CHA P. X.

Of Martinus's uncommon Practice of Phyfick, and how he apply'd himself to the Diseases of the Mind.

UT it is high time to return to the History of the Progrefs of Martinus in the Studies of Phyfick, and to enumerate fome at least of the many Discoveries and Experiments he made

therein.

One of the first was his Method of investigating latent Diftempers, by the fagacious Quality of Setting-Dogs and Pointers. The fuccefs, and the Adventures that befel him, when he walked with thefe Animals, to fmell them out in the Parks and publick places about London, are what we would willingly relate; but that his own Account, together with a Lift of those Gentlemen and Ladies at whom they made a Full fet, will be published in time convenient. There will also be added the Representation, which, on occafion of one diftemper which was become almoft epidemical, he thought himself obliged to lay before both Houfes of Parliament, intitled, A Propofal for a General Flux, to exterminate at one blow the P-x out of this kingdom.

But being weary of all practice on fætid Bodies; from a certain nicenefs of Conftitution, (efpecially when he attended Dr. Woodward thro' a Twelvemonths courfe of Vomition) he determined to leave it off entirely, and to apply himself only to dif eafes of the Mind. He attempted to find out Specificks for all the Paffions; and as other Phyficians throw their Patients into fweats, vomits, purgations, etc. he cait them into Love, Hatred, Hope,

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Fear,

Fear, Joy, Grief, etc. And indeed the great Irregularity of the Paffions in the English Nation, was the chief motive that induced him to apply his whole ftudies, while he continued among us, to the Diseases of the Mind.

To this purpose he directed, in the first place, his late acquired fkill in Anatomy. He confider'd Virtues and Vices as certain Habits which proceed from the natural Formation and Structure of particular parts of the body. A Bird flies because it has Wings, a Duck swims because it is web-footed and there can be no queftion but the aduncity of the pounces and beaks of the Hawks, as well as the length of the fangs, the fharpness of the teeth, and the ftrength of the crural and maffeter-muscles in Lions and Tygers, are the cause of the great and habitual Immorality of those Animals.

ift, He observed, that the Soul and Body mutually operate upon each other, and therefore if you deprive the Mind of the outward Instruments whereby the ufually expreffeth that Paffion, you will in time abate the Paffion itself, in like manner as Caftration abates Luft.

2dly, That the Soul in mankind expreffeth every Paffion by the Motion of fome particular Muscles.

3dly, That all Muscles grow ftronger and thicker by being much used; therefore the habitual Paffions may be discerned in particular persons by the strength and bigness of the Muscles used in the expreffion of that Paffion.

4thly, That a Mufcle may be strengthen'd or weaken'd by weakning or strengthening the force

of

of its Antagonist. These things premifed, he took notice,

That complaisance, humility, affent, approbation, and civility, were expreffed by nodding the head and bowing the body forward: on the contrary, diffent, diflike, refufal, pride, and arrogance, were marked by toffing the head, and bending the body backwards: which two Paffions of afsent and diffent the Latins rightly expreffed by the words adnuere and abnuere. Now he obferved that complaifant and civil people had the Flexors of the head very ftrong; but in the proud and infolent there was a great over-ballance of ftrength in the Extenfors of Neck and Muscles of the Back, from whence they perform with great facility the motion of toffing, but with great difficulty that of bowing, and therefore have justly acquir'd the Title of stiff-neck'd: In order to reduce such persons to a juft balance, he judged that the pair of Mufcles called Recti interni, the Maftoidal, with other flexors of the head, neck, and body must be strengthen'd; their Antagonists, the Splenii Complexi, and the Extenfors of the Spine weaken'd: For which purpose Nature herself seems to have directed mankind to correct this Mufcular Immorality by tying fuch fellows Neck and heels.

Contrary to this, is the pernicious Custom of Mothers, who abolish the natural Signature of Modesty in their Daughters, by teaching them toffing and bridling, rather than the bashful posture of stooping, and hanging down the head. Martinus charged all husbands to take notice of the Pofture of the Head of fuch as they courted to Matrimony, as that upon which their future happiness did much depend.

Flatterers, who have the flexor Muscles fo ftrong that they are always bowing and cringing, he fupposed might in some measure be corrected by being tied down upon a Tree by the back, like the children of the Indians; which doctrine was strongly

confirm❜d

confirm'd by his observing the strength of the levatores Scapule: This Mufcle is called the Muscle of patience, becaufe in that affection of Mind people fhrug and raise up the shoulder to the tip of the ear. This Mufcle alfo he obferved to be exceedingly ftrong and large in Henpeck'd Husbands, in Italians, and in English Minifters.

In pursuance of his Theory, he supposed the conftrictors of the Eye-lids, must be ftrengthen'd in the fupercilious, the abductors in drunkards and contemplative men, who have the fame fteddy and grave motion of the eye. That the buccinators or blowers up of the cheeks, and the dilators of the Nofe, were too ftrong in Cholerick people; and therefore Nature here again directed us to a remedy, which was to correct fuch extraordinary dilatation by pulling by the Nose.

The rolling amorous Eye, in the paffion of Love, might be corrected by frequently looking thro' glaffes. Impertinent fellows that jump upon Tables, and cut capers, might be cur'd by relaxing medicines applied to the Calves of their Legs, which in fuch people are too ftrong.

But there were two cafes which he reckoned extremely difficult. First, Affectation, in which there were fo many Muscles of the bum, thighs, belly, neck, back, and the whole body, all in a falfe tone, that it required an impracticable multiplicity of applications.

The fecond cafe was immoderate Laughter: When any of that rifible fpecies were brought to the Doctor, and when he confidered what an infinity of Muscles thefe laughing Rafcals threw into a convulfive motion at the fame time; whether we regard the fpafms of the Diaphragm and all the mufcles of refpiration, the horrible ricus of the mouth, the diftortion of the lower jaw, the crifping of the nofe, twinkling of the eyes, or fphærical convexity

of

of the cheeks, with the tremulous fuccuffion of the whole human body: when he confidered, I fay, all this, he used to cry out Cafus plane deplorabilis! and give fuch Patients over.

CHAP. XI.

The Cafe of a young Nobleman at Court, with the Doctor's Prefcription for the fame.

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N eminent Instance of Martinus's Sagacity in discovering the Diftempers of the Mind, appeared in the cafe of a young Nobleman at Court, who was observed to grow extremely affected in his fpeech, and whimfical in all his behaviour. He began to afk odd queftions, talk in verfe to himself, Thut himself up from his friends, and be acceffible to none but Flatterers, Poets, and Pick-pockets; till his Relations and old Acquaintance judged him to be fo far gone, as to be a fit Patient for the Doc

tor.

As foon as he had heard and examined all the fymptoms, he pronounced his diftemper to be Love. His friends affured him that they had with great care obferved all his motions, and were perfectly satisfied there was no Woman in the cafe. Scriblerus was as pofitive that he was desperately in love with some person or other. "How can that be? "(faid his Aunt, who came to afk the advice) "when he converfes almoft with none but him"felf?" Say you fo? he replied, why then he is in love with himfelf, one of the most common cafes in the world. I am aftonifhed, people do not enough attend this Difeafe, which has the fame causes and symptoms, and admits of the fame cure