NUTRITIO\. 1,53 



ful explorer of the recondite operations of the economy of animated 

 existences. 



It is not furnished exclusively by the vegetable kingdom — animals 

 are likewise employed in the suppoit of animal life. Not only man, 

 but other animals use, and with advantage, the flesh of animals to up- 

 hold the nutritive operations of their systems, and to supply the source 

 of the various chemical combinations, which subserve most important 

 ends in animal life. 



The other function is sustained by the atmosphere and byproducts 

 of the animal powers. 



We now institute another inquiry, which we express in the lan- 

 guage — what is the difference between vegetable and animal food ? 

 Strange as it may appear, there is no difference. We mean, considered 

 as nutritive agents, they are essentially the same, and make the same 

 contributions under digestive influences to the common stock of animal 

 deposites. To divest our assertion of the air of extravagance, and to 

 make it as palpable as possible, we ask chemistry dressed in the brilliant 

 habiliments with which she has lately been appareled to appear, and du- 

 ly qualified to render a true account of what she knows, touching this 

 thing. Conservative of no secret — open as day — she reveals to us, in a 

 clear voice, and intelligible terms, the following facts : 



Condensing her words, it appears that the organic part of plants 

 consists essentially of four classes of substances. The cellular substance, 

 or woody fibre, starch, gum, and sugar, gluten, albumen, avenine, legu- 

 min, oil, or fat. Now when we look at the soft parts of the body, in- 

 deed the entire combustible part, says a writer in the North British Re- 

 view in an interesting notice on Chemistry in its relations to agriculture, 

 it consists essentially of three substances, or more correctly of three 

 groups of analogous substances. 



a. The cellular substance, which pervades and forms the outline of 

 the whole body. When the skins of animals are boiled, a jelly is ob- 

 tained, to which the name of glue is generally given ; by chemists it is 

 called gelatin. When the cartilages of young bones are boiled, they 

 also yield a jelly, differing in some degree from the former, and to 

 which the name chondrin is given. In a solid state, these compounds 

 form the substance and cells and vessels of the animal body. 



b. The muscular fibre, which forms the fleshy parts of the body. 

 If a piece of flesh, lean mutton' or beef, be washed for a length of time 

 in a stream of water, the blood will be removed, and a white fibrous 

 substance will remain, which is the pure fibre of the muscle, more or 

 less mixed with fat. The white of the egg (albumen,) and the pure 



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