indulgent Husband, by sucking his Wife’s sore Breast to draw out the Poison, lost all his Teeth, but was attended by no other Inconvenience. Now this does not prove that so strange an Effect should succeed the sucking the Ulcer, because of the Corrosiveness of the Matter; for had it been so, such tender Parts as the Gums, Lips, and Tongue, could not have escaped so well as to have received no Damage by it. Problem II. _Whether_ Cancers _are contagious, or not._ [Sidenote: Vid. _Zacut. de Prax._ Med. admirand. _Lib._ 1. _Obs._ 15.] There has been a very great Disagreement in the Sentiments of our Predecessors as to this Point; but _Zacutas Lusitanus_ proposes to prove it by Reason and Experience. His Reasons are, _First_, because in an ulcerated _Cancer_ there is a Cadaverous Stench and Rottenness, which infects the Neighbouring Parts with it’s Virulency. _Secondly_, Because a _Cancer_ is the same _Disease_ as an _Elephantiasis_, and _Leprosy_ of a particular Part. To this, _Sennertus_ in his Posthumous Works answers, that all corrupted and fætid Substances are not contagious; for in a _Gangrene_ and _Sphacellus_, there is the greatest Corruption and offensive Smell, yet we do not find that a Person is killed by it: He adds, though a _Cancer_ has some Similitude to an _Elephantiasis_, they are different _Diseases_. _Lusitanus_ deduces his Experience from an Observation of a poor Woman, that having an ulcerated _Cancer_ in her Breast, and lying with three Children, they were affected after the same Manner by the Contagion. He says that Two of them died, but the Third, which was of a stronger [Sidenote: _Vid_ Sennert. _Paralipom. ad Part._ 1 _Cap._ 19.] Constitution, had the _Cancer_ cut off by a _Surgeon_ and was cured. _Sennertus_ is of Opinion that these Children did not contract the _Disease_ by Contagion, but that it was by Hereditary Succession. We likewise find that _Cardan_, _Lib. de Venen. Cap._ 12. is of Opinion that _Cancers_ are not contagious. However, we will not make any particular Enquiry into these Authors Reasons, when they so strenuously maintain this Point; but only relate a remarkable History, which will prove the contrary, if the _Cancerous_ Matter comes to an immediate Contract with a soft and glandulous Part. The Relation I had (some time ago) from a Gentleman not long since deceased, who, out of a pious Disposition, had devoted himself for several Years last past, to be serviceable to the greatest Objects of Charity. He informed me that a Tradesman’s Wife in _Nottingham_, being so unhappy as to labour under a _Cancer_ in one of her Breasts, her Husband was of Opinion he could relieve her by sucking it; accordingly he put this Method in Practice, in hopes without doubt he could effect a Cure, by drawing the _Cancerous_ Matter out of the Nipple; he continued his Attempts for some Time, but found it did not answer his Design; for though a small Quantity of Matter was discharged [Sidenote: _Vide_ Galen. _in_ Aph. Hip. Com.