-322 Power of Coagulation in tie Stomach. [Book IX. 



if he is killed a fhort time after. Bread, which has 

 remained in the ftomach of a dog for eight hours, is 

 fo much changed, that it will not run into the vinous 

 fermentation, but when taken out and kept in a 

 warm plate becomes putrid. Its putrefaction, how- 

 ever, is not fo quick as that of a folution of meat 

 which has been in the ftomach for fome time. The 

 effects are fimilar when milk and bread are the food. 



When the digeflive power, however, is not perfect, 

 then the vinous and acetous fermentation will take 

 place in vegetable matters, and the putrefactive in 

 the ftomachs of animals which live wholly on flelh. 

 The gaftric juice apparently preferves vegetables from 

 running into fermentation, and animal fubftances from 

 putrefaction, not from an antifeptic quality in that 

 fluid, but from a power of making them go through 

 another procefs. In moft ftomachs there is an acid, 

 even though the animal has lived entirely upon meat 

 for many weeks ; this, however, is not always the 

 cafe. The acid fometimes prevails fo much as to 

 become a difeafe. 



The ftomachs of many animals have a power of 

 coagulating milk ; this is continually feen by infants 

 throwing up their milk in a coagulated ftate, and the 

 .fame thing may be obferved by feeding a dog with 

 milk, and killing him half an hour afterwards. The 

 ftomach of the calf, and perhaps that of other animals, 

 . preserves this power after death, and is kept dried, far 

 the purpofe of making cheefe. Indeed milk, raw 

 egg, and feveral other fubftances, .require to be coagu- 

 lated, before they can bedigefted. 



If we throw milk into a portion of the jejunum* 

 that milk will be abforbed by the lacteals ; but if we 

 throw milk into the ftomach of the Tame animal, the 

 milk will not be abforbed by the lymphatics ; there- 

 fore 



