THE CONDITION OF WOMEN. 347 



lumps of the entire mass into contact with it as it exudes from the 

 stomach's walls. If the material has come from the mouth finely 

 ground up, a considerable portion goes over into the duodenum before 

 it has been properly acted upon ; but, if it has come down in coarse 

 lumps, these begin shortly to dissolve, passing into a more or less fluid 

 condition, and this can be taken care of with about the same rapidity 

 by the digestive apparatus following : by this arrangement no portion 

 of the food would be allowed to pass from the stomach unprepared for 

 the next step in the digestive process. All portions, then, even the 

 finest fibers, of a meat diet, must be acted upon by the gastric juice 

 before passing on ; and this action progresses best by slowly wearing 

 off the outside of the morsels. 



Professor Ludwig has made some general experiments as to the 

 truth of this theory upon himself, eating coarsely-cut meat at one time 

 and fine at another, without at least being able to detect any ill effects 

 whatever from morsels as large as it was convenient to swallow.* 

 Many workingmen, business men, and others, almost bolt their food 

 without loss of excellent digestion ; we should bear in mind, of course, 

 that they have to chew much of their vegetable food for convenience 

 in swallowing, and also that the indigestion of business men occasion- 

 ally is due more to their nervous condition at the time. 



A slight amount of chewing or mumbling serves to detect harsh 

 substances, as bones, and to prepare for swallowing ; foreign matters 

 of considerable size will, however, gradually make their way, and, if 

 not rough, may pass without injury. The writer once had an experi- 

 ence of this nature with a piece of iron an inch in length and a third 

 in diameter. 



To conclude, then, with respect to man as well as other flesh- 

 eaters : it is not only not necessary, but also not best, to chew meat 

 of any kind to a fine condition, but to swallow it in convenient mor- 

 sels; this militates against hash. With regard to all non-meat food, 

 careful mastication is better, but hardly so necessary as has been sup- 

 posed. 



THE CONDITION OF WOMEN FROM A ZOOLOGICAL 



POINT OF VIEW. 



By W. E. BKOOKS, 



II. 



TURNING now to another part of our subject, and bearing in mind 

 the fact that by far the greater part of the external relations to 

 which our actions are adjusted, and to which it is necessary that they 

 should conform, in order to secure our preservation, safety, and wel- 



* Lectures of Professor C. Ludwig (Leipsic), 1878 "79. 



