176 THE WORK OF THE DIGESTIVE GLANDS. 



We have already taken up the question of how the individual kinds 

 of food act upon the condition of hypersecretion (Dr. Soborow). These 

 experiments are now being carefully pushed forward. 



Judging from the material to hand, this condition of the gastric 

 glands is readily amenable to treatment. The chief difficulty will, 

 however, lie in effectively combating the different forms of hypo- 

 secretion. 



We have further endeavoured to come to the aid of an enfeebled 

 condition of activity of the gastric glands by supplying favourable con- 

 ditions for the preparation of the juice. One of these favouring cir- 

 cumstances we discovered in the introduction of large quantities of 

 water into the system. (Experiments of Dr. Saiurietv.) We based 

 this upon earlier facts (experiments of Prof. J. P. Pawloio), showing 

 that the quantity of juice was strikingly dependent upon the amount 

 of water in the organism. It is clear that the formation of juice 

 by the glands consists largely in this, that the secretory cells attract 

 water from the blood. In certain circumstances the blood opposes 

 a considerable resistance to this abstraction. If sufficient water be 

 not present, the cells could not withdraw an adequate quantity for 

 the preparation of the juice. Hence we are able to assist a weakly 

 acting cell, which only abstracