Food. 293 



and if the latter, then the contents of the stomach of every fresh- 

 killed animal, in case the examination took place immediately aftei» 

 death, and, provided also, that the animal was in a state of perfect 

 health at the time of it's being killed, would be found to contain 

 either wine or vinegar or a mass of putrefying materials ; in con- 

 sequence of the vinous, acetous, or putrefactive fermentation. 

 Whereas, neither of these three kinds of fermentation ever 

 takes place in healthy stomachs, although, as I have more than 

 once remarked, when the stomach is diseased, that is, when di- 

 gestion goes on imperfectly, or when this process, as it may 

 happen, is almost entirely suspended, then indeed, the food runs 

 into the same chemical changes in this organ, that it would natu- 

 rally undergo out of the body, under the like circumstances of heat 

 and moisture. 



And this is the reason why vinegar is often found in the stomachs 

 of Horses, on dissection, that have been drenched, from the indis- 

 criminate zeal of grooms and farriers, with great quantities of, what 

 they call, nourishing compositions^ consisting of gruel, treacle, beer 

 sugar, and such other materials as are soon converted into acetous 

 acid, in the stomach, when this organ being in a diseased state, has 

 lost the digestive power, that is to say, the property (peculiar to its 

 healthy condition) of converting them into chyme. 



Now, this fact (which it must be allowed, more peculiarly belongs 

 to the theory or cTiemical philosophy of digestion,) will be found to be 

 one, not destitute of importance, in a practical point of view. For, 

 not only may the scientific Veterinarian profit by being in possession 

 of this circumstane, but all Horse proprietors, who are so sjtuated as 

 not to be able to avail themselves of proper professional aid, and 



4C 



