Numb. 1.  
AN ESSAY Concerning NUTRITION IN ANIMALS.  
Proving it Analogical to that of PLANTS.  
And Discovering the like Structure and Use of the Organs to be alike in both.  
With many OBSERVATIONS towards the Practice of Physic.  
Together with A Short DISCOURSE upon the Nature of the Soul in Plants, Animals, and Man.  
Offered to Philosophers and Physicians, in Order t● clear Difficulties, in the OEconomy of Animal Bodies, and Applications of Remedies.  
By PHILIP GUIDE, M. D. & Col. M. L. L.  
LONDON: Printed for the Author, and are to be Sold by H. Rhodes, at the Star, the Corner of Bride-Lane, in Fleet Street, 1699.   

THE PREFACE.  
WE Live in an Age, happy for the Freedom that Men use upon Philosophical Matter; Truth only is pretended to by every Party, no men's Authority is valued at all: Truth is the best Master without Dispute, but not an easy one to be met with; in the mean time, it deserves well enough our Application: To this intent, being busy to look into the Principle, which Philosophers and Physicians propose, to be in use in the Practice of Physic, I have been unsatisfied, and many times ashamed, to see so great and frequent Contradictions among us. I did what I could all along, to reconcile Opinions.  
The best way, methinks, to pretend to it, is to pitch upon Matter of Fact, and to advance gradually, from one Truth to another. In this Method the Structure of a Plant, being Examined by Ocular Inspections, compared with the Structure of our own Body, and their Parity and Disparity observed, might give the surest Grounds towards truly knowing, and readily Curing Distempers.  
I am, like other Physicians, in the Opinion, That Final Causes must be of some Consideration; and, by the leave of the Modern Philosophers, I will say, That Physicians, which spend the best part of their Lives in Inquiry, about the Structure of Man's Body, are the best Judges in this Matter: Such Knowledge brings Man to their duty, to be grateful to God, and to Worship Him; and this Vsus Partium is most necessary to Men which intent to dive into the most difficult Cases, and Variety of Diseases.  
The use of the Arteries hath hitherto been thought to carry Food and Nourishment to the whole, which in these Treatises, I make bold to reject as erroneous: We intent to say something about the Digestions in the Stomach, after the manner of a Machine, called Digester, the Ways of Secretion, the Falsehood of many Physician's Hypothesis, the danger to Practise Physic keeping close to their direction; some good, and great many more bad Effects, of the pretended Universal Medicine.  
I will inquire into the Nature of Fevers, and show, that their Rising is rather from the Error of a Change in the Solid Part of the Machine, than from the Alteration of the Blood, or other Juices. I proceed to clear, how the Jesuits Bark does the work, in the Cure of Agues, upon the proposed Notion: These, and other Discoveries of the like Nature, will, I hope, be Useful to promote, both the Theoretical, and Practical part of Physic.  
I intent to Continue this Discourse, as my Time will permit.   

AN ESSAY Concerning Nutrition in ANIMALS.  

CHAP. I. What may be the Mechanism in the Beginning, and in the Progress of a Lively and quick Nature, common both to Plants and to Animals; the Parity of their Organical Particles, towards the Discharge of some Functions.  
WE commonly distinguish in Animals different Things: First, They are of a lively and a quick Nature; they are both Nourished, Growing, and able to produce Seeds, and those things they have in common with Plants: The Principle, or the Power to perform the said Actions, is called a Faculty.  
In an Animal, besides these three Faculties, we have a local Motion and Sensation, which suppose, some other kind of Faculty or Power: Furthermore, to have a Deliberation, and a Will to act, according to some Rules and Laws of Justice and Equity, settled for our own Safety, and for the Safety of others; it is a thing common neither to Plant, nor Animal, but it belongs to Man alone.  
No doubt, these aforesaid Faculties depend upon a certain Figure, certain Order, and certain Position of their Particles, which joined together with a Liquid, compose a single Body, very fit for some intended Action, by the Inventor of it; and this is called a Mechanism, and Men are a kind of Machine at this rate.  
