DIGESTION. 
The food remains in the flomach a longer or fhorter time, 
according as its nature difpofes it to yield more or lefs readily 
to the action of that organ. Goffe, of Geneva, found, by 
experiments on himfelf, that animal and vegetable fibres, 
concrete albumen, the white and tendinous parts of animals, 
paftes made with fat and buttery fubflances, unfermented, 
or flightly fermentable matters, remain longer in the flomach 
than the gelatinous parts of animals and vegetables, fer- 
in feveral hours. 
t 
ould appear, that the various parts of a meal 
- water and mild 
have induced many phyfologits to fofped a en com- 
ee ach and kidneys than by means 
of the inteftines, lacteals, wand general circulation. Ac- 
ding to Viridet, watery fluids pafs in half an hour; ripe 
after in a “coagulated ftate. In another cafe of that kind, 
beer appeared in an hour; ripe fruits and wegetables i in two 
hours ; meat and br 8. hefe circum- 
Pace, however, would b by the unnatural 
ftate of the fubje&t. “ T have oe (ays Haller) what 
paffed in my own perfon, when my a was not good, 
d when erudtations, impregnated with t e of the 
from time to time. I ftill peresired a a 
ich my ftomach acd 
: ths gradually bled, 
moderate dinner, my 
empty, and ‘pure air alte afcended.” Re: "Phyfiol. 
aes I. 
. erefting cafe of fiftulous opening in the ftomach, 
€ amnicatng externally, and relate Richerand in his 
ux Elemens de Phyfiologie,”? throws much light on 
digeftion. The aperture, more than-18 lines 
ong, n inch broad, expofes the interior of the flomach. 
came on in confequence of an injury, and had exifted for 
any yea At the admiffion of this patient into the Ho- 
fice de a ‘Charité, fhe ate three times as much as ordinary 
perfons, made about a pint of urine daily, and had a ftool once 
in three days. Three or four hours after a meal, an irre- 
fiftible feeling compelled her to remove the dreffings of the 
fiftula, and ‘to allow the efcape of the food, which the 
The contents came out 
i They poffeffed 
ine properties ; 
for the greyifh pafte, of which they confitted, when diluted 
with diltilled water, did not affect the vegetable blue. The 
digeftion was often far from compiete, yet a the 
odour of wine was deftroyed, and bread w uced to a 
foft, vifcous, * and thick fubftance, ‘relembling. fibrine- re- 
wimmiv 
z 
7) 
: Ta 
it contained a {ma and frothy liquid, 
hacen to faliva, which did not ia the vegetable blue, 
‘this feat, eras b 
and contained parts of mare confiftence, and even comple atly 
opaque albuminous acorn mingled with the liquid portion. 
The refults of chemica sera on this liquid, were 
fimilar to thofe er from the {pittle. 
his patient, et and ei dragged on a feeble 
and languifhing exiftence, fupported by a fmall quantity 
of fodd which paffed through the ad to receive the 
influence of the b:hary fecretion, the a 
taken up by the 
very little to fupport the frame; and the patie ‘ae therefore, 
was circumftarced like thofe who have a dife pylorus, 
which, refufing to yield, when d oe eftion is accomph ed, 
caufes the vee to be vomited u While the diffoiution of 
bed at large, that ee may be ea in the organ ae 
= digc ft ve procefs. Soon the coats of the ftomach begin 
he circular fibres ala in different parts ; a fe 
Send eiclietane. at fir 
is elevated on ie pylorus, fo as to efface the angle which it 
forms at the co mencement of the duedenum, and thereby 
to facilitate the “foods 
The pyloric (otaecee. remains contra€ted while digelion 
is going on, and prevents the paflage of thofe portions which 
are not acc fubdued. Endowed, probaly; with a pe- 
culiar and delicate fenfibility, the pylorus its name im 
ports, may be regarded as a vigilant fentinel, ae ucting the 
egre{s of all which is not duly changed. ence feveral au- 
thors have obferved, that the aliments do not quit the fto- 
mach in the order of their admiffion into that cavity, but ac- 
cording to their greater or lefs digeft-bility ; we might, — 
therefore, affert that there is a real feparation of the food i - 
The moft fpeediiy diffolved aliments are di-_ 
rected towards the pylorus, which yields to oa and rejects 
thofe, which being raring digefted, do not convey a? 
fuitable impreffion t . € of coins may 
be objected to this dint eae! of the pyloric fphin@er: 
but let it be remember efe, and other indig: ftible 
fubftances, remain m A ee ach fome time before they pafs, 
are repeatedly prefented to the Sagan pa thus elena 
that part to their conta The gaftric f\ftzm may be 
compared in an refpect to a fecretory ah nd re as the 7 
eae tubes, poflefling a fpecies of elective fenfibility, do 
t admit the fecreted fluid until it has been duly prepared 
in the glandular parenchyma; fo the pylorus will not allow 
the food, to are the int: ftine, w unay be regarded as 
the excretory du “mach, cual it has been fufficy 
ently elaborated in organ 
As the ftomach ee it{elf the fpafm of the fiin ceales, a 
gentle warmth fucceeds; the pulfe becomes fuller, and the 
ee Rider Sau increas igeftion, therefore, pro- 
duce t, analogous to a febrile attack; and 
‘ti € ancients, is particularly obferv. 
able in females of great fenfibilty. The aGion of the fto- 
mach does not ceale until ic has entirely expciled pee con- 
nts. The galtric juice, no longer called tor by the pre. 
fence of food, is poured out in {maller quan tity, or 
haps not atall; and the parietes, brought into conta& with 
cat 
