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blood is converted into its acid form, whereby the heat of 
warm-blooded animals is mostly kept up. This process is 
properly enough termed combustion. It is alike known 
that in the act of digestion, all sorts of food taken into the 
stomach are decomposed and converted into one uniform 
fluid (chyle), which process bears no resemblance whatever 
to that of combustion ; yet it is equally certain that animal 
life depends as strictly upon the digestion of food as upon 
healthful respiration. Indeed those chemical powers of the 
stomach are even more hidden and wonderful than the 
mechanical energy of the heart before noticed. 
By the experiments of Dr. Beaumont, in the well-known 
case of the Canadian soldier’s (St. Andre’s) stomach, it was 
clearly proved that the many kinds of animal and vegetable 
food taken were dissolved and converted into a semi-fluid 
of one uniform substance in the course of about two to four 
hours, by the juice or fluid secreted by the epigastrium, the 
secretions following in succession and laying hold of the 
morsels of food as they were swallowed. 
The secreted liquor (gastric juice) has never been formed 
in any other than "‘Nature’s laboratory,” nor has the chemist 
ever been able to discover the nature or constituents of this 
general solvent. How puerile, then, to talk of the analogy 
of these vital forces with those of slow combustion. 
In conclusion let me add, that I make no pretence to any 
novelty in what is above said relating to the laws of force, 
but merely to have noticed some of the new principles and 
views that appear to be wholly untenable under every 
known law. To treat fully the many physical questions 
connected with the natural forces, and especially those of 
the vital forces, would demand (in place of a few pages) a 
work of ample size and labour, without exhausting the 
inquiries concerning obscure phenomena. 
