the pungent and incongruous parts of the intruded liquor.

And this seems to be the reason, why _Aqua fortis_, and other _saline_
liquors, if they come to touch the sensitive parts, as in a cut of the
skin, or the like, do so violently and intollerably _excruciate_ and
torment the Patient. And 'tis not unlikely, but the Inventors of that
Diabolical practice of poisoning the points of Arrows and Ponyards, might
receive their first hint from some such Instance in natural contrivances,
as this of the Nettle: for the ground why such poison'd weapons kill so
infallibly as they do, seems no other then this of our Nettle's stinging;
for the Ponyard or Dart makes a passage or entrance into the sensitive or
vital parts of the body, whereby the contagious substance comes to be
dissolv'd by, and mix'd with the fluid parts or humours of the body, and by
that means spreads it self by degrees into the whole liquid part of the
body, in the same manner, as a few grains of Salt, put into a great
quantity of Water, will by degrees diffuse it self over the whole.

And this I take to be the reason of killing of Toads, Frogs, Effs, and
several Fishes, by strewing Salt on their backs (which Experiment was shewn
to the _Royal Society_ by a very ingenious Gentleman, and a worthy Member
of it) for those creatures having always a continual exsudation, as it
were, of slimy and watry parts, sweating out of the pores of their skin,
the _saline_ particles, by that means obtain a _vehicle_, which conveys
them into the internal and vital parts of the body.

This seems also to be the reason why bathing in Mineral waters are such
soveraign remedies for multitudes of distempers, especially chronical; for
the liquid & warm _vehicles_ of the Mineral particles, which are known to
be in very considerable quantities in those healing baths, by the body's
long stay in them, do by degrees steep and insinuate themselves into the
pores and parts of the skin, and thereby those Mineral particles have their
ways and passages open'd to penetrate into the inner parts, and mingle
themselves with the _stagnant_ juices of the several parts; besides, many
of those offensive parts which were united with those _stagnant_ juices,
and which were contrary to the natural constitution of the parts, and so
become irksome and painfull to the body, but could not be discharged,
because Nature had made no provision for such accidental mischiefs, are, by
means of this soaking, and fill