198 Miscellanies. 



the villi of the stomach. Other vessels, perhaps absorbing as well 

 as secretory, compose the remainder. That some portion of the 

 villi form the excretory ducts of the vessels, or glands, I have not 

 the least doubt, from innumerable, ocular examinations of the pro- 

 cess of secretion of gastric juice. The invariable effect of applying 

 aliment to the internal, but exposed part of the gastric membrane, 

 when in a healthy condition, has been the exudation of the solvent 

 fluid, from the above mentioned papillae. — Though the apertures of 

 these vessels could not be seen, even with the assistance of the best 

 microscopes that could be obtained ; yet the points from which the 

 fluid issued were clearly indicated by the gradual appearance of innu- 

 merable, very fine, lucid specks, rising through the transparent mu- 

 cous coat, and seeming to burst, and discharge themselves upon the 

 very points of the papillae, diffusing a limpid, thin fluid over the whole 

 interior gastric surface. This appearance is conspicuous only during 

 alimentation, or chymification. These lucid points, I have no doubt, 

 are the termination of the excretory ducts of the gastric vessels or 

 glands, though the closeset and most accurate observation may never 

 be able to discern their distinct apertures. 



" The fluid, so discharged, is absorbed by the aliment in contact, 

 or collects in small drops, and trickles down the sides of the stom- 

 ach, to the more depending parts, and there mingles with the food, 

 or whatever else may be contained in the gastric cavity. 



"The gastric juice never appears to be accumulated in the cavity 

 of the stomach while fasting ; and is seldom, if ever, discharged from 

 its proper secerning vessels, except when excited by the natural 

 stimulus of aliment, mechanical irritation of tubes, or other exci- 



tants." 



This account of the phenomena attending the flow of the gastric 

 fluid into the stomach, explains the fallacious nature of the experi- 

 ments of Montegre, who could vomit at will, and who after analyzing 

 the fluid so obtained, declared that it was not acid, not slow to putri- 

 fy, not a solvent, and so much like saliva, that he regards it as saliva 

 swallowed. The fluid which he thus obtained, was probably nothing 

 more than saliva, mingled with the ordinary mucous secretion, of the 

 inner coat of the aesophagus and stomach. Received in this light, 

 all the deductions which he drew from his experiments, and which 

 have been considered by some physiologists as so strongly opposed 

 to the chemical nature of the changes which take place in the stom- 

 ach, loose their whole weight. The substance which he obtained was 



