16 



DIGESTION DIAGRAM 1. 



existence in a lunatic asylum. This is the usual consequence 

 of the abuse of brandy, and especially of absinthe, a liquor 

 much used in France, but happily almost unknown in England. 



There are other slightly stimulating beverages, very different 

 from the preceding, such as coffee and tea. Coffee, taken 

 in moderation, is an excellent beverage. Tea is very wholesome 

 when good. 



Digestion is the process by which food is transformed in the 

 body into flesh and blood. Food placed in the mouth passes 

 through the throat into the stomach and intestines, where it is 

 digested. The mouth is always kept moist by the saliva, which 

 is secreted by large glands placed in the thick part of the 

 cheeks, near the ears. It flows faster than usual when we eat, 

 and it is enough to think of a good dinner to make the mouth 

 water immediately. The teeth serve to cut, tear, and mash the 

 food, which they form into a kind of pulp mixed with saliva. 

 The tongue and cheeks press this pulp constantly between the 

 teeth, till it is almost liquid. It is then only that it can be 



Upper Jaw. 



Lower Jaw. 



swallowed. This function of the 

 teeth is called mastication. When 

 the teeth have come out, the gums 

 often become very hard, and we 

 see old people who eat without 

 teeth nearly as well as if they had 

 them. 



The Teeth. There are 28 teeth 

 in the child, and 32 in the adult. 

 They grow after birth, then come 

 out, and are replaced by others 

 which are only lost in old age. 

 There are three kinds of teeth : 

 the incisors, the canines, and the 

 molars. The incisors, which serve 

 to cut the food are the front teeth ; 

 there are four in the upper jaw, 



