72 STRUCTURE AND ECONOMY OF THE HORSE. 



small intestines. To effect this purpose, the food is detained in 

 the stomach a considerable time, during which time it is pressed 

 upon by the muscular coat of the stomach, and moved about so 

 as to submit every portion of it to the action of the gastric juice. 

 The stomach of the horse differs from that of carnivorous animals, 

 not only in the possession of its cuticular coat, but likewise in 

 the ftict of having a fundus or blind end, which serves the pur- 

 pose of detaining the food, making it necessary for it to return 

 almost to the same place where it entered the stomach before it 

 can pass into the duodenum. 



Food is detained in the stomach different periods, according 

 to the time required for its conversion ; and it is found that if 

 both corn and grass be given a horse, that the latter will pass 

 into the duodenum first, although eaten some time after the 

 former. It has been ascertained by Mr. Percivall that corn 

 given to a condemned horse, destroyed six hours afterwards, 

 still remained in the stomach. 



The properties of the gastric juice are peculiar, being at the 

 same time a powerful solvent, and an antiseptic, and having a 

 power of coagulation. It is capable of dissolving the hardest 

 materials, such as bones; and when meat in a state of putre- 

 faction has been given, it has quickly removed all appearance of 

 putrescence. Its property of coagulating milk and albuminous 

 fluids is useful in converting a fluid into a solid state, and thus 

 detaining it in the stomach much longer than would otherwise 

 be the case. 



It is found, in the horse, that if a quantity of water be given 

 even just after the food, it quickly passes through the stomach, 

 and is conveyed to the ca3cum, the principal office of which ap- 

 pears to be that of a receptacle for liquids. There is little or no 

 difficulty in its passing through the stomach, as its two orifices 

 are not very distant from each other ; thus we discover another 

 use of the fundus in affording a reservoir for the solids Avithout 

 obstructing the passage of liquids, besides the purpose of de- 

 taininir the food lon2;er in the stomach. It has been found by 

 actual experiment that vegetables are longer digestmg than 

 animal food. 



In the human subject, it has appeared that the too great use 

 of soups, although containing a very large proportion of nutri- 

 ment, was yet productive of injury, from being passed too quickly 

 through the stomach. 



I have found likewise, that when bruised oats have been given 

 to horses without any counteractive agent, it has been productive 

 of diarrhoea, in all probability from the circumstance of being 

 passed too quickly through the stomach. And the vulgar way 

 of ex})laining the looseness in washy horses is not altogether 

 destitute of foundation, " that the food does not remain long 



