SECT. XVIII. PHYSIOLOGY. 147 
be carried too far, the mere quantity of the ali- 
mentary mass produces violent spasms of the 
stomach, till the greater part be rejected. ‘The 
_ quality of the ingesta has often the same effects. 
From these circumstances, the intestinal canal is 
more subject to spasms than any other organ in 
the human body. 
cccLxv. Vomiting may, however, be caused 
by a sudden afflux of blood to the cavities, even 
when repletion is moderate, the quality of the 
food wholesome, and the individual healthy ; of 
this fact, the following is an instance. Shortly 
after dinner, a young Officer of the cavalry, leaped 
from a becalmed transport into the sea, and swam 
with great vivacity for.a few minutes. Before 
he got out of the water, he was taken ill, and 
regained the gang-way with much difficulty. 
When the stomach had rejected its contents, he 
felt no further ailment. In this case, a sudden 
contraction of the extreme vessels by cold, made 
the blood accumulate in the cavities, and spasms 
of the stomach arose from the presence of a con- 
siderable quantity of food, and an unusual pro- 
portion of blood. 
eceLxvi. Sydenham and Cullen attributed vo- 
miting in fever, to a sympathy between the 
stomach and the skin, The spasm, or contraction 
of these organs, is doubtless the same, but its 
causes are somewhat modified. In the cold stage 
