The reason why : $b a careful collection of many hundreds of reasons for things which, though generally believed, are imperfectly understood. A book of condensed scientific knowledge for the million
John Stuart Mill · en
[Verse: "Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy
youth is renewed like the eagles."--PSALM CIII.]
878. _Why do we feel drowsy after eating heartily?_
Because, while the stomach is in action, _a great proportion of the
blood of the body is drawn towards it_, and as the blood is withdrawn
from the other parts of the body, they fall into a state of languor.
879. _Why does blood flow more freely to the stomach during digestion?_
Because the energy of an organ is _increased by the flow of blood_,
which supplies the _material_ of which our organs are composed, and in
which the _vital essence_, supporting life, resides.
880. _Why does excess in eating bring on indigestion?_
Because the power of the stomach to digest food is _governed by the
amount of food required by the system_. It seems to be an instinct of
the stomach to hold back food which is in excess, and by indications
of pain and disturbance to warn its master that _excess has been
committed_.
881. _Why is food digested in the stomach?_
Because it enters the stomach in the form of a paste, produced by the
action of the mouth; and directly food enters, the _gastric juice_,
which is formed by glands embedded in the coats of the stomach,
trickles down its sides. This is a more _powerful solvent_ than the
salivary juice--it is like the same kind of fluid, only much stronger,
and it soon turns the food from a rough and crude _paste_ into a
_greyish cream_ (chyme). The heat of the stomach assists the operation,
and the muscular threads of the coats move the cream along, in the same
manner that the muscles of the oesophagus brought down the food.
The cream is passed towards the door which leads outward from the
stomach (_pylorus_); but if, in the midst of the cream, there are any
undissolved particles of food, it closes upon them, and they return
again to the stomach to be further changed.
[Verse: "When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless
the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee."--DEUT.
VIII.]
882. _Why does indigestion bring on bilious attacks?_