32 PHYSIOLOGICAL REMARKS. 



simple materials through the villi of the stomach, passed on into 

 the small intestines. Here the bile and pancreatic juice are at 

 once mixed with it, and stimulate the muscular coat of the 

 intestines to pass it on gradually towards the extreme orifice, the 

 anus. During this passage the solution or digestion is completed, 

 the chyme becomes chyle, a smooth pultaceous semi-fluid, from 

 which all the materials useful for the support of the body are 

 absorbed. The residue, being the particles of food which are unfit 

 for digestion, is passed on into the large intestine, receiving in its 

 course the addition of the solid portions of the materials of 

 the body, which are no longer useful to the different organs of 

 which they originally formed a part. I have said that the chyme 

 receives the bile and pancreatic fluids, and is finally converted 

 into chyle:, the latter of these fluids seems solely to fulfil this 

 office, but the pouring out of the bile by the liver is also a 

 means of assisting the lungs in their office of purifying the 

 blood. This is, indeed, a very material part of the functions of 

 the liver, and it is found that when this organ is torpid and does 

 not act, a very prejudicial effect is produced upon the whole 

 body, but more especially upon the brain. In fact, the liver 

 may be said to be the safety-valve of the system, carrying on 

 the separation of the superfluous carbon and hydrogen, in the 

 shape of bile, at the time when the lungs are not stimulated by 

 exercise to burn them in sufficient quantity by combining them 

 with oxygen. This organ, then, we shall find, when we examine 

 into the diseases of the dog, is constantly liable to be affected 

 by overfeeding and confinement. The lungs not being excited 



