CHYLIFICATION. 629 



stood for a few minutes, and did not regain its 

 normal standard until thirty minutes had elapsed. 

 Cholera morbus, gastritis, enteritis, dysentery, 

 and diarrhea, are often produced by cold drinks, 

 ice creams, &c. 



The next step in the process of assimilation by 

 which aliment is prepared to nourish the solids, 

 takes place in the duodenum, where the albumen, 

 oily matter, and white globules of chyme are con- 

 verted into chyle, by uniting with pancreatic juice 

 and a very large proportion of bile while the 

 resinous or bitter portion of the latter combines 

 with the excrementitious part of the aliment, to 

 be conveyed into the intestines, being never found 

 in the lacteals. But whenever the chemical func- 

 tion of the lungs is greatly diminished, and the 

 temperature of the body reduced from 5 to 1 0, 

 as during the cold stage of many fevers ; or even 

 20, during the early stage of malignant cholera, 

 and those algid forms of disease termed cold 

 plague, the secretion of gastric liquor, bile, pan- 

 creatic juice, urine, perspiration, and other ani- 

 mal fluids, is almost wholly suspended. 



During the progress of chyle through the duo- 

 denum and lacteals to the thoracic duct, it be- 

 comes further and further organized, or assimi- 

 lated to the nature of blood. For it has been 

 found that besides albumen, oily matter, and 

 white globules, it contains more or less fibrin, 

 that coagulates slowly. But it is not until it passes 



