The causes and treatment of imperfect digestion / by Arthur Leared.

  • Arthur Leared
Date:
1866
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The causes and treatment of imperfect digestion / by Arthur Leared. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    248/260
    coal fresUy ignited is three times more effective than Belloc's damp charcoal. But this superiority must be still greater in consequence of the mixing with water preparatory to Belloc's charcoal being swallowed; and if it sink in the fluids of the stomach, which, should any be present, it inevitably will do in consequence of the saturation, its efficacy will be altogether destroyed. But granting that chai'coal taken in the ordinary way has a certain absorbent power, a very large dose will be required to equal the activity of a single capsule of the heavy charcoal. It may be objected that, although charcoal be swallowed in hermetically-sealed capsrdcs, it must necessarily undergo liquid saturation as soon as set free in the stomach. But charcoal, not being easily wetted, will float on the surface of its contents; and to test its capability of absorption when in this position I tried the following experiment:— Into a receiver containing carbonic acid a little warm water was introduced; a ca])sule of hea^y charcoal was then put into the receiA^er. The gelatine having been dissolved by the water, its contents were set free in about a minute, and the charcoal floated on the water. Absorption now proceeded actively.
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3