PATHOLOGY. 
126 
This affeftion might be faid to be in the family of 
this lioneft German; for he was blefl'ed with two grown 
fons: the older, of twenty-four years, alfo poffefled this 
delightful faculty, but had it more under control than 
the father, as he could prevent it altogether when in 
company. The younger could not. 
G. H. Velchius adduces another example, in an inhabi¬ 
tant of London ; who, in the fortieth year of his age, 
and of found health, always returned his food, in order 
to undergo a (lower and more deliberate maftication. 
Rumination moftly took place in this individual from an 
hour to two hours after a meal; but even at the remoter 
period it ftill preferved a pleafant tafte, and was without 
any degree of acidity. 
In an inftance adduced by Daniel Ludovicus (in the 
Ephemerides Nat. Cur. anno ix. and x.) that occurred in 
a young woman, this aft was not performed with the ufual 
pleafure, and the returned food pofleifed a more difa- 
greeable tafte than that which accompanies the more 
perfeft cafes of this affeftion. Bitters and ftomachic pur¬ 
gatives did not prevent its occurrence, which however 
was not always regular in its appearance ; and, although 
carthartics and emetics prevented it for a (hort period, it 
foon returned. 
John Conrad Pyer (Merycologia, cap. vi.) mentions a 
cafe in a fatuitous young man ; alfo its occurrence in a 
ruftic in Swifferland ; and in a woman in the neighbour¬ 
ing town. He fagely endeavours to prove, from the cir- 
cumltance of thofe individuals being rullics and cowherds, 
that the frequent fight of the ruminating procefs had 
imprefied their brains with a fimilar propenfity, which, 
although imperceptible in its progrels, had neverthelefs 
ripened into maturity. 
Slare (in an early volume of the Phil. Tranf.) mentions 
the cafe of a Briftol man, who appears to have pofleifed 
this faculty in its perfeftion. This individual not only 
ruminated the folid ingefta, but alfo fluids, as milk and 
foups. There was, however, one imperfeftion con- 
nefted with this cafe, as it relates to the (late of this man’s 
Itomach during his meals; that the viftuais feemed 
fcarcely to defcend into tiie Itomach, but to lie in the 
low'er part of the throat. However, the portion of the 
meals firft taken was firlt ruminated. 
In a cafe related in the 286th Number of the Journal 
general de Medicine by Mr. Tarbes, as quoted by the 
Editor of the London Medical and Phylical Journal, the 
prominent phenomena were nearly the fame 3s the one 
juft related. Rumination was firft manifefted by the 
patient after his recovery from confluent fmall-pox, in 
the fixth year of his age ; and it was conllantly performed 
after every meal, until the period of its total ceflation. 
About half an hour after having eaten, he fuffered a 
flight uneafinefs in the epigaftric region ; this fenfation 
was followed by the tranfmiffion of a ball of food from 
the ftomach to the mouth. The aliments thus brought 
up had neither a difagreeable odour nor an acid tafte, and 
did not appear to have undergone any alteration in the 
ftomach. The patient chewed them with as much plea¬ 
fure as he did on firft taking them. After this portion 
was again fwallowed, another mafs, which did not appear 
to have been mingled with that chewed the fecond time, 
was brought into the mouth; and fo, in fucceflion, all the 
food he had taken at his laft meal was returned. On fit¬ 
ting down to eat his food, the patient, inftead of mafti- 
cating well what he took, only divided it in a very im- 
perfeft manner, as might be feen by the fpecimens re¬ 
turned into the mouth during rumination. If he, by 
chance, happened to (leep foon after a meal, he, after 
about two hours, awoke to vomit up all the food which 
had not been ruminated. He went on in this way until 
the time of his marriage, when his rumination ceafed, 
almoft fuddenly. It was leflened on the day enfuing 
from it, and was entirely difcontinued at the end of eight 
days. A great thirft, which he had fuffered whilft he ru- 
/ninated, difappeared at the fame time. He fuffered no 
inconveniences in confequence of the change; and, during 
the fix years which have fince elapfed, he has become more 
robuft and healthy than before. 