According to this Notion, the Body of a Man, which is used to perform some of these Actions, common to Plants, and to the generality of Animals, hath probably some Organical Particles, and bigger Parts, very like the Particles and Part of these said Creatures.  
From the Likeness of them: If there is any, without any danger of Prevention, we may judge they are intended towards the Performance of a likelihood of Action: To go another way, and to determine at random, about the peculiar use of a great many Kind's of different Parts and Particles, joined together promiscuously; but intended, in the mean time, for different occasions; to pronounce, I say, of their peculiar Use, without a good Precedent; gives occasion to Confusion, Prejudice, and Mistake; and one may attribute unto one part, an Office which belongs to another: The best way therefore to avoid any Error in this point, is, when we have a Mind to know, which of the Particles in an Animal, are the true Organ intended, for the Faculty of Nurture, of Growing, of Producing Seed.  
For fear of Mistake, let us lay aside the more Compounded Mechanical Body at present: And Consider, First, the Structure of a Plant, which is a more Simple Mechanical Body; a very good Precedent in the Case.  
There we are certain to find no Part nor Particle subservient to the Faculty of Local Motion, or of Sensation; and consequently, no fear of a Mistake; and having had a view of their Shape, Figure, Order, Position, Junction, together with their Juices, which things are sufficient enough, (as Experience shows) to the performance of all the Actions of a Plant: As long as we shall find such like Organical Particles, and Juices, in an Animal, I think there is no Reason to attribute their lively and quick Action to any other, whatsoever kind of Particles, Parts, or sort of Juice and Liquid, but rather stick to these, which having been sufficient in Plants, to the same Action, may be able to perform the same in an Animal.  
We have to say beside; to do otherwise, and to consult at first the more Compounded Body, may bring us into a Mistake, to attribute to one part, an Office which belongeth to another; this we may easily prove by a Trial of it in Anatomy.  
There every one looking in Globo, into the Composition of Man's Body, thinks sure he does know enough of its true Organical Parts intended to serve to the Welfare of its lively and quick Actions; because he himself has seen an indefinite number of Vessels, called Arteries, which having received into their own Cavity a full quantity of Juice, from the Food out of the Stomach, through Lacteal Veins, Thorachick Lacteal Veins, seems to be of no other use, than to carry what they have received, towards the smallest and most remotest Particles of our Body, to furnish them Nurture with it; but it may prove the thing to be otherwise.  
The first Conjecture I had about it, was in the Year 1684. and I gave then to the Public, in a French Letter, directed to the most ingenious Squire Boil, Printed in London, this Notion of mine there in P. 36. viz. I say there that the Chyle was immediately carried into women's Breast to produce Milk, without need to go into the Heart, and into the Arteries first, and that after the like manner, this same Chyle may be distributed into every one Particle of our Body to furnish them Nurture.  
Now what I called than Chyle, I do reduce it since to a Juice of no Colour, whereas the Chyle is whitish; and this Juice of no Colour, is the Original of all the Liquid of our Body; of which we have more to say hereafter. In this said Letter, Directed to the said Squire Robert boil, I did use some Arguments to prove, That Blood was not the Fountain, from whence the Particles of our Body received their Nurture and their Growth: To these Arguments I have yet seen no Answer.  
If the Arguments are good, to prove what I did intent, Blood being excluded accordingly from the Office of Nurture, the Arteries, at the same time, must by all means, fall short of their supposed Function, viz. To carry Blood every where, upon an Account of a Liquid, intended to be a Matter, desighed for the Nurture of every Particle of our Body.  
This seems to me the more probable, because Plants which have the Benefit of Nurture, have none of their Organical Particles, after the Likeness of an Artery, or a Vein. Moreover, in Man's Body, a great many Parts want these Vessels, and consequently do not use them, to receive Nurture through their Cavity.  
Now it remains that we inquire, which way then the Parts and Particles of our Body may receive their Food, when the Arteries are excluded: This Query does totally depend upon the Knowledge, one may Borrow from the Structure of Plants, and from the way of Distribution of their Nourishing Juice, all over their Body.  
