540 OXYGENATION OF BLOOD. SF.CT. XXXVIII. 3. 



3. A fluid iimilar to the fluid, with which the 

 fetus is funounded, except what little change may 

 be produced by a beginning digeftion, is found in, 

 the flomach of the f<:tus; and the white of the egg 

 is found in the fame manner in the llomach of the 

 chick. 



Numerous hairs, fimilar to thofe of its fkin, are 

 perpetually found among the contents of the (to* 

 mach in new-bom calves ; which mufl therefore 

 have licked themfelves before their nativity. Blalii 

 Anatom. See SedL-XVl. 2. on Inftincl, 



The chick in the egg is feen gently to move in 

 its furrounding fluid, and to open and Onit its mouth 

 alternately. The fame has been obferved in puppies. 

 Bailer's El. Phyf. I. 3. p. 201. 



A column of ice has been feen to reach down the 

 cefophagus from the mouth to the ftomach in a fro- 

 #en fetus ; and this ice was the liquor amnii frozen. 



The meconium, or firft faeces, in the bowels of 

 new-born infants evince, that fomething has been 

 digefted ; and what could this be but the liquor 

 amnii together with the recrements of the gaftric 

 juice and gall, which were neceflary for its digef- 

 tion ? 



There have been recorded fome monftrous births 

 of animals without heads, and confequently without 

 mouths, which feem to have been delivered on 

 doubtful authority, or from inaccurate obfervation. 

 There are two of fuch monflrous productions how- 

 ever better attefted ; one of a human fetus, menti- 

 oned by Gipfon in the Scots Medical EfTays ; which 

 having the gula impervious was furnifhed with an 

 aperture into the wind-pipe, which communicated 

 below into the gullet ; by means of which the liquor 

 amnii might be taken into the ftomach before nati- 

 vity without danger of fuffocation, while the fetus 

 had no occalion to breathe. The other monftrous 

 fetus is defcribed by Vander Wiel, who afferts, that 



he 



