174, LECTURE IV. 



beaver. According to Mr. Hunter's no- 

 tions of secretion, it must have appeared 

 to him a subject of no importance whether 

 the gastric liquor was secreted by particular 

 glands or otherwise ; for secretion is an uni- 

 versal function, and can take place as well 

 from surfaces as glands. He was indeed 

 anxious to note every variety of structure, 

 and, as I believe, also in order to observe 

 whether any thing could be found contra- 

 dictory to his opinion that the several vital 

 functions were the result of the actions of a 

 principle distinct from the organization in 

 which it adhered. 



It must surely be curious and interesting 

 to all, to be informed, that his opinions 

 respecting secretion, opinions at the time 

 which seemed almost inexpressible to him- 

 self, and incomprehensible to others, have 

 been most perfectly verified by experiments 

 subsequently made with a view to deter- 

 mine facts relative to digestion. Mr. Hun- 

 ter thought that a subtile principle of life 

 was diffused throughout the body, that it 

 inhered in the solids, and was the cause of 



