“Here [at the Pope’s Head] Dr. Croone told me, that, at the meeting
at Gresham College to-night, ... there was a pretty experiment of the
blood of one dogg let out, till he died, into the body of another on
one side, while all his own run out on the other side. The first died
upon the place, and the other very well, and likely to do well. This
did give occasion to many pretty wishes, as of the blood of a Quaker
to be let into an Archbishop, and such like; but, as Dr. Croone
says, may, if it takes, be of mighty use to man’s health, for the
amending of bad blood by borrowing from a better body.” (_Diary_, ed.
Wheatley, vi. p. 60.)
Two days later he reports:
“This noon I met with Mr. Hooke, and he tells me the dog which was
filled with another dog’s blood, at the College the other day, is
very well, and like to be so as ever, and doubts not its being found
of great use to men,--and so do Dr. Whistler, who dined with us at
the tavern.” (Ibid., p. 63.)
On November 28 there was further conversation at Gresham College to
the same effect (ibid., p. 79). In the following year the experiments
were taken a stage further, and Pepys refers again to them under the
date November 21, 1667:
“Among the rest they discourse of a man that is a little frantic,
that hath been a kind of minister, Dr. Wilkins saying that he hath
read for him in his church, that is poor and a debauched man, that
the College have hired for 20s. to have some of the blood of a sheep
let into his body; and it is to be done on Saturday next. They
purpose to let in about twelve ounces; which they compute, is what
will be let in in a minute’s time by a watch. They differ in the
opinion they have of the effects of it; some think it may have a good
effect upon him as a frantic man by cooling his blood, others that it
will not have any effect at all. But the man is a healthy man, and by
this means will be able to give an account what alteration, if any,
he do find in himself, and so may be usefull.” (_Diary_, vii. p. 195.)
On November 29 Pepys dined at a house of entertainment, and enjoyed
good company.
“But here, above all, I was pleased to see the person who had his
blood taken out. He speaks well, and did this day give the Society a
relation thereof in Latin, saying that he finds himself much better
since, and as a new man, but he is cracked a little in his head,
though he speaks very reasonably, and very well. He had but 20s.
for his suffering it, and is to have the same again tried upon him:
the first sound man that ever had it tried on him in England, and
but one that we hear of in France, which was a porter hired by the
virtuosos.”[3] (Ibid., p. 205.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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