75 



in tliis, that chyle, except in the colour, resembles 

 blcod, but is a much more dilute fluid. After 

 FOURCHOY had stated that the colouring matter 

 of the blood was a combination of red subphosphate 

 of iron with albumen, it followed, that the white 

 colouring" matter in the chyle must be albumen 

 united with a neutral phosphate of protoxid of iron, 

 which at its entrance into the blood acquired an 

 excess of base by the alkali of the blood, and which 

 was changed in the lungs from protoxid to pe- 

 roxid ; but as no such ferruginous salt can be dis- 

 covered in the colouring matter of the blood, all 

 this seducing supposition falls to the ground. 



A summary idea of the formation of the chyle 

 by digestion, may thus be expressed in a few 

 words: the alimentary matters are accurately 

 triturated in the mouth, received into the stomach, 

 and there converted by the gastric juice into'a 

 uniform fluid, which is precipitated in the duo- 

 denum by the bile. The solution is filtered in 

 the intestines by means of the absorbents, and 

 the precipitated matter is washed by the intes- 

 tinal fluid, which is again absorbed, in the same 

 manner as precipitates are edulcorated in our 

 common filtering apparatuses, after which the 

 washed mass is evacuated. 



