134 MEMOIR ON THE 



many refpeds, the black vomit. The odour, arifing from 

 this combination, fo much refembles that arifing from 

 black vomit, which had been kept for feveral years, that I 

 could hardly diftinguifh one from the other. The clofc 

 analogy of this compound to black vomit, would incline 

 one to believe, that the latter was nothing more than blood 

 combined with a diluted mineral acid; but, as the pre- 

 fence of thefe acids, in the black vomit, in a difengaged 

 ftate, could not be deteded by the heft tefls that we are 

 acquainted with, and, as it is not probable that they are 

 fecreted by the liver, which we fhall fhortly endeavour 

 to prove is the vifcus that fecretes the colouring-matter of 

 the vomit, this idea of its formation, muft, of courfe, fall 

 to the ground. 



The black vomit has been faid to confill: of a mixture 

 of putrid blood and bile. Equal t]uantities of thefe fluids, 

 when fuffered to become putrid, in a combined llate, had 

 a ftrong, bitter tafte, imparted a red tinge to water, and, in 

 other properties, had not the leall refemblance to the 

 black flaky fubftance of the vomit. 



With refpecft to the third opinion, viz. that the black 

 vomit confifts of the villous coat of the ilomach, in a Itate 

 of diifoiution, produced in confequence of inflammation, 

 terminating in mortification : That black vomiting may 

 be induced by gangrenous termination of inflammation, 

 few will be diipofed to deny ; but, that the black vomit, in 

 yellow-fever, and that from mortification of the flomach, 

 are the fame, the refult of almofl; every diffedion muft op- 

 pofe. The former of thefe fubflances appears to come 

 from the liver, while the latter confifts, principally, and 

 particularly its flaky portion, of the villous coat of the 

 ftomach. . Befides, the black vomit is frequently thrown 

 up in large quantities, when the ftomach, after death, has 

 not been found much inflamed or fphacelated. In thefe 

 cafes, it certainly could not confift of the villous coat of 



the 



