The generative organs, considered anatomically, physically, and philosophically / a posthumous work of Emanuel Swedenborg ; translated from the Latin by James John Garth Wilkinson.

Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The generative organs, considered anatomically, physically, and philosophically / a posthumous work of Emanuel Swedenborg ; translated from the Latin by James John Garth Wilkinson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    needs be drawn out from the blood and nervous juice in the first organ, which is the testicle; and ultimately by degrees in the suc- ceeding organs, it must be enveloped or included in other elemental substances, to prevent it from flying off in aura, and to bring it without fail into use. Thus it is that the principal essence extracted in the testicle, is afterwards enwrapped in a regular series of enve- lopes in the parastatce, vesiculcs seminales, and in the prostate glands, and even the urethra. This is noio to be shewn, and in the first place we have to demonstrate that the testicles pour on the true vital essence, the veriest plastic substance; for although seed is produced without the testicles, such seed is not prolific : as is abundantly shewn by cases of castration, and by injury, gan- grene, ossification and old age as affecting these organs. This is tlie sum of our treatise; for the semen which is visible to the eye, is not immediately produced by the testicle, but something- is always added to it in the other organs. The inmost and vital part is certainly absent if the testicles are wanting. Now if the seed is to be summoned into existence from its first principles, these must perforce be poured into it in the first organ or the testicle. That which is innermost must come the first in the series. We see therefore what the peculiar office of the testicles is; and this will be still more evident when we consider the structure of the testicle and the infusion of this essence. With respect to those cases in which prolification has taken place after removal of the testicles, they will be explained in the sequel, especially when we treat of the vesiculse seminales. 31. Those canals or intestinular tubes of which the substance of the testicles is made up, are nothing but continuations of the finest vessels from the spermatic arteries. This is shewn by the experiments of numerous anatomists, as Ruysch, Morgagni, De Graaf and Heister. These vessels pass into the testicle through its proper coat, the tunica albuginea. Besides these vessels con- tinued as above, and circling about in wonderful windings, immense multitudes of nervous fibres also fiow in,^ which according to j3l custom universal in the organic frame, fiow into all these vessels, both great and small, and smallest; hence in the testicle, into each * We have used the words in for influunt, occasionally, because, although not usual English, they seem to carry a meaning of influence and fluidity which belongs to the ideas of the author.—TV.