Towards this Structure we do receive, for granted, what we had out of those Books Published a great many Years ago, by the Ingenious Malpegius, Dr. Grew, and the Abbot Marriot, three Eminent Men; who diligently applied themselves to look into Plants with a Magnifying Glass, and do agree together, That they have seen nothing else, in the Texture of Plants, but some Pores, some Fibres, some little Fistula's, some little Bladders, some short and scanty Holes, like Store Houses, without any Artery, or any Vein.  
Upon Examination of a great many Parts of Man's Body, as Bones, Gristles, Teeth, Nails, we find them to have some Organical Particle, like Plants, but nothing of Artery, or Vein.  
The Structure then of Bones, of Gristles, of Teeth, of Nails, being very like the Structure of a Plant, and both having alike, their Nurture, their Growth, without any Artery, we may conclude the said Pores, Fibres, etc. to be, alone, the true Organical Particles of both these Mechanical Bodies, and consequently Arteries are to be excused of this Function.  
To come to the way of Distribution of the Nourishing Juice, it must be all alike in both of them: No doubt, Nourishing Juice may get into the hardest piece of Wood, into the Texture of a Rocky Bone, Tooth, etc. and this must be a way something like Filtration; and if it is plain, as it is, that these hard Bodies receive their Food by such ways, from Poor to Poor, from Fiber to Fiber, etc. Why should we not think that it is a way common to a soft part of Flesh, as well as to an hard Bone, or to a piece of Wood?  
It seems to be so much the rather, because the Rarity of the Texture of a soft part lies more open to the admission of any Liquid; if then we do not see any Contradiction to it, it will be unreasonable to suppose, that our Wise Maker would have multiplied a Being, without Necessity. The little Organical Particles, as we have said, are alone sufficient enough for the Work in a Plant, and in a great many parts of our Body, without the help of any Artery: And it would be against this said Rule of Wisdom, to join an Artery to other Organs, without any Necessity; and when the thing may be done as well without it.  
Finally, we do not pretend, for all this, that the Arteries should not have some Influence into the Functions of Nurture, and others: It may be like the Sun's promoting these Actions in raising up the Juice out of the Earth, and qualifying it, by the Virtue of its Beams; they both open the Passages, and procure a free Course to the Liquid, to go every where: Such like Office we may allow to the Arteries; which is a thing quite different from carrying into its Cavity the Food itself ●o be applied for Nurture to every part. And this is that which I oppose.  
We do conclude then, (from the Parity of these said Organical Particles, from the likeness of the nourishing Juice, and from the Parity of the Actions, which we have proved in Plants and Animals, to be totally the same kind) that the presence of such like Causes must be attended with the same Effect, and that the same Effect is to be supposed to come from the same Cause, when so many Things, in all Circumstances, do agree so well together.   

CHAP. II. What may be the Nature of the Faculty, or Power, which hath the greatest Share in any Action; and what may be the Nature, of that which is called a Soul in a Plant, in Brutes, and in Mankind.  
NO Body knows better, the Darkness, the narrow Limits, the Vanity of Learning, than those who did apply themselves to the attaining of it, and dived into the Mystery of Nature. Ancient Philosophers, surprised to a wonderful Admiration, about the Regular Motion of Heavenly Things, would have them to be Ruled by some Intelligent Being; at this Rate, every individual Creature below, having its different Degrees of Perfections, should deserve as well the Patronage, and the Presence of an Intelligent Being, to assist at its admirable Actions, as things above should pretend to.  
No wonder then, if it has been thought on, that something extraordinary, besides the gross Parts, and Juices of a Plant, and of an Animal, should work out in them these Actions of Nurture, Growth, and producing Seed, and this hath been called the first kind of Soul in Plants; now to an Animal, which hath over and above a Plant, the Privilege of Local Motion, and what is called Sensation, must be allowed another distinct Soul, to rule o'er these different Actions; and this will be a second kind of Soul. It is a very hard Matter, to give a just definition of these pretended Being's, and we think convenient, to inquire, if such like Being's are in Nature, to be distinctly perceived from the Organical Particles or Parts, from their Position, Order, Figure, Juice, joined together in a Plant, or Animal.  
