11. The other intestines are by association excited into more powerful action, while the lymphatics, that open their mouths into them, suffer an inversion of their motions corresponding with the lymphatics of the stomach, and duodenum; which with a part of the abundant secretion of bile is carried downwards, and contributes both to stimulate the bowels, and to increase the quantity of the evacuations. This inversion of the motion of the lymphatics appears from the quantity of chyle, which comes away by stools; which is otherwise absorbed as soon as produced, and by the immense quantity of thin fluid, which is evacuated along with it.
12. But if the stimulus, which inverts the stomach, be still more powerful, or more permanent, it sometimes happens, that the motions of the biliary glands, and of their excretory ducts, are at the same time inverted, and regurgitate their contained bile into the blood-vessels, as appears by the yellow colour of the skin, and of the urine; and it is probable the pancreatic secretion may suffer an inversion at the same time, though we have yet no mark by which this can be ascertained.
13. Mr. —— eat two putrid pigeons out of a cold pigeon-pye, and drank about a pint of beer and ale along with them, and immediately rode about five miles. He was then seized with vomiting, which was after a few periods succeeded by purging; these continued alternately for two hours; and the purging continued by intervals for six or eight hours longer. During this time he could not force himself to drink more than one pint in the whole; this great inability to drink was owing to the nausea, or inverted motions of the stomach, which the voluntary exertion of swallowing could seldom and with difficulty overcome; yet he discharged in the whole at least six quarts; whence came this quantity of liquid? First, the contents of the stomach were emitted, then of the duodenum, gall-bladder, and pancreas, by vomiting. After this the contents of the lower bowels, then the chyle, that was in the lacteal vessels, and in the receptacle of chyle, was regurgitated into the intestines by a retrograde motion of these vessels. And afterwards the mucus deposited in the cellular membrane, and on the surface of all the other membranes, seems to have been absorbed; and with the fluid absorbed from the air to have been carried up their respective lymphatic branches by the increased energy of their natural motions, and down the visceral lymphatics, or lacteals, by the inversion of their motions.
14. It may be difficult to invent experiments to demonstrate the truth of this inversion of some branches of the absorbent system, and increased absorption of others, but the analogy of these vessels to the intestinal canal, and the symptoms of many diseases, render this opinion more probable than many other received opinions of the animal oeconomy.
In the above instance, after the yellow excrement was voided, the fluid ceased to have any smell, and appeared like curdled milk, and then a thinner fluid, and some mucus, were evacuated; did not these seem to partake of the chyle, of the mucous fluid from all the cells of the body, and lastly, of the atmospheric moisture? All these facts may be easily observed by any one, who takes a brisk purge.


