284 THE PHILOSOPHY 



* ly one of thefe fubftances. In two days afterwards they 



< were killed. Not one of the ftomachs contained a fingle 



< pebble •, and yet the tubes were bruifed aud flattened, and 



* the fpherules and bits of glafs blunted and broken : This 



* happened alike to each body ; nor did the fmalleft lacera- 



< tion appear on the coats of the ftomach.' From feveral ex- 

 periments of a fimilar nature, and accompanied with the 

 fame events, Spalanzani concludes this fubjedl with that can- 

 dour which is always a genuine chara(5teriftic of a real philo- 

 fophic fpirit. Upon the whole, < it appears,' fays he, * that 



< thefe fmall ftones are not at all neceffary to the trituration 

 « of the firmefh food, or the hardeft foreign fubftance, con- 



* trary to the opinion of many anatomifls and phyiiologifts, 



* as well ancient as modern. I will not, however, deny, 

 ? that, when put in motion by the gaftric mufcles, they are 

 f capable of producing fome efFe6l on the contents of the 

 f ftomach.' 



The celebrated Mr. John Hunter, in his Obfcrvatiom on 

 JDigeftion*, fairly quotes the modeft conclufion of Spalanzani. 

 But he inlifts that ftones are extremely ufeful in the com- 

 minution of grain, and other fubftances, which conftitute the 

 food of many fowls. < In conftdering,' Mr. Hunter re- 

 marks, « the ftrength of the gizzard, and its probable ef- 

 ^ fe6ls when compared with the human ftomach, it muft ap- 

 f pear that the gizzard is, in it (elf, very fit for trituration, 

 « We are not, however, to conclude, that ftones are entirely 

 « ufelefs J for, if we compare the ftrength of the mufcles of 

 f the jaws of animals who maftigate their food, with thofe 

 f of birds v.'ho do not, we fhall fay, that the parts are well 

 ^ calculated for the purpofe of maftication ; yet we are not 

 « from thence to infer, that the teeth in fuch jaws are ufelefs, 



< even although we have proof that the gims do the bufi- 



< nefs when the teeth are gone. If ftones are of ufe, which 



* Page 156, 



