Mifcellanea Curiofa. 393 



Stages of acute Diftempers to a Septenary Pro- 

 greflion (a), upon which this Inconvenience fol- 

 lowed, that when a Crifis fell out a day fboner 

 or later than this Computation required, his 

 Meafures were quite broken ; and that this muft 

 neceflarily oftentimes happen, will appear by 

 and by. 



Upon this (core Afclepiades rejected this whole 

 Doclrine as vain, Q>) and Celfm rinding ft to be 

 too nice and fcrupulous, obferves that the Py- 

 thagorean Numbers led the Ancients into the Er m 

 tor. (c) 



Galen being aware of this, fucceeded much 

 better in his reafoning upon the Matter, and ve- 

 ry happily imputed the Critical Changes not to 

 the Power of Numbers, but to the Influence of 

 the Moon ; which he obferves, has a mighty A- 

 Hion upon our Earth, exceeding the other Planets, 

 not in Energy, but in Nearnefs (d) So that ac- 

 cording to him* the Septenary Periods in Difeafes 

 are owing to the Quarterly Lunar Phafes, which 

 are the times of tke greateft Force, and which re* 

 turn in about fsven days. (?) 



The refult of the whole Affair, in fhort Is 

 this, A Crifis is no more than the Expulfion of 

 the Morbific Matter out of the Body, thro'fome 

 or other of the Secretory Organs ; in order to 

 which, it is neceffary that this (hould be prepar'd 

 C c 4 and 



§1 ftfoiri wohKett i p *J tots ^fO'o/f. de Seftimejir$ 

 Partu. 



(b) Vil. Cetfum lib. 2. c. 4, 



(c) Ibid. 



(d) De diebus D§creM. lib. a* 



(e) Mi* 



