198 Miscellanies. 
the villi of the stomach. Other vessels, perhaps absorbing as well 
as secretory, compose the remainder. That some portion of the — 
villi form the excretory ducts of the vessels, or glands, I have not 
the least doubt, from innumerable, ocular examinations of the pro- 
cess of secretion of gastric juice. ‘The invariable effect of applying 
aliment to the internal, but exposed part of the gastric membrane, 
when in a healthy condition, has been the exudation of the solvent 
fluid, from the above mentioned papille.—Though the apertures of 
these vessels could not be seen, even with the assistance of the best 
microscopes that could be obtained; yet the points from which the 
fluid issued were clearly indicated by the gradual appearance of innu- 
merable, very fine, lucid specks, rising through the transparent mu- 
cous coat, and seeming to burst, and discharge themselves upon the 
very points of the papille, diffusing a limpid, thin fluid over the whole 
interior gastric surface. ‘This appearance is conspicuous only during 
alimentation, or chymification. ‘These lucid points, I have no doubt, 
are the termination of the excretory ducts of the gastric vessels or 
glands, though the closeset and most accurate observation may never 
be able to discern their distinct apertures. 
*‘ The fluid, so discharged, is absorbed by the aliment in contact, 
or collects in small drops, and trickles down the sides of the stom- 
ach, to the more depending parts, and there mingles with the food, 
or whatever else may be contained in the gastric cavity. 
“The gastric juice never appears to be accumulated in the cavity 
of the stomach while fasting ; and is seldom, if ever, discharged from 
its proper secerning vessels, except when excited by the natural 
stimulus of aliment, mechanical irritation of tubes, or other exci- 
tants.” 
This account of the phenomena attending the flow of the gastric 
fluid into the stomach, explains the fallacious nature of the experi- 
ments of Montegre, who could vomit at will, and who after analyzing 
the fluid so obtained, declared that it was not acid, not slow to putri- 
fy, not a solvent, and so much like saliva, that he regards it as saliva 
swallowed. ‘The fluid which he thus obtained, was probably nothing 
more than saliva, mingled with the ordinary mucous secretion, of the 
inner coat of the esophagus and stomach. Received in this light, 
all the deductions which he drew from his experiments, and which 
have been considered by some physiologists as so strongly opposed 
to the chemical nature of the changes which take place in the stom- 
ach, loose their whole weight. The substance which he obtained was 
