246 ON THE EFFECTS OF THE 



mal be cooked by roasting, the fibres so completely 

 lose their cohesion, that the flesh will fall from the 

 bones, or be separated by the slightest force. If a 

 smaller quantity of the juice be used, the flesh will 

 be rendered tender ; but so great is the effect, and 

 so difficult is it to ascertain the degree to which it 

 may be carried, if the milky juice be directly ap- 

 plied to the flesh, that another and more certain 

 mode has been resorted to, for procuring the inte- 

 neration of the flesh of different animals. By sim- 

 ply suspending the animal to a bough of the tree, 

 for a space of time proportioned to the size of the 

 animal, or of the joint of meat, the flesh is found to 

 be sufficiently intenerated. A particular friend of 

 mine, was in the constant habit of having his meat 

 so prepared for his table, and was particular enough, 

 (or thought it necessary), to use his watch to regu- 

 late the time of suspension. 



This quality of destroying the cohesion of the ' 

 muscular fibre, probably resides chiefly in the milky 

 juice, or in the vapour, which, I conjecture, is ex- 

 haled from the tree, since the boiled fruit, when 

 given to animals, does not produce this effect to 

 such a degree as to be sensible. The fruit is used 

 by all ranks of people ; cooked in its unripe state, 

 as a vegetable ; or served up, when ripe, as part of 

 the dessert, with perfect impunity. 



It is a common practice with some of the farmers 

 of the Island of Barbadoes, to give an infusion of 

 the raw fruit ; or, to speak more exactly, a diffusion 



