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De Haen, in his Ratio Medendi (6), tells us, he 
was prefent at the opening of a man, whofe heart 
was three times bigger, at leaft, than in its natural 
ftate. The dilatation was in its left ventricle, which 
was fo thin as to refemble a whitifh membrane only ; 
and the heart was broader at its apex than at its bafe. 
De Haen likewife, in his ratio Medendi (7), in- 
forms us, that the heart of a woman, who died of a 
fever, with extreme debility, weighed twenty-four 
ounces, eve/i after it was wafhed, and wiped very dry. 
This increafed weight and magnitude arofe more par- 
ticularly from the left ventricle. The extenfion of 
ventricles was fo great, that they both together con- 
tained more than a quart. Though this woman was 
no more than thirty-feven years of age, the aorta at its 
bafe was degenerated into bone, and was four inches 
in circumference. Befides the whole portion of the 
aorta at its bafe being oflified, there were interfperfed 
in feveral parts of its length, what our author calls 
inful a offea. In one, who lived fo long as the excel- 
lent Wepfer, fuch appearances are not extraordinary ; 
but in one fo little advanced as the woman in quefhon, 
thefe offifications are very unufual. 
It would be endlefs to quote inftances of the pre- 
ternatural dilatation of this organ : to name no more, 
we have a very recent and ftriking one of this kind, 
in the body of our late Moft Gracious Sovereign, 
whofe fudden death was owing to the rupture of the 
right ventricle of the heart : a circumftance, which 
cannot be conceived to have taken place, without a 
(6) Cap. xxx. De Aneuryfmate. 
{7) Pars fexta, p. 143. 
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