Observations on certain parts of the animal oeconomy : inclusive of several papers from the Philosophical transactions, etc. / by John Hunter ... ; with notes by Richard Owen.
- John Hunter
- Date:
- 1840
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Observations on certain parts of the animal oeconomy : inclusive of several papers from the Philosophical transactions, etc. / by John Hunter ... ; with notes by Richard Owen. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)
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![The animals which feed upon vegetables alone commonly have their fseces somewhat solid; but the degree will vary according to the state of the vegetable, whether green or dried ; and therefore the particular state of the fasces will depend on the nature of the indigestible part of the food, and must be different according to the digestive powers in different animals. An animal that feeds upon grass has the fasces much softer than when fed on the same kind of grass made into hay; and therefore the fasces of the herbivorous animals are softer in the summer than the winter; but green vege- table food does not produce soft fasces in all animals, for the cater- pillar, which lives upon the leaves of vegetables, has its fasces almost dry ; and we find in some ruminating animals, as sheep, that the difference in the fasces during summer and winter is incon- siderable. The quadrupeds and birds that live principally upon vegetables generally have their casca large and the colon long, as we see in many of the ruminating animals. Some have the colon both long and large, as the horse and those of the rat tribe, which circumstance has considerable effects in allowing the fasces to become dry: in a few of the ruminating animals, and of the rat kind, they are formed into small portions. The fasces of quadrupeds living upon animal food are commonly soft, and in birds are fluid ; but in such as live on both animals and vegetables, they are in consistence of a mixed nature, and will be more or less soft according to the food. If a dog is fed entirely on animal substance its fasces will be soft; if wholly on vegetable as on bread, they will become so hard as to be expelled with difficulty.* * [The following differences were found by Dr. Prout in the contents of the rectum of dogs which had been fed on Vegetable Food. Animal Food. Of a firm consistence, and of an olive Consisted of firm scybala, of a dark browncolour,incliningtoyellow. Smell brown colour, inclining to chocolate, foetid and offensive. Did not coagulate Smell very foetid. Milk was coagulated milk. by the water in which it had been dif- fused. A. Water; quantity not ascertained. A. Water; quantity not ascertained. B. Combination or mixture of altered B. Combination or mixture of altered alimentary substances in much greater alimentary matters in much greater ex- excess than in the colon, with some cess than in either the colon or caecum, mucus; insoluble in acetic acid, and with some mucus; insoluble in acetic constituting the chief bulk of the faeces, acid, and constituting the chief bulk of the faeces. C. Albuminous matter, none. C. Albuminous matter, none. D. Biliary principle, partly changed D. Biliary principle more consider- to a perfect resin. able than in the vegetable faeces, and almost entirely changed to a perfectly resinous-like substance. E. Vegetable gluten 1 none; but con- E. Vegetable gluten1? none;butcon- tained a principle soluble in acetic acid, tained a principle soluble in acetic acid, and precipitable very copiously by oxa- and precipitable very copiously in oxa- late of ammonia. late of ammonia. F. Insoluble residuum, consisting F. Insoluble residuum, consisting chiefly of vegetable fibres mixed with chiefly of hairs.] haiis.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21131545_0108.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
