14 G THE WORK OF THE DIGESTIVE GLANDS. 



enjoyed good health and had an excellent appetite. When the first 

 sham feeding experiment was carried out, the relatively small effect of 

 this otherwise very active juice-exciting procedure at once struck 

 us. At the same time we observed that the pieces of flesh which 

 fell from the upper end of the oesophagus, contrary to the ordinary 

 rule, were hardly at all insalivated. In this dog, therefore, a greatly 

 lowered activity of several digestive glands, viz., of the gastric, pancre- 

 atic, and salivary glands, simultaneously existed. With regard to the 

 salivary glands, the circumstance was naturally submitted to closer 

 investigation. I believe that the inhibitory influence of the alkalies on 

 the digestive glands, which was here proved experimentally, may furnish 

 a basis for the following representation of their mode of action in 

 producing healing effects. Catarrhal affections of the stomach are 

 characterised by an incessant or very protracted secretion of slimy, 

 weakly acid gastric juice. Further, in many cases the affection begins 

 with a hypersecretion, that is an abnormal excitability of the secretory 

 apparatus which makes itself evident in a superfluous and useless 

 flow. The same must be conceived to happen in disorders of the 

 pancreatic gland : at least, such a condition sets in after operations 

 performed for physiological purposes. It is, further, justifiable to 

 suppose that, when an affection is once set up by this or that cause, it 

 may later maintain itself independently, for continuous activity has 

 undoubtedly a harmful influence on the glands. The due nourishment, 

 and the restoration of organs after activity, proceeds best during rest. 

 In the normal course of events, after a period of active work follows a 

 pause, during which the latent work of restoration is accomplished. 

 When, therefore, a remedy effectively restrains the excessive work of a 

 diseased organ, it may in this way contribute to the removal of the 

 pathological condition, and thus to a restoration of the normal state. 

 In this consists, in my opinion, the healing effects of the alkalies. 

 One might draw a parallel between the action of these substances in 

 digestive disturbances and that of digitalis in compensatory disturb- 

 ances of the heart. An uncompensated heart beats rapidly, and thereby 

 only aggravates its condition. Its time of rest, that is, of recovery, of 

 restitution of the organ is shortened. A vicious cycle is set up. The 

 weak action of the heart lowers blood pressure ; the lowering of 

 this leads (from known physiological causes) to an increase in the 

 number of beats, the quickening leads to weakening of the organ. 

 Without doubt the digitalis aids by breaking through this vicious 

 cycle in that it greatly slows the pulse, and thereby gives new power to 

 the heart. With our explanation of the action of the alkalies harmon- 

 ises the further circumstance that, with the use of the salts in question, 

 a strict diet is generally prescribed, which means that a certain amount 



