BOOK IV. 



OF THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION. 



THE organs of digestion consist in an uninterrupted canal ex- 

 tending from the lips to the anus; and of numerous glandular 

 bodies placed all along its track, for pouring their secretions 

 into it. 



This canal, called Alimentary, (Ductus Cibarius,) is in three 

 principal portions: the superior, the middle, and the inferior or 

 terminating. The superior portion is composed of the mouth, 

 the pharynx, and the oesophagus. The middle, of the stomach 

 and small intestine. And the inferior, of the large intestine. 



The glandular organs are the salivary glands, the pancreas, 

 the liver, the spleen, and an extremely numerous set of mu- 

 ciparous glands, extending from one end to the other of the 

 canal. 



The organs of digestion may be divided, according to their 

 physical functions, into those of mastication and deglutition, and 

 into those of assimilation. 



