ART. I. 2. 3. 2. NUTRIENTIA. 9 



the vernal months, and is therefore tranfparent and colourlefs -, 

 but the chyle of animals alfo contains oil, mixed with the fugar 

 and mucilage and water, which gives its milky appearance, 

 owing to its imperfect folution. 



2. Oil, when mixed with mucilage or coagulable lymph, as 

 in cream or new milk, is eafy of digeftion, and conftitutes prob- 

 ably the mod nutritive part of animal diet ; as oil is another 

 part of the chyle of all animals. As thefe two materials, fugar 

 and butter, contain much nutriment under a fmall volume, and 

 readily undergo fome chemical change fo as to become acid or 

 rancid ; they are liable to diflurb weak ftomachs, when taken 

 in large quantity, more than aliment, which contains lefs nour- 

 ifhment, and is at the fame time lefs liable to chemical changes ; 

 becaufe the chyle is produced quicker than the torpid ladleals 

 can abforb it, and thence undergoes a further chemical procrefs. 

 Sugar and butter therefore are not fo eafily digeiled, when ta- 

 ken in large quantity, as thofe things, which contain lefs nutri- 

 ment ; hence, where the ftomach is weak, they mud be ufed in 

 lefs quantity. But the cuftom of fome people in restraining 

 children entirely from them, is depriving them of a very whole- 

 fome agreeable, and fubftantial part of their diet. Honey, 

 manna, fap-juice, are different kinds of lefs pure fugar. 



3. Ail the efculent vegetables contain a bland oil, or mucil- 

 age, or ilarch, or fugar, or acid ; and, as their flimulus is mod- 

 erate, are properly given alone as food in inflammatory difeai- 

 es ; and mixed with milk conititute the food of thoufands. 

 Other vegetables poflefs various degrees and various kinds of 

 ilimulus , and to thefe we are beholden for the greater part of 

 our Materia Medica, which produce naufea, ficknefs, vomiting, 

 catharfis, intoxication, inflammation, and even death, if unfkil- 

 fully adminiftered. 



The acrid or intoxicating, and other kinds of vegetable juices, 

 fuch as produce ficknefs, or evacuate the bowels, or fuch even 

 as are only difagreeable to the palate, appear to be a part of the 

 defence of thofe vegetables, which poflefs them, from the aflaults 

 of larger animals or of infefts. As mentioned in the Botanic 

 Garden, Part II. Cant. I. line 1 6 1, note. This appears in a 

 forcible manner from the perufal of fome travels, which have 

 been publiftied of thofe unfortunate people, who have fuffered 

 (hipwreck on uncultivated countries, and have with difficulty 

 found food to fubfift, in otherwife not inhofpitable climates. 



4. As thefe acrid and intoxicating juices generally rcfide in 

 the mucilage, and not in the ftarch oi: many roots, and feeds, 

 according to the obfervation of M. Parmentier, the wholefome 

 or nutritive parts of fome vegetables may be thus feparated from 



the 



