DIETETICS. 



especially of the common principle on 

 which the aliment of all them may per- 

 haps depend. 



Regarding this subject on a compre- 

 hensive scale, we have much reason to 

 suppose that there is no substance what- 

 ever, either in animal, vegetable, or mi- 

 neral existence, but contains a basis, from 

 which some animal or other is capable of 

 extracting nutriment. Nor is this much 

 to be wondered at, since we have already 

 observed, that in different classes of ani- 

 mals the organs, of digestion vary in every 

 possible manner, in regard to their pre- 

 sence or deficiency; and more especially 

 since we know that the fluid secreted by 

 the stomach itself, the only organ that is 

 universal, is equally discrepant in its 

 powers and qualities in animals of differ- 

 ent structure ; being in some naturally 

 acid, in others alkaline, and in others 

 again insipid or neutral. And hence we 

 not only discern the truth, but can trace 

 the real cause of the fact long ago ob- 

 served by Lucretius, iv. 640. 



Tantague in hits rebus distantia, differitus- 



que est, 

 Utj guod aliis cibus est, aUisfuat acre vene- 



So vast, at times, 



The strange discordance, that which 



poisons this, 

 To that proves healthful, and prolon- 



gates life." 



GOOD. 



We can hence see the reason why 

 many of the serpent tribe should convert 

 a wholesome nutriment into a venomous 

 secretion; why. the euphorbia, or spurge, 

 so noxious to man, and most quadrupeds, 

 should be greedily devoured by several 

 of the insect tribes ; why the cicuta, 

 which proves poison to the human race 

 and the horse, should be luxuriously 

 feasted upon by goats and quails, while the 

 horse, on the contrary, feeds with plea- 

 sure on the aconite, or bane-berry, which 

 the goat will not touch. 



A thousand such peculiarities might be 

 advanced, if it were necessary ; but these 

 alone are sufficient'to prove, that every 

 created substance possesses the basis of 

 a nutriment for some order of animals or 

 other : and that all that seems necessary, 

 with respect to those generally esteem- 

 ed the most poisonous, is a peculiar 

 power in the stomach to select the parts 

 that are nutritious from those that are 

 ' VOL. IV. 



baneful, and to secrete these alone into 

 the system. 



These observations apply to food gene- 

 rally. We now ] roceed to observe, that 

 even the same foods, under certain states 

 of the stomach, to which they are natu- 

 rally appropriate, will not universally pro- 

 duce the same beneficial results. Two 

 questions, hence, naturally arise. What 

 are those states of the stomach, in which 

 its ippropriate foods have for the - most 

 part a tendency to prove injurious instead 

 of salutary (for the digestion of every ali- 

 ment must do either the one or the 

 other)? And of what nature are those 

 substances, which, under almost every 

 circumstance, form an exception to the 

 rule of disease, and may still be swallowed 

 ed with benefit ? 



It is clear then, in the first place, that 

 the states of the stomach here referred 

 to are morbid states : morbid either from 

 idiopathic, or symptomatic affection : and 

 secondly, that as in all such cases the 

 common action of the stomach must be 

 debilitated, and consequently its secreted 

 or gastric juicerpaj-take of the debility, or 

 be extruded in a much weaker and more 

 dilute state, those aliments only can be 

 usefully employed, which are both capa- 

 ble of being digested with a small por- 

 tion of gastric energy, and at the same 

 time capable, when digested, of affording 

 a very large portion of the nutritive prin- 

 ciple. 



It also happens, and that not unfre- 

 frequently,that in the preparation of such 

 foods, we ,can add such accessary quali- 

 ties as may tend to oppose the morbid af- 

 fection of the stomach, or the tempera- 

 ment generally, an- 1 thus acquire a dou- 

 ble advantage, by imprinting upon our 

 aliment a medicinal character ; as when 

 in flatulencies we make spices a part of 

 the regimen recommended ; in scorbutic 

 affections, acids ; and in' acidities, ani- 

 mal oils. But such accessaries are ra- 

 ther medicines themselves than foods, 

 and have scarcely a right to be regarded 

 otherwise. 



What then are those states of the sto- 

 mach, either original, or dependent, 

 which render it necessary to deviate 

 from the general license of nature, and 

 to restrict those who are thus morbidly 

 affected to medicinal diets or regimens ? 



To catalogue and treat individually of 

 the whole of these would require the 

 space ofa quarto volume : we must con- 

 fine ourselves therefore lo the chief of 

 such affections, and, in discussing these 

 few, endeavour to make our rules so 



Aa 



