ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. 9 



tended knowledge of that series of subtle processes, 

 consisting of chemical combinations and decompo- 

 sitions, which are continually going on in the 

 organic laboratory of living beings, would reveal 

 still srreater wonders, and would fill us with a more 

 fervent admiration of the infinite art and pre- 

 science which are even now manifested to us in 

 every department both of the vegetable and animal 

 economy. 



The processes, by which all these important 

 purposes are fulfilled, comprise a distinct class of 

 functions, which have been termed vital, and the 

 final object of which may be termed Nutrition, that 

 is, the reparation of the waste of the substance of 

 the organs, their maintenance in the state fitting 

 them for the exercise of their respective offices, and 

 the application of properly prepared materials to 

 their developement and growth. 



The functions subservient to nutrition may be 

 distinguished according as they relate to seven 

 principal periods in the natural order of their suc- 

 cession. The first series of processes they comprise 

 has for its objects the reception of the materials 

 from without, and their gradual conversion into 

 proper nutriment, that is, into matter having the 

 same chemical properties with the substance of the 

 organs with which it is to be incorporated ; and 

 their purpose being to assimilate the food as much 

 as possible to the nature of the organic body it 

 is to nourish, all these functions have been included 

 under the term Assimilation. 



The second series of vital functions comprises 

 those which are designed to convey the nutritive 

 fluids thus elaborated to all the organs that are to 



