Mifcellanea Curio fa. 159 



Now I have given this fliort Account of the 

 various Opinions of fome Ingenious Men, con- 

 cerning the manner how Concodtion is per- 

 form'dj I come now to propofe my own Hy- 

 pothecs, by which 1 (hall endeavour to ex- 

 plain it. 



In order to the more eafie and effectual Di- 

 geftion of the Food, Nature has appointed fome 

 Parts for the breaking our Aliment, and re- 

 ducing whatever is grofs into fmaller Parts, be- 

 fore it is put upon Digeftion : Others to fup- 

 ply the Ferment, by which it is to be diflplv'd 

 and conco£ted, and which, before it comes to 

 be included in the Stomach, does moiften, and 

 make it more fofc, that it may more eafily be 

 penetrated, and broken by thofe Parts which 

 lerve to divide every Morfel into fmaller Pieces, 

 and prevents the Inconvenience and Trouble 

 which would arife from the Nourifhment flick- 

 ing about or between them, when it is dry or 

 vifcous. 



For the breaking of that part of our Food, 

 which is not liquid, Nature has furnim'd us 

 with Teeth, and thofe of two forts : For fome 

 are ordain'd to divide and break off fmaller 

 Morfels from a larger Mafs ; others are made 

 for the grinding thofe Morfels into much fmal- 

 ler parts. The Teeth, which fcrve to break 

 off Pieces of a convenient Magnitude from a 

 larger Mafs, are of two forts, accommodated to 

 the Nature of the Subftance which we eat. 

 Thefe are the bicifores, and the De?itcs Caninu 

 If the Subftance, which we have to eat, Be not 

 hard, but more eafily penetrated and divided, 

 then the Intiforcz are capable of making an Im- 

 preifion upon it, and hVd firmly enough in .the 



Jaws 



