18 Insalivation. 



We find such to be a law throughout nature. 

 That purpose is essentially the primary step in 

 rendering the component parts of the food 

 assimilable, i.e., converting them into constituent 

 parts of the blood. 



Being secreted at the time when the food is 

 undergoing comminution between the teeth, it is 

 presented at a period when it will be most 

 effective. Food, therefore, which is swallowed 

 quickly or greedily, without proper mastication, 

 obtains little saliva, and the necessary trans- 

 formations are not carried out. 



It is impossible to supply a fluid artificially 

 which can take the place of saliva. Mere satura- 

 tion of the food by water does not promote 

 digestibility as a consequence. 



This has been satisfactorily proved many 

 times. If the salivary glands are prevented from 

 discharging their contents into the mouth during 

 mastication, and water is thrown among the mass 

 within the stomach, digestion is retarded. We 

 have positive evidence of this in daily practice in 

 those establishments where owners persist in using 

 boiled mixtures of food, which is done in utter 

 neglect of the most important fact that the horse 

 has perfect grinders to crush and break down 

 everything which comes in the way of natural 

 food, with the best solvent immediately at hand, 

 and in unlimited quantity, to effect a primary 

 transformation towards the production of blood, 

 bone, muscle, hoof, hair, &c. &c. 