Dr. Copeland has related a curious cafe of this kind in 
the London Med. and Phyf. Journal, No. 267, for May 
laft (1821.) The fubjeft of it was a gentleman in the 
meridian of his age, of a ftrong but fpare habit, and of 
the fanguineo-melancholic temperament. Owing to 
caufes to which he was fubjefted through the very early 
period of life, he had been obliged to take his meals in a 
very hafty manner. The very few minutes allowed to his 
ordinary meals led to a hafty and imperfeft maftication of 
the food ; and, although his time was at his own dif- 
pofal as he reached manhood, ftill the habit had been re¬ 
tained through the reft of the already pafled portion of 
his life. 
The greater part of its early period was fpent in an 
aftive, varied, and pleafant, employment, generally in the 
open air, and in the vicinity of the fea; and this alter¬ 
nation of aftive exercife, in fo healthy a fituation, pre¬ 
ferved the due equilibrium of the organic aftions ; the 
former neutralizing the effefts produced upon the digef- 
tive funftions by the co-operation of an hafty and imper¬ 
feft maftication of the ingefta, and by fedulous ftudy. 
So long as this diverfified mode of living was enjoyed, 
the regular operation of the digeftive tube was conti¬ 
nued, and no fymptoms of dyfpcpfia appeared, until he 
took up his conftant refidence in the metropolis. For a 
confiderable time, the chief and almoft only complaint 
was fputatoria, or water-qualm : for two or three hours 
after every confiderable meal, part of the more liquid 
contents was ejefted from the ftomach, in large mouth¬ 
fuls, at intervals of from two to five or ten minutes, at¬ 
tended with a flight acidity ; fometimes with a flight fla¬ 
tulence and fenfe of fullnefs at the ftomach, but never 
with any cardialgia, nor with the flighted fenfation of 
naufea. This affeftion was generally augmented by any 
of the ufual articles of defert, or by port-wine ; while it 
was relieved, or entirely prevented, by a moderate quan¬ 
tity of white wine, and by avoiding every fpecies of ex¬ 
ertion that could tend to difturb the funftion of digef- 
tion. This affeftion, after continuing feveral years, with 
occafional interruptions, according to the care and 
means taken to prevent it, pafled at laft into complete 
rumination, which has been prefent after every confide¬ 
rable meal for fome time. But, as it was attended with 
lefs inconvenience than the preceding fputatoria, and 
being unaccompanied with any difagreeable fenfation, 
no great importance was attached to it, until it became 
complicated with a cutaneous eruption. For that I was 
confulted; and, upon making inquiry into the ftate of 
the digeftive organs, was readily informed of the rumi¬ 
nating affeftion. The profefiional intercourfe that now 
took place furniflied me with the particulars already re¬ 
lated, which may ferve as an introduftion to a know¬ 
ledge of the nature of this difeafe. 
The following is a ftatement of the particulars of this 
cafe, when fubmitted to my care. The ruminating af¬ 
feftion was at that time generally prefent after all his 
meals, and conftantly after breakfaft and dinner. The 
appetite was always good, and the food, conftantly taken 
in large mouthfuls, was mafticated haftily and imperfeftly, 
and fwallowed eagerly. There was no thirft ; the bowels 
were habitually coftive. Sleep was found. His meals 
were taken more with a defire to fatisfy an unpleafant 
fenfation or a requifite defire, than to indulge the plea- 
fures of the palate, and was performed haftily, in order 
that the ftudies and purfuits, to which he confidered 
eating an interruption, might be immediately refumed. 
Under the ufual circumftances, rumination commenced 
from a quarter of an hour to an hour and a half after a 
meal. Immediately upon the commencement of this aft, 
a flight fenfation of fullnefs might be felt at the cardia, 
when the attention was particularly direfted to it, that 
led to a deeper infpiration than ulual. So foon as the 
