The Art of Physick

Section A. Of the 7 Naturals
5. Of the Spirits

D. Leaving the Humors, let us proceed to the Spirits. Why are they called Impulsive by Hippocrates?
C. Because that by their means the Corporeal Bulks of Living Creatures are moved, perceive, live and subsist; even by their aid the dull and heavy bodies of living creatures are subjected to the Empire of the Soul, and brought under its government and power. Moreover, by means of them, the corporeal substance coheres with the incorporeal; whereby it comes to pass, that they are as it were the Bands that tie both Soul and Body together.
D. What is a Spirit?
C. A Spirit in an Airy, thin, transparent Substance, the seat of natural Heat, the Vehicle of the Faculties, and the first Instrument that sets the Functions at work.
‘Spirit’, from Spiritus, means ‘Breath’, or ‘Spirit’, but classically also a highly refined substance. It therefore overlaps concepts of Spirit and Qi, or Vital Force.
D. How many sorts of Spirits are there?
C. Two; the one innate, the other infused.
D. What is the Innate?
C. That which was ingrafted into the several parts by the first Beginnings of Generation; the foundation of which is the Radical Moisture.
This clearly talks of the Pre-Natal or Inherited Qi of TCM
D. Which is the infused?
C. That which flows in from elsewhere, and cherishes and preserves the innate, every where conveighing Faculty and Heat, the enable the Functions in their several duties. D. Of how many sorts is it?
And this relates to Post-natal or Acquired Qi of TCM.
C. Threefold; Animal, Vital, and Natural.
D. What is the Animal Spirit?
C. A Spirit begat in the Ventricles of the Brain, of Vital Spirit, and inspired Air; whence being distributed through the moving and sensitive Nerves, it renders all the Parts of the Body capable of Sense and Motion.
The Animal Spirit gives consciousness, and is called so as it is only found in Animals.
D. What is the Vital Spirit?
C. That which is bred in the left part of the Heart, of the Natural Spirit, and the Air sucked in by the Lungs, whence it is conveyed through the Arteries to every part, to cherish the inbred Spirit, corroborate the Natural Heat, and restore Strength.
The Vital Spirit is formed from Natural Spirit (‘Food Qi’)  mixed with Air, in other words, Qi. It noursihes Natural Heat (Yang) and gives strength.
D. What is the Natural Spirit?
C. That which proceeding from the Liver, is diffused together with the Blood through all the Veins, the Cause of Generation, Nourishment and Growth.
The Natural Spirit is the best essence of Food, generated in the Liver.

Previous: Of the Humors
Next: Of the Faculties

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The Art Of Physick
Section A.
OF THE 7 NATURALS
(Physiology)
Introduction to the 7 Naturals
1. Elements
2. Temperaments
3. Parts
4. Humors
5. Spirits
6. Faculties
7. Actions

Section B.
OF THE 6 NOT-NATURALS
(Preservation of Health)
Introduction to the 6 Not-Naturals
1. Ambient Air
2. Food and Drink
3. Sleep and Waking
4a. Exercise &
4b. Rest
5. Excrements
6. Emotions (Passions of the Mind)

Section C.
OF THE 3 PRETER-NATURALS
(Pathology)
1. Diseases
2. Causes
3a. Symptoms &
3b. Signs

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