134 PHYSIOLOGY OF ORGANIC LIFE. 



to conclude, that the spleen was designed to 

 assist the stomach in the process of digestion. 

 These opinions of Dr. STUKELEY, have since re- 

 ceived some confirmation from experiments made 

 by Dr. HAIGHTON, the respectable lecturer on 

 physiology, at Guy's Hospital. The Doctor was 

 led to conclude, that when the stomach was dis- 

 tended and full, the pressure which the spleen 

 is made, in consequence, to undergo, not only 

 prevents the passage of the blood through that 

 organ, but that it actually does produce an in- 

 creased accumulation, in the vessels with which 

 the stomach, and the pancreas, are supplied. 

 Greatly as I respect Dr. HAKJHTON'S talents 

 and industry, there are many objections to his 

 experiments upon this subject ; and, the fact 

 that, in some animals, the situation of the sto- 

 mach and the spleen are so remote that they 

 cannot come in contact, may probably appear 

 an insuperable objection to his hypothesis. 

 Mr. HOME, who holds the first rank in his pro- 

 fession, and who must be considered very high 

 authority also, from different experiments which 

 he made on dogs, is of opinion, that the food 

 from the stomach undergoes some change in 

 the spleen, not through the medium of the ab- 

 sorbent vessels, but by some unknown mode 

 of communication. After tying the pyloric ex- 

 tremity of the stomach, and injecting into that 

 organ, infusions of madder and of rhubarb, 



