^^4 THE PHILOSOlPHY 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Of the Growth y and Foody of Auimals, 



IT is a law of Nature, that all organized bodieffy 

 whether animal or vegetable, require food, in order to ex- 

 pand and ftrengthen their parts when yc mg, and to preferve 

 health and vigour after they have arrived at maturity. The 

 food of animals is digefted in the ftomach and inteftines : 

 By this procefs it is converted into chyle, and abforbed by 

 the lacteal veflels, in the manner defcribed in Chap. 2. page 

 48. But how this chyle, or nutritious matter, after ming- 

 ling with the general mafs of blood, contributes to the growth, 

 and repairs the waflie of animal bodies, is a myftery which- 

 probably never will be unfolded by human fagacity. It has, 

 however, like many other fecrets of Nature, given rife to 

 feveral ingenious theories and conjectures, fome of which" 

 fhall be flightly mentioned. 



Buffon confiders the bodies of animals and vegetables as 

 Trhat he calls internal moulds. He fays, that the matter of 

 nutrition is not applied by juxta-pofition, but that it pene- 

 trates the whole mafs ; that each part receives and applies 

 thofe particles only which are peculiar and neceflary to its 

 own nature •, and that, by this means, the whole parts of the 

 body are gradually and proportionally augmented. This nu- 

 tritive matter, he remarks, is organic, and limllar to the' 

 body itfelf •, and hence the fize of the body is increafed, 

 without any change in its figure or fubftance. The matter 

 ejected by the different excretions he confiders to be a fepa- 

 ration of the dead from the vivifying and organic parts of 

 nourifliment, which are diftributed over the body by an^ 

 adtlve power : This power fimilar to that of gravity, pen- 

 etrates the internal fubflance of the body, and attracts the 

 f^rganic particles, which are thus puflied on through all \w 



