Domestic Encyclopædia (1802)/Swallowing

SWALLOWING, or Deglutition, is the act of taking any food, whether solid or liquid, down the throat. It succeeds Mastication, and is performed primarily by the tongue, which propels the aliment into the gullet; whence, by the contraction of the muscular parts, the contents are conveyed into the stomach.—See also Digestion.

Deglutition may be impeded or obstructed by various circumstances, such as swellings in the throat, or the taking of acrid, pungent, or pointed substances into the mouth: but, as the most simple and expeditious remedies for such affections have already been pointed out, the reader will consult the articles Gullet, Gargle, Quinsey, Metallic Pointed Substances, &c.