Note 77 — PEPTIC PRECEPTS.
Reading edition
“My Stomach digests food so slowly, that I cannot study for five or six hours after a very sparing dinner.”—Spallanzani on Digestion, &c., vol. i. p. 280.
“If the quantity of Food be given, its Quality will cause a difference in the time of digesting; for instance, slimy and viscid meats are longer in digesting in the Stomach than meats of a contrary nature; the flesh of some young animals is not so soon digested as the flesh of the same animals arrived at their full growth; thus Veal and Lamb are not so soon digested as Beef and Mutton.
“A man who took a vomit every second night for some months, observed, that when he had taken Chicken for Dinner, he always threw it up undigested, but never threw up any of his Food undigested when he made his Dinner of Beef or Mutton.”—Bryan Robinson on the Food and Discharges of Human Bodies, 1748, p. 95.
Beef and Mutton seem to give less trouble to the Editor’s Stomach than any kind of Poultry.
The following is copied from Dr. Scudamore on Gout, 2d Edition, p. 509, being some of the Experiments related by Mr. Astley Cooper in his lecture delivered at the Royal College of Surgeons in 1814, which have only been published in Dr. S.’s book, who informs us, they were performed upon Dogs, with a view to ascertain the comparative solvent power of the gastric juice upon different articles of food.
“Experiment 5.
Food.Form.Quantity.Animal killed.Loss by Digestion.
Cheese.Square.100 pints.4 hours.76.
Mutton.——————65.
Pork.——————36.
Veal.——————15.
Beef.——————11.
“Experiment 6.
Food.Form.Quantity.Animal killed.Loss by Digestion.
Beef.Long & Nar.100 pints.2 hours. 0.
Rabbit.—————— 0.
Cod Fish.——————74.
“Experiment 9.
Roast VealDo.100 pints.4 hours. 7.
Boiled do.Do.————30.