To this end, we think fit to Consult what is nearest to them, viz. some more simple and less Compounded Machine, plainly known to Mankind. No doubt Man may say, he knows a Thing, when he is in a Capacity to compose it, to set it in a way to play the Work, he will have it to play; accordingly, a Watchmaker may be said to have a perfect Knowledge of a Machine we call a Watch, this piece of Workmanship hath its Organical Parts, made out of Metals; to bring things nearer related to Plants, and Animals. Let us suppose a Machine composed with the Metallical Particles, and Liquids, to have Share in these Actions.  
An Ingenious Man got the Art to compose a Bird, which could walk alone, and pick up with its Bill any Seed, Corn, or Gravel, that is usual to this sort of Creature; the Natural and the Artificial both could Pick up Grains, let them go down their Throat, into their Belly; and from thence, let them out, after the manner of Excrements.  
Such a Piece of Workmanship is easy to be known from Top to Bottom, and is very much Inferior to the Mechanism of a Plant, or of an Animal; but nevertheless, it will look mighty strange and wonderful to an American, of no Experience: He would think with himself, that such Machine had in its Bowels some kind of Animals, which should Govern its rare Motions. Now, if a poor Mortal hath the Skill to work out such Machine's, fit to perform these said Actions, in which we know of a certainty, that there is no other Power, Faculty or Soul, but the Management of so many pieces joined together, to work out of Necessity, such an effect, which we have foreseen, and do expect to come.  
What can we say, about the Skill of our Great Master, the Omnipotent and Wife Maker of this World? Shall we reduce him, to the necessity of calling in, viz. (to work out the Function of any part of a Plant, or Animal;) any further Agent than their first Organical Particles, and their Juices, which Things he knew from Eternity, sufficient to perform the work, as we did observe in workmanship: Doubtless it would be inglorious to his Infinite Wisdom, to use unnecessary means, to perform Actions, which can be done without them.  
We must confess a great Disparity between the Work of God and Man. Our Mechanical Piece, does borrow a great many things from its Prototype of God's Work; and ours is very far distant from its Perfections; for God's Work and Machine hath the Faculty to receive into its most intimate Parts, a repairing Nourishing Juice, and doth change it into its own Substance, to build out of it a new Structure, or at least to enlarge it, in its Dimensions, which we call Growth; and further, to produce out of its own Bosom, Seeds, and young ones of the same Nature.  
This must be the Finger of God, and in some way a continual work of a Creation above the Strength of Humane Power: Let all men's Workmanship then, and Men together, bow before the Throne of the Almighty, to Worship and give him Glory. He is the true Original of all Power and Knowledge, the Light and the Living for ever. In reference to him, Men, and their best Works, are but Blind and Dead Idols: Shall we then pretend to go beyond him, to compose a Mechanical Body, able to perform its Actions, according to the Combination of its Particles, and other Things, which we have foreseen, to be sufficient to do the Work alone, without any other Agent; to pretend to outdo God himself in his Work, and to be Wiser than He, which is the Eternal Wisdom itself? This would be against all Reason; for who can deny to allow him the same thing with us, who has not only power to make a Machine fit for all the Actions, our Artificial Machine is Capable of, but to raise it also besides to these Perfections, (above our Artificial, of receiving Nurture, Growth, and producing Seed.)  
These things being well considered, we will lay aside the thought of a Soul; and as no Body yet hath meddled with it in Physic, viz. to get any Instruction from it, to redress what is missing and out of Order, in Animal, we must rank the Soul in Plants, and in Animals, amongst the Imaginary Being's, which are Productions not of Nature, but of Fancy only. It is no matter then, for Physicians to be busy about a thing of no use at all; all our Measures and Indications, by which we set into their former Order, any of these Mechanical Being's, will be in such one of their Organical Particles and Parts, Number, Position, Figure, Order, and the true qualification of their Juice, in fine to amend what may be wanting; this I say must be all the Care of a Physician, and the true Bounds of his Knowledge and acting.  
