234 T H E P H I L O S O P H Y 



operation of this powerful menftruum. Hence, if any live reptile 

 fhould chance to be fwallowed, we have no reafon to apprehend any 

 danger from fuch an accident. 



The German left Edinburgh before the Dodor had an opportu- 

 nity of making a farther progrefs in his experiments. He therefore 

 had recourfe to dogs and ruminating animals. In the courfe of his 

 trials upon the folvent power in the gaftric fluid of dogs, he found 

 that it was capable of difiblving hard bones, and even balls of ivory; 

 but that, in equal times, very little impreflion was made upon pota- 

 toes, parfnep, and other vegetable fubftances. On the contrary, in 

 the ruminating animals, as the flieep, the ox, &c. he difcovered, 

 that their gaftric juice fpeedily diffolved vegetables, but made no im- 

 preffion on beef, mutton, and other animal bodies. From thefe laft 

 experiments, it appears that the different tribes of animals are not 

 lefs diftinguiflied by their external figure, and by their manners, than 

 by the quality and powers of their gaftric juices. Dogs are unable 

 tD digeft vegetables, and fheep and oxen cannot digeft animal fub- 

 ftances. As the gaftric juice of the human ftomach is capable of 

 difiblving, nearly with equal eafe, both animals and vegetables, this 

 clrcumftance affords a ftrong, and almoft an irrefiftible, proof, that 

 Nature originally intended man to feed promifcuoufly upon both. 



Live animals, as long as the vital principle remains in them, are 

 not affeded by the folvent powers of the ftomach. ' Hence it is,' 

 Mr Hunter remarks, ' that we find animals of various kinds living 

 ' in the ftomach, or even hatched and bred there ; but the moment 

 ' that any of thefe lofe the living principle, they become fubjedt to 



* the digeftlve powers of the ftomach. If it were pofiible, for ex- 



* ample, for a man's hand. to be introduced into the ftomach of a 

 ' living animal, and kept there for fome confiderable time, it would 

 ' -be found, that the diffolvent powers of the ftomach could have no 



' effed 



