. By its creat- 

 ing a false sense by the motion in the guts. All which reasons do nothing move 

 me. And Galen is express that it is by devouring the nourishment, and so is 

 Aetius, and 20 more that I could name. But had they but one mouth, how 

 could they do this? But having as many, it may be as the lacteals themselves, 

 it is no wonder that they rob them, and by their speedy drawing it up, prevent 

 its passing into them. That thence we must necessarily expect an extenuation 

 of our own bodies, in proportion to the increase of theirs, since the nourish- 

 ment we receive is but what they leave us, and that too none of the best, and 

 corrupted likewise with their excrements. 3. I argue that these orifices are so 

 many mouths; for if we do not admit them to be such, I know not where in 

 the whole body to find them besides. For in that part we call the head, even 

 our microscopes cannot discover any ; and those too, who guessed it to be there 

 all acknowledged it to be very small ; and it being so, and but single too, I can- 

 not see how it can take in so great a quantity of chyle, which would be neces- 

 sary for maintaining so great a body of so vast a length; for as it can only lick 

 up what just comes in its way, the open mouths of the numerous lacteals, 

 would be too hard for it, and quickly starve it. Besides, since it nousels its head 

 so deep in the coats of the intestines, at that time at least it may be thought in- 

 capable of getting scarcely any thing at all. Therefore 4. why I think those 

 orifices mouths is, because I ca^mot think what they are besides. For to take 

 them for so many vents of their excrement, would be more unreasonable, since 

 it is pure chyle which they receive, which will not afibrd much, at least so gross 

 an excrement as to need so many and large orifices for the voiding it. And why 

 so many anuses when but one mouth ? it is easier to imagine them bronchia or 

 lungs, which in insects are observed in all the annuli, or joints of the body; 

 but with very great difi'erence from our subject. For in them you shall con- 

 stantly see these orifices of both sides in each annulus ; but in our worm never 

 but on one side; in those they are not near so open and large as in this worm^ 



