CHAP. II.] FEVER, &C. BLOOD-VESSELS. 125 



creased whenever the blood has been formed im- 

 perfectly, either as regards the lungs or the lacteals. 

 So much is this the case, that the blood drawn 

 from a very aged patient of ours lately, that was 

 incapable of grinding his corn properly, showed 

 evident proofs that particles of ill-digested food had 

 entered into the circulation, and is an answer to 

 those writers who aver that the lacteals reject the 

 bile and suck up only the fine parts of the chyle ; 

 whereas, all inquiring persons must know, that they 

 take up the lighter parts of all substances whatever 

 that pass through the intestines. If this were not 

 so, how is it that the slow ^)oisons just spoken of 

 enter the blood? or how would it come to pass 

 that so much good is performed by alterative me- 

 dicines, that, in like manner, insensibly introduce 

 themselves to the blood, and produce invisibly 

 those permanently good effects we so much admire ? 

 The opposition of a few is no obstacle to this com- 

 mendation of an obscure but safe and certain class 

 of medicines, — to say nothing of an alterative re- 

 gimen, which is more safe still, and certainly more 

 natural, though slower and less positive in its effects 

 than active medicine. 



42. Blood-vessels, or tubes, we have already 

 observed, pervade every part of the body, and are of 

 two kinds, whose office is directly the reverse of 

 each other. Arteries, it will be recollected, convey 

 the vital fluid to all parts of the body, and the con- 

 struction of these, it may easily be conceived, from 

 what has been said, is simply that of a tube with 



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