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4th, That from morbid deviations towards coagulation or 

 acidity, by far the greater number of infantile difeafes originate, 

 and that a variety of faponaceous and abforbent remedies ought' 

 to be ufed to Gounterad thefe morbid caufes. 



The firft general propofition, v'lZ'. " that milk is a' chylous- 

 fluid, and readily affeded by food, &c." is of a nature which 

 it is impofrible to decide by experiment. Pure chyle is a fluid 

 which has hither-to been colleded in fuoh fmall quantity, that 

 its nature and properties are not yet well underftood. It is faid 

 to coagulate on expofure to air or by ftagnation. If fo, I fliall 

 fuon make it appear that in. this particular at leaft chyle differs 

 widely from human milk. 



Whether the milk of a nurfe be readily affeded by the 

 kind of food fhe eats or by medicines, is a queftion of which 

 my own obfervation does not enable me to fpcak with decifion. 

 1 fhall therefore proceed to confider the fecond propofition, viz. 

 " that milk is coagulated in the flomach of infants^ and coagulable 

 " by acids, ardent fpirits, &c." This is a generally received 

 maxim which admits of more prompt and decifive evidence than 

 the former, and than which there is not perhaps one in all the 

 medical folios more erroneous^ In dired oppofition to fuch. 

 fentiments, it may be fafely afferted that woman's milk, in an 

 healthy ftate, contains no coagulable mucilaginous or cheefy prin- 

 ciple in its compofition, or that it contains fo little as not to 

 admit of fenfible proof. The late Dr. Rutty *\ whofe indefatigable 



*" Analyfis of milk, appended to a pamphlet on fulphureous waters. A. D. 1762. 



induflry 



