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farther apart, and the loweft of them, as well as the lower Eminences of the Os Pubis farther outwards than in the latter. Hence in Women, the Latitude or Expanfion a- bout thefe Bones, and the Capacity of the Pelvis, is vaftly great in proportion to thofe of Men ; and yet in a Woman not pregnant, there is not much to fill this Expanfe. Again, the fore-fide of the Thorax is fmoother in Women than in Men, and the Blood- Veflels, Lymphatics, adipofe and nervous Veflels, Membranes and Fibres, are much laxer in Women than in Men : whence all their Cavities, Cells, Veflels, ££?c. are more eafily repleted, and the Humours aggregated in them ; befides that, they are found to perfpire lefs than Men, and to arrive much fooner at their Maturity, or i v „ of Increafe. To which he adds the Confideration of the foft pulpous Texture of the Uterus, and the vafl number of Veins and Arteries it is fiH'd withall.
Hence, a healthy Maid, being arrived at her Growth, begins to prepare more Nutriment than is required for the fupport of the Body ; which, as there is not to be any farther accretion, mufi of neceffity fill the Veflels, and especially thofe of the Uterus, and Breads, as being the lead comprefled. Thefe will be dilated more than the others; whence the lateral Fafcules evacuating their Hu- mour into the Cavity of the Uterus, it will be fill'd, and extended : Hence, a Pain, Heat, Heavinefs, will be felt about the Loins, Tubes, 55k. the Veflels of the Uterus at the fame time will be fo dilated, as to emit Blood into the Cavity of the Uterus, its Mouth will be lubricated and loofened, and Blood iflue out. As the Quantity of Blood isdiminifhed, the Veflels will be lefs prefs'd, and will contract themfelves clofer, fo as again to retain the Blood, and let pals the groffer part of the Serum ; till at length, only the ufual Serum paffes. Again, there are more Humours prepar'd, which are more eafily lodged in Veflels once dilated ; hence the Menfes go, and return at various Pe- riods in various Perfons. males even among thefe, Vhe"latVerTav"ing7h7r"M e ',.A
This Hypothefis however plaufible, is oppofed by tho' not fo often, nor in the fame form and QuantiTy Dr. Drake, who maintains that there is no fuch Repletion, Women.
in a /hort time, and confequently, that it mult have been ready gather'd in fome Receptacle, where, while it was lodgd, its Aa.on was reflrained. But he goes farther flill and pretends to afcertain the Place, &c. both of the one and the other, making the Gail-Bladder to be the Re- ceptacle, and the Bile the Ferment. This Liquor he thinks well adapted to raife a Fermentation in the Blood when difcharged into it in a Quantity : And as it is con- tain d in a Receptacle that docs not admit of a continual Iflue, may be there referved, till in a certain Period ot lime, the Bladder becoming turgid and full through the Compreffion of the incumbent nfcera, it emits the Ga 1 : which by the way of the LaBeals, insinuating ltlelf into the Blood, may raife that Effervefcence which occafions the Aperture of the Uterine Arteries. n T ° confir >n 'Ins, lie alledges, that Perfons of a bilious Conftitution, have the Menfes either more plentifully, or more frequently than others; and that Diilempers mani- ieftly bilious, are attended with Symptoms refembling thofe of Women labouring under difficult Menflruation. It itbe objected, thaton this foot, Men ihould have Menfes os well as Women ; he anfwers, that Men don't abound in Bile fo much as Women ; the Fores of the former be- ing more open, and carrying off more of the ferous part of the Blood, which is the Vehicle of all the other Hu- mours ; and, confequently, a greater part of each is dif- charged thro' them than in Women ; wherein the Super- fluity muft either continue to circulate with the Blood, or be gathered in proper Receptacles, which is the Cafe in the Bile. The fame Reafon he gives why Menfiruation Jhould not be in Brutes ; the Pores of thefe being mani- festly more open than thofe of Women, as appears from the Crop of Hair which they bear ; for the Vegetation whereof, a large Cavity, and a wider Aperture of the Glandsuneceffary, than where no fuch thing is produced. Yet there is fomo difference between the Males and Fe-
or at leaft that it is not neceffary to Menflruation. Ar- guing, That if the Menfes were owing to a Plethora fo accumulated, the Symptoms would arife gradually, and the Heavinefs, Stiffnels, and Inactivity; neceflary Symp- toms of a Plethora, would be felt long before the Period were compleated, and Women would begin to be heavy, and indifpofed foon after Evacuation, and the Symptoms increafe daily : Which is contrary to all Experience ; many Women, who have them regularly and eafily, ha- ving no warning, nor other Rule to prevent an indecent Surprize, than the meafure of the Time ; in which, fome that have flip'd, have been put to Confufion and Shifts, no ways confident with the notice a Plethoric Body would give. He adds, that even in thofe who are diffi- cultly purged this way, the Symptoms, tho' very vexati- ousand tedious, do notmakefuch regular Approaches, as a gradual Accumulation neceflarily requires. If we con- rider what violent Symptoms come on in an Hour, we fliall be extremely puzzled to find the mighty Acceffion of Matter which Ihould in an Hour or a Day's time make fuch great Alterations. According to the Hypothefis, the lait contributes no more than the firfl, and ol Confe- quence, the Alteration ihould not be greater in the one than the other ; letting afidc the bare Eruption.