What we have said against this imaginary Being, a Soul in the Mechanism of a Plant, and of an Animal in general, must not be extended further, than the Bodily Shape of a Man; which to the performance of these Actions, of Nuture, Growth, producing Seed, is a simple Machine without any Soul, like a Plant, or other Animal; and therefore, after the same manner in the Performance of Local Motion and Sensation, he wants, by no means, the help of a Soul.  
But since in Mankind, there are some Extraordinary Actions, which are not common to other Animals, as an indefinite Knowledge of all sorts of means, to serve his Designs, whereas Brutes have their bounds and limits, every one in a small Compass: A Notion we have in the heart of Justice and Equity, the precision of Times, of what is Past, or present, and what is to Come; the large Instrument of Reason, to go from Step to Step, till we can discover Truth; to know the Causes by their Effects, and from the Effects to come back to their Causes; to know the Propriety, Relation, and degrees of Parity and Disparity in the Nature of Numbers and Measures; above all, to Confess and Worship our. Omnipotent Maker, and to be sensible together of our own Weakness; to be in a Capacity to feel an internal Joy, distinct from what is produced in us, by external and Organical Sensations, to think, and to make Reflections with ourselves.  
All these Perfections, prove another sort of Power in Man, than what is common to Animals in general, Local Motions and Sensations; this Power or Faculty we call a Humane Soul, to discourse about whose Nature it is a very hard Task; the most Ingenious Philosophers of Old, have had but very dark Notions about it, they are the most part incertain and wavering in their Opinions, about this Matter; and I think the Attainment of it to be above our Human Reach: To this we have for Witness the Incapacity of our Forefathers, which aimed at it, and have done nothing at all; the Modern Authors of themselves, have had I think as little Success.  
In my Opinion the true Cause of it is, we would hearty know a thing of ourselves, which is beyond the bounds of Humane Capacity; for the first Man himself being made by the Power of his Omnipotent Maker; and adorned with the best Faculty for Discovery, suppose he should have had a mind to inquire about the proceeding of his Production, a thousand thoughts might have come into his mind, about different Causes he could point at; but they would have been altogether uncertain and wavering Opinions, having nothing of Reality in them; for in matter of Fact unparalel, as this is one, (how and which way the first Man was made) since he was not in Being, before he was framed, all his Care for a Discovery thereof would have been needless, the perception of a thing done, and the way of its doing, before his coming into this World, was a piece of work above his reach, he could not be a competent Judge of it, the only way to make him sensible of it, was the way of Narration: Accordingly, it pleased the Lord God to teach our first Parents, and to reveal to them, what we have out of the Book of Genesis, that God form Man of the Dust of the Ground, and breathed into his Nostrils the Breath of Life, and Man became a Living Soul: This Soul we have above and over what we mentioned before, viz. what Mechanism, the Plants and Animals, have in common with us; this Frame, alike theirs, God gave us out of the Dust, and directed all our Organical Parts and Particles, with their Juices, to his Ends and Intention, without any other Agent distinct from them.  
For besides the reason we have given of Conveniency, which shows it would be below the Infinite Wisdom, to give to his Machine an unnecessary Soul; in short to determine all the difficulty about it; God has not only revealed to Man his own Production, but gave him an account, how he proceeded in the making of Plants and Animals; there the distinction is plain; we have not a word of breathing into their Nostrils the Breath of Life, a Living Soul; then we conclude well, that they have none, and that for certain we have one, because it pleaseth God to inform us of it, this Faculty, or Power, hath something in its being totally distinct from the Machine; and no wonder if the Ancient Philosophers have had but a wavering Opinion about it, since they went a wrong way, to get a solid and real Knowledge of their manner of making; and this being a manner of Fact done, before we had any kind of perception, it is only to be known by way of revelation, which in this present cause proves to be of an absolute necessity; upon which only we rely for the exclusion of any, being called a Soul in Plants and Animals, and for asserting a Living Soul in the Breast of Man.