Proceedings of the Ohio State Academy of Science 443 



middle wall of the heart, as is commonly believed, but the 

 subtle blood is driven, by a great plan or device, from the 

 right ventricle of the heart, by the long passage through the 

 lungs ; is prepared in the lungs ; the yellow color is made, and 

 it is poured out from the arterial vein (vena arteriosa or pul- 

 monary artery) into the venous artery (arteria venosa or pul- 

 monary vein) ; there it is mixed in the venous artery itself 

 with the inspired air; is purged by expiration of its fuliginous 

 matter; and so, at length, the whole mixture is attracted by 

 the diastole from the left ventricle of the heart, a fit stuff out 

 of which to make vital spirit." It will be noted that Servetus 

 here considers the relaxation of the left ventricle to be the 

 force that pulls the blood into it. Farther he says : "The 

 various connection and communication of the arterial vein 

 with the venous artery teaches that the communication and 

 preparation is made by the lungs in this manner. The re- 

 markable size of the pulmonary artery confirms this, which 

 would be neither made in such a way nor so large, nor would 

 there be emitted so great a mass of blood from the heart itself 

 into the lungs, if for the nourishment of these alone, nor would 

 the heart serve the lungs in this manner, since especially 

 before, in embryo, the lungs themselves are accustomed to be 

 nourished from elsewhere,, an account of these little mem- 

 branes, or valves of the heart, not yet being open until the 

 hour of birth, as Galen teaches. Therefore the blood is poured 

 forth, and so copiously from the heart into the lungs at the 

 liour of birth, for another use. The air also is sent from 

 the lungs to the heart by the venous artery, not pure, but 

 mixed with blood ; therefore the mixture is made in the lungs. 

 That yellow color is given to the blood by the lungs, not by 

 the heart. The space in the left ventricle is not capable of 

 holding so great and so capacious a mixture, nor is sufficient 

 for that elaboration of color. Finally that middle wall, as it 

 is wanting in vessels and power, is not fit for that communi- 

 cation and elaboration, even if some might sweat through. 

 Ry the same plan by which the transfusion is made from the 



