130 ANIMAL FUNCTIONS. 



6. That stimulating condiments are injurious to the 

 healthy stomach. 



7. That the continued use of ardent spirits always 

 produces disease of the stomach. 



8. That hunger is the effect of distention of the ves- 

 sels that secrete the gastric juice. 



9. That the temperature of the stomach is 100 of 

 Fahrenheit. 



10. That the action of the gastric juice dissolves the 

 food and alters its properties. 



11. That the gastric liquor coagulates albumen, and 

 afterwards dissolves the coagula. 



12. That the gastric juice is a clear and transparent 

 fluid, a little salt and perceptibly acid to the taste. 

 When pure, it suffers no change by keeping. Dr. 

 Beaumont having kept a quantity in a vial for eleven 

 months without any perceptible change. 



13. That gentle exercise facilitates the digestion of 

 the food. 



14. That water, ardent spirits, and most other fluids 

 are not affected by the gastric juice, but disappear from 

 the stomach soon after they are received. 



It may be noticed that there is some discrepancy be- 

 tween Dr. Beaumont's results and those of Sir A. Coop- 

 er, especially with respect to the digestion of Pork and 

 Beef. But since the former experimenter had the best 

 opportunity ever afforded to arrive at true results, while 

 those of the latter were made chiefly on dogs, there can 

 be no doubt which is the most deserving of confidence. 



The facts above stated are so plain as to allow any 

 one to draw his own inferences, and we therefore leave 

 this subject to the reader, which has already been car- 

 ried to an extent much beyond what was originally in- 

 tended. 



