THE REASON WHY. 201 



' But now hath God set the members in the body, every one as it pleased him." 



1 COBINTHIANS XII. 



called ike alimentary canal, or bowels. This canal is some thirty 

 feet in length, and is folded in various layers across the abdomen, and 

 tied to the edge of a sort of apron, which is gathered up and fastened 

 to the back- bone. All along this alimentary canal those muscular 

 hands are pushing the digested mass along. But upon the coat or 

 surface of the canal there are millions of little vessels called lacteals, 

 which look out for the minute globules of milk as they pass, and 

 absorb . them, which means that they pick them up, and carry them 

 away. There is an immense number of these little vessels, all busily 

 at work picking up food for the system. 



Then there is a large vessel, called the thoracic duct, which comes 

 down and communicates with those little vessels (it is a sort of 

 overseer, having a large number of workmen,) and collects the 

 produce of their toil, and carries it upwards to the part where it 

 passes/row the organs of digestion into the vessels of circulation . 



886. What becomes of the nutrition, when it has entered 

 the vessels of the circulation ? 



It is sent through a large vein into the heart, entering that 

 organ on the right side, from which the heart propels it into the 

 lungs, mixed witli venous blood; and the venous, or blue blood, is 

 sent into the lungs, talcing with it the milk, the formation of 

 which we have traced. 



887. Why are the venous blood and the chyle sent to the 

 lungs ? 



Because the venous blood, in its circulation through the body, 

 has parted with its oxygen, and taken up carbon, and it requires 

 to get rid of the carbon, and take up more oxygen. The chyle, 

 also, now combined with the blood, requires oxygen, and having 

 obtained it, is converted into bright red blood, and the blue 

 blood of the veins, having got rid of its carbon, which formed the 

 carbonic acid of the breath, has again become bright red blood. We 

 must therefore, in pursuing our description, cease to speak of blue, 

 or venous blood, and of white milk, or chyle, for the two have now 

 combined, and, with the oxygen of the air, have formed arterial 

 blood. 



