38 PHYSIOLOGY AND HEALTH. 



baked twenty-four hours, and is somewhat dried, into water. 

 Immediately the water penetrates into all the cells, and fills 

 all the pores ; the bread absorbs more and more, and swells ; 

 and soon the mass is much enlarged, and is completely filled 

 with water. In fact, it is itself mere pulp. If we divide it, 

 we shall find that water has come in contact with every par- 

 ticle ; every one, however minute, is wet. 



66. Again, throw a piece of heavy, compact bread, that 

 has no cells in it, into water, and let it remain as long as the 

 other, and then examine it, and it will be found that it is as 

 heavy as it was before ; the water has not penetrated it it 

 has absorbed none ; it is not enlarged, and the inner parti- 

 cles are not reached by the fluid ; they are as dry as they 

 were before the piece was thrown into water. The same 

 effect takes place in the action of the, gastric juice in the 

 stomach. .It finds it easy to penetrate among and wet the 

 particles of the light, and hard to enter the heavy bread. 

 This last then remains for a long time a solid, compact mass, 

 or a mass of compact portions, which cannot be dissolved ; or, 

 if it be dissolved, it is not without much difficulty and pain, 

 and after a long perseverance of the organ in its almost 

 fruitless work. 



67. We can determine this quality of bread even without 

 the trouble of throwing it into water. New bread is 

 almost always cohesive, and its particles disposed to cling 

 together. If we take a piece of this, or of heavy bread, and 

 roll it between the fingers, it forms into a compact ball or 

 roll, so close that it is plain that it will not readily admit wa- 

 ter to soak it. But if we try the same with old and light 

 bread, it separates and falls into crumbs. It is impossible 

 to make it into a ball. This would be easily soaked in 

 water, and easily digested in the stomach, which is not the 

 case with the new or the heavy bread. 



