Miscellanea Curiosa, Vol. 1: Containing a collection of some of the principal phaenomena in nature, accounted for by the greatest philosophers of this age
History
Miscellanea Curiosa, Vol. 1: Containing a collection of some of the principal phaenomena in nature, accounted for by the greatest philosophers of this age
Natural history; Science -- Early works to 1800; Voyages and travels -- Early works to 1800
I took a piece of raw Flesh, and having cut it into pieces, but much
larger than what our more solid Food is reduc'd to by due Mastication, I
mix'd some Crums of Bread with it, then I pour'd in the Oil of
Turpentine to them, and upon that the Oil of Vitriol; and having shak'd
them together, I digested them about four Hours in _Balneo Mariæ_, and
then shaking them again in the Glass, I found the Meat dissolv'd, and
they all became a thickish Pulp. I could not but take notice, that Oil
of Camphire (though it does not otherwise seem much different in its
Nature from Oil of Turpentine) and Oil of Vitriol, which upon mixture
will produce an Effervescence as well as the Oil of Turpentine and Oil
of Vitriol, yet did not touch the Meat, upon which I poured them, so as
in the least to dissolve them. I cannot deny but that an Acid, and a
Solution of Salt of Tartar, did dissolve some part of the Flesh-meat,
which I mix'd them with, but yet neither so soon, nor so perfectly as
the two forementioned Oils. And I do the rather think one of those
Juices, which constitute the _Saliva_, to be of the Nature of Oil of
Turpentine, than of a fix'd Salt, because it will correct and temper
even Oil of Vitriol, so as to render it more tolerable to the Fibres of
the Stomach. Not that I suppose the acid part of the _Saliva_ to come
near to the Acidity of Oil of Vitriol. For though, when they are mix'd,
they will make a Liquor that may not be injurious to the Stomach; yet
the acid Juice, if it were so corrosive as Oil of Vitriol, would
certainly be injurious and painful to the Salivatory Ducts, which convey
it to the Mouth before it is mix'd with the oleaginous Liquor. But I
only say it is an Acid, and in some degree approaches to the Nature of
that Oil. And Nature, which can much better adapt several Causes for the
Production of such an Effect than Art, may attain her End by a more
temperate Acid; though, at the same time, we may be able to make some
probable and true Conjectures about the Nature of those Causes from
Experiments.
It being most reasonable to suppose, that there are but two sorts of
Juices, of a different Quality, that make the _Saliva_, I do conceive,
that four of the eight Salivatory Glands, or two Pair of the four, do
supply one of these Juices, and the other four Glands the other. And
this seems to be a very good Reason, why they are so planted, and the
Orifice of their Ducts so order'd, that the Juice, which is supply'd by
one Gland, is discharg'd into the Mouth, very near to the Orifice, by
which the Juice of a different Nature is transmitted from another, so
that they must necessarily meet and mix together. Thus the _Glandulæ
Nuckianæ_, and _Parotides_, throw in two different Juices by Orifices,
which open into the Mouth very near to one another; and the _Glandulæ
Maxillares internæ_, and _Sublinguales_, do below supply the same kind
of Juices by Orifices, that open so near to one another as to secure the
mixture of the two different Juices.
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