Seit. i.

Of Nervous Simples.

trary effeft - } /ince, for the prefentefpccially, they faint and deprefsthe Spirits: iiich are Cathartics,and other Evacuants. But as theHead is the better from them onlylecondarily, or by accident ; theycannot come under the Denomina-tion of Cephalics, as we here ufethe word. And as the fame diffe-rence may occur in other things, thewhole Oafs of detergent Balfamicsbeing accidentally Diuretics ; ib it ismoft proper to keep to thofe gene-ral Terms, according to their firftand chief Intention.

Whatibever xaifes the Spirits, andgives fedden Strength and Chearful-neis ; is term'd Cardiac or Cor-dial, as comforting the Heart. Tounderftand the Operation of whichupon an human Body, it is neceftaryfirlt to confider, that a Languor orFaintnefs muft either be theConfe-quence of to» much Exercife, toolong Watching, or too great a Hurryof the animal Functions, as in manyDiftempers ; all which fo far wafteor d'/îipate the nervous Fluid, oranimal Spirits, that the Solids can-not repeat with wonted Vigourtheir neceffary Motions. Or fuchDepreiTion muft arife from an Ob-ftru£tion of ibrne natural Evacua-tion, and this is generally that ofPerforation, from external Cold ;which lays a load upon the Confti-tutión, and produces the fame Sen-iàtion, as a Diminution of Strengthwould do, when the uiual Weightremain'd.

In both thefè Cafes, the Mannerby which ».Cordial afts, is the fame,fince it muft prodace its Efreâs byadding to the Springmels' and Forceof the Fibres. And as this Changeis moil remarkably occafion'd bySpirits or fpirituous Liquors; it maybe of ufe firft to examine how theycame to obtain fuch a Denomina-

71

tion : Whereby we may the betterunderftand how the Parts of fuchSimples, or Ingredients, taken in fub-ftance, operate to produce the fameEffecf. To this purpofe it is ofgreat moment to conceive, as nearas our Senfes and reaibnable Deduc-tions from them will carry us, theMake and Contextures of thofe fineThreads or Fibres, of which theSolids of an human Body are cora-pos'd ; and how that Fluid which iscall'd Animal Spirits, or NervousJuice, is prepar'd and convey'd tothem : But this would take up toomuch room here, and muft there-fore be referr'd to other Authors ;iiich as Baglivi de Fiirà Motrice,Bellini de Villo Contraclili, in his O-pufcula ; and to a Digreffion concern-ing the Elafiicity of an Animal Fibre,in a late Edition of Sanclorius's Me-dicina Statica, with Explanations.

It may be fufficient to our prefentPurpofe, to attend only to what isin every one's Experience ; that themore fpirituous any thing is whichenters into the Stomach, the fbonera Peribn feels its cordial Effects. Forthat Increafe of Vigour which a Manobtains from common Food, altho'it is the moft natural and durable, isnot fudden enough to procure theInflruments thereof the Appella-tion of Cordials i iince they muftpals thro' lèverai Comminutions orDigeftions, and be a long time e'erthey arrive to fuch a Finenels, as ren-ders them difpenfable to the Nerves :whereas a fpirituous Subftance is fofine and fubtile in all its parts beforeit is taken, that it feems to enter orfcjk. into the Nerves as loon as ittouches them ; whereupon their Vi-brauons are invigorated, and all Senfeof Faintnefs is remov'd. And uponthe lame account it is, that Volatile;affeft the Nofe ; being &> extremelyfubtile, as to penetrare the olfeaory

F 4. Neives