Note 114 — PEPTIC PRECEPTS.

“I took two pieces of Mutton, each weighing 45 grains, and having chewed one as much as I used to chew my food—enclosed them in two separate spheres—and swallowed them at the same time—these tubes were voided at the same time—of the masticated meat there remained only 4 grains—of the other there were 18 left.”

“The necessity of Mastication is sufficiently known—there is perhaps no person who has not, some time or other, suffered from Indigestion, for want of having chewed his food properly. The reason is obvious. Not to mention the saliva which moistens the food, and predisposes it to be dissolved, it cannot be doubted, that when it is reduced to pieces by the action of the Teeth, the gastric fluid penetrates, and attacking it at more points, dissolves it more speedily than when it was whole. This is true of menstrua in general, which always dissolve bodies sooner when they have been previously broken to pieces. This is also the reason why, in other experiments, masticated bread and dressed flesh were more readily dissolved than unchewed bread and raw flesh. The boiling had made it tenderer, and consequently disposed it to allow ingress to the gastric fluid.”—Spallanzani on Digestion, vol. i. p. 277.