FORMATION OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID IX THE FOVEOL/E. 247 



secreted by the parietal cells in the form of a chloride of an 

 organic base, and that the hydrochloric acid is only set free 

 after this secretion is poured out of the gland into the foveola. 

 As to the nature of this base, there are some facts which suggest 

 the probability that it is protein in nature. Stohr's ('82) descrip- 

 tion of the parietal cells in man indicates clearly that he perceived 

 a coagulated substance in the canals which connect these cells 

 w r ith the lumen of the gland, and Revell has succeeded in staining 

 the content of the intracellular canals of the parietal cells with 

 carmin solutions in material fixed in an alcohol bichromate 

 sublimate mixture. 



THE CONSISTENCE OF THE SECRETION IN THE GLAND LUMEN. 



The fact that we were able to stain the secretion of the gastric 

 glands while still contained in the gland has enabled us to study 

 certain properties of this secretion. In the actively secreting 

 rabbit stomach the lumen of the gland is widened by the accumu- 

 lation of the secretion, and, by pressure on the cover glass, or by 

 teasing, it is possible to expel the secretion from the gland, or to 

 liberate it in the salt solution used for mounting and thus to 

 learn something about the change in concentration of the secre- 

 tion which takes place as it proceeds towards the surface of the 

 mucous membrane. The assumption which is generally made 

 that the secretion is formed by the glands in the same concentra- 

 tion as it presents when it emerges from the openings of the 

 foveolae, would lead one to suppose that the secretion in the 

 gland would be a limpid solution, which would flow easily from 

 the gland, and would mix readily with salt solution. This, 

 however, proved not to be the case. When water from the sur- 

 rounding salt solution enters the gland lumen the column of 

 secretion breaks up into round droplets which maintain their 

 individuality for several minutes. Similarly, when secretion is 

 expressed from the gland lumen into the surrounding solution it 

 collects around the mouth of the gland in large spherical droplets 

 which slowly dissolve, the red reaction also at the same time 

 slowly changing to the blue acid reaction, if the secretion has been 

 stained with cyanamin. From these observations we are obliged 

 to conclude that the secretion formed in the gland possesses a 



