[ 452 J 



me fufpeel: that the true caufe was not even [mar- 

 gined *. 



At this- time I was making- many experiments 

 upon digeflion, on different animals, all of which 

 were killed, at different times, after being fed with 

 different kinds of food ; fome of them were not 

 opened immediately after death, and in fome of 

 them I found the appearances above defcribed in. 

 the ftomach.. For, purfuing the enquiry about di- 

 geflion, I got the ftomachs of a vaft variety of fifh r 

 which all die of violent deaths, and all may be faid 

 to die in perfect health, and with, their ftomach, 

 commonly full y in thefe animals we fee the pro- 

 grefs of digeftion moft diftinctly; for as they fwaU 

 low their food whole, that is, without maftication, 

 and fwallow fifh that are much, larger than 



*' The firft time that I had occafion to obferve this appearance, 

 in fuch as died of violence and fuddenly, and in whom therefore 

 I could not eafily fuppofe it to be the effect of difeafe in the liv- 

 ing body, was in a m2n who Trad his fkull fractured: and was 

 killed outright by one blow of a poker. Juft before this accident^, 

 he had been in. perfect health, and had taken a hearty fupper of 

 cold meat, cheefe, bread, and ale. Upon opening the. ab- 

 domen, I found that the ftomach, though itftill contained a good 

 deal, was diflblved at its great end, and a considerable part of 

 thefe its contents lay loofe in the general cavity of thebdly* 

 This appearance puzzled me very much. The fecond time 

 was at St. George's Hofpital, in a man who died a few hours 

 after receiving a blow on his head, which fractured his fkull 

 likewife. From thofe two cafes, among other conjectures about 

 fo ftrange an appearance, I began to fufpect that it might be 

 peculiar to cafes of fractured fkulls ; and therefore, whenever L 

 had'an opportunity, I examined the ftomach in every perfon who 

 died of that accident : but I found many of them which had not 

 this appearance. Afterwards L met with, it in a foldier who 

 had been hanged. 



the 



