The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 3Browne, Thomas, Sir
Religion
The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 3
Browne, Thomas, Sir
Christianity; Ethics; Religion and medicine
A rudimental resemblance hereof there is in the cruciated and rugged
folds of the _Reticulum_, or Net-like Ventricle of ruminating horned
animals, which is the second in order, culinarily called the Honey-comb.
For many divisions there are in the stomack of severall animals; what
number they maintain in the _Scarus_ and ruminating Fish, common
description, or our own experiment hath made no discovery. But in the
Ventricle of _Porpuses_ there are three divisions. In many Birds a crop,
Gizard, and little receptacle before it; but in Cornigerous animals,
which chew the cudd, there are no lesse then four of distinct position
and office.
The _Reticulum_ by these crossed cels, makes a further digestion, in the
dry and exuccous part of the Aliment received from the first Ventricle.
For at the bottome of the gullet there is a double Orifice; What is
first received at the mouth descendeth into the first and greater
stomack, from whence it is returned into the mouth again; and after a
fuller mastication, and salivous mixture, what part thereof descendeth
again, in a moist and succulent body, it slides down the softer and more
permeable Orifice, into the Omasus or third stomack; and from thence
conveyed into the fourth, receives its last digestion. The other dry and
exuccous part after rumination by the larger and stronger Orifice
beareth into the first stomack, from thence into the _Reticulum_, and so
progressively into the other divisions. And therefore in Calves newly
calved, there is little or no use of the two first Ventricles, for the
milk and liquid aliment slippeth down the softer Orifice, into the third
stomack; where making little or no stay, it passeth into the fourth, the
seat of the _Coagulum_, or Runnet, or that division of stomack which
seems to bear the name of the whole, in the Greek translation of the
Priests Fee, in the Sacrifice of Peace-offerings.
As for those Rhomboidal Figures made by the Cartilagineous parts of the
Wezon, in the Lungs of great Fishes, and other animals, as _Rondeletius_
discovered, we have not found them so to answer our Figure as to be
drawn into illustration; Something we expected in the more discernable
texture of the lungs of frogs, which notwithstanding being but two
curious bladders not weighing above a grain, we found interwoven with
veins, not observing any just order. More orderly situated are those
cretaceous and chalky concretions found sometimes in the bignesse of a
small fech on either side their spine; which being not agreeable unto
our order, nor yet observed by any, we shall not here discourse on.
But had we found a better account and tolerable Anatomy of that
prominent jowle of the _Sperma Ceti_ Whale,[159] then questuary
operation, or the stench of the last cast upon our shoar, permitted, we
might have perhaps discovered some handsome order in those Net-like
seases and sockets, made like honey-combs, containing that medicall
matter.
[159] 1652. _described in our_ Pseudo Epidem. _Edit._ 3.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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