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fubftances from undergoing that procefs, the fto- 
mach itfelf would be digefted. 
But we find on the contrary, that the ftomach, 
which at one inftant, that is, while poflefled of 
the living principle, was capable of refilling the 
digeftive powers which it contained, the next mo- 
ment, viz. when deprived of the living principle, 
is itfelf capable of being digefted, either by the 
digeftive powers of other ftomachs, or by the re- 
mains of that power which it had of digefting 
other things. 
From thefe obfervations, we are led to ac- 
count for an appearance which we find often in 
the ftomachs of dead bodies ; and at the fame 
time they throw a confiderable light upon the 
nature of digeftion. The appearance which has 
been hinted at, is a difl'olution of the ftomach 
at its great extremity ; in confequence of which, 
there is frequently a confiderable aperture made in 
that vifcus. The edges of this opening appear to 
be half diflolved, very much like that kind of dif- 
folution which flefhy parts undergo when half di- 
gefted in a living ftomach, or when diflolved by a 
cauftic alkali, viz. pulpy, tender, and ragged. 
In thefe cafes the contents of the ftomach are 
generally found loofe in the cavity of the abdo- 
men , about the fpleen and diaphragm. In many 
fubjeifts this digeftive power extends much fur- 
ther than through the ftomach. I have often 
found, that after it had diftolved the ftomach at 
the ufual place, the contents of the ftomach had 
come into contadl with the fpleen and diaphragm. 
