3° 
The Stomachs and Guts. 
the Glands too fuddainly; it fometimes corrodes or breaks 
them, and fo makes way for Blood alfo: as may be obferv’d 
in the Guts of fuch as die of a Dyfentry. 
TheUfeof the Caecum is manifold, but divers in divers 
Animals 5 according to the make of it, and the Relation it 
bears to the Stomachs and the Guts. And firft, for the mod 
part, it ferves to give a fecond Deliberate Concoction to 
the meat, that nothing nutritive in it may be loft. For 
which purpofe, it is always furnifh’d with Glands, as well as 
the other Guts. And,with rcfpedt to its width,is commonly 
but thin,or lefs mufcular,that fo being lefs apt to conftringe 
it felf, it may give a due time of ftay to the meat deliver'd 
to it. For which end alfo it is placed out of the common 
Road of the Guts 5 that being thereby lefs receptive of their 
Venjlaltich Motion ; it may lie the moreftill. For the fame 
intent the Ccecum in a Sheep hath feveral Flexures anfwerable 
to thofe in the 4 th Stomach or A bomafus. And in a Hog, ft is 
drawn up into Cells on both fides, like the Colon, to make 
it fo much the more retentive. In the Coney, the fame is 
done ftill more effectually, by the fpiral Plate, or Connivent 
Valve winding from end to end. And in the Horfe, not by 
two only,but four Rows of Cells on the four Tides. In which 
two laft Animals the faid Ufe is fo eminent, that the Caecum, 
confidenng its bignefs withall, is the chief Stomach, and 
much fuperior to the Stomach fo call’d. And it is alfo ob- 
fervable, That tire Abomafideus in a Rat, hath the fame re¬ 
lation to the Caecum ; as m a Sheep, the Abotnafus hath to the 
other Stomachs. Hence likewife it may be, that fome Ani¬ 
mals have little or no Caecum : either becaufe the meat is fo 
difloluble, as not to need a fecond deliberate Concoction, as 
in a Wee fie ; or for that Nature hath made fomething elfe 
to ferve without it; as thofe feveral Contractions in the 
Guts of a Cat 5 and the Valvulce Conniventes in the fmall 
Guts of a Man. Where we may obferve, That thefe Valves 
are not every where fpiral, as is thought, but do alfo make 
fome perfe<ff anddiftindt Rings: whereby they are fitter to 
retard the motion of the meat in its defeent. 
Another Ufe may be, For a Retreat 5 Either to the meat, 
if it (hould chance to rufh too faft into the Gut below it: Or 
to the Excrements, in cafe the Animal is diverted from a 
prefent ejection of them. 
The 