This is the fubllance of what is argued againft Dr. Friend's Theory ; which, it mufi be own'd, notwithftand- ing thefe Objections, is flill the moft rational and con- fluent that has yet been advanced.
Thofe who oppofe it, give into the Docf rine of Fermen- tation, and maintain the Evacuation of Blood, on thofe parts, to be the Effect of an Effervefcence, or Ebullition of the Blood. This Opinion has been maintained by many, particularly Dr. Cbarleton, Bale, De Graaf, and Drake. The two firfl of which fuppofe a Ferment pecu- liar to the Women which produces this Flux, and affects that part only, or at leaf! principally. Dr. Graaf, lefs par- ticular in his Notion, only fuppofes an Effervefcence of the Blood raifed by fome ferment, without afligning how it acts, or what it is. The fiulden Turgefcence of the Blood, occafion'd them all to think, that it arofe from fomething till then extraneous to the Blood, and led them to the Parts principally affected, to feek for an imaginary Fer- ment, which no Anatomical Enquiry could ever" fhew, or find any Receptacle for, noram Reafoning neceflarily in- fer. Again, that Heat which frequently accompanies this Turgefcence, led them to think the Cafe more than a Plethora, and that there was fome extraordinary intefiine Motion at that time.
Dr. Drake improves on the Doctrine of a Ferment 5 and contends not only that it is neceflary there fhould be a Ferment, but a Receptacle -alfo for this Ferment : Con- cluding from the Suddenncfs and Violence of the Symp- toms, that a great quantity muft beconvey'd into the Blood
Quantity, as
He adds, that the feveral Phenomena of the Menfes, whether in a natural, a regular, or difeafed Cafe, flow naturally and readily from this Hypothefis ; and that whatever may be accounted for from a Plethora, or from any particular Ferment, may, without any draining, bo apply'd to this.
The Root of black Hellebore and Steel, are the principal Remedies for Obftructions of the Menfes ; the former, is almoft infallible, and in many Cafes whete the latter is not only ineffectual, but improper ; as in Plethoric Habits for with fuch, Steel will fometimes raife Hyjieric Commo- tions, Convulfions, and a kind of Uterine Furor ; whereas Hellebore thins the Blood, and difpofes it for a Difcharoe without making it more impetuous. So that tho' each provoke the Menfes, yet they do it by different ways ; Steel by mcreafing the Blood's Velocity, and giving it a greater Moment againft the Uterine Arteries ; and Helle- bore by dividing it, and rendering it more fluid. See Hellebore and Chalybeat.
MENSIS T CMonth.
MENSIS CHYMICUS £ See 4 Menstruum.
MENSIS VET1TUS > CFence Month.
MENSTRUAL, or Menstruous, a Term in Medicine, applied ro the Blood which flows from Women in their ordinary monthly Purgations. SeeMENSEs.
The Menftrual Blood is the excefs, or redundance of the Blood in the Body. Itmay be defined an Excrement ferving for the Generation, as well asNutritureof the Fetus in the Womb, and which at other times is evacuated Monthly.
Of all Animals, there is none befides Women, and perhaps Apes, which have their Menftrual Purga- tions. Hippocrates fays, that the Menftrual Blood gnaws and teats the Earth like Vinegar. Pliny and Columella add, that it burns Herbs, kills Plants, tarnifhes Looking- Glaffes, and that Dogs which tafte it, run mad. But this is all fabulous ; it being certain that this Blood is the fame with that in the Veins and Arteries. By the Jewijh Law, a Woman was unclean while the Menftrual Blood flow'd ': and the Man who touched her, or the Moveables /he had touched, were declared unclean. Levit. Chap. XV.
MENSTRUUM, or Dissolvent, in Chymiftry, any Liquor that will diffolve, i. e. feparate the Parts of 'hatd Bodies. See Dissolvent and Dissolution.
Thus Aqua Regalis is a Menftruum for Gold ; Jqua Fortis, and Spirit of Nitre, for molt other Metals; Common Wa- ter for Salts, igc. See Gold, Silver, Salt, (gc.
In Pharmacy, it is chiefly defined a Body that will ex- tract the Virtues of Ingredients by Infufion, Decoction or the like. See Infusion, Decoction, c/c.
The Term Menftruum takes its rife from this, that fome Chymifts pretend the compleat Diflolution of a mix'd Body can't be effected in lefs than 40 Days, which Period they call a Philofofhical Month.
Men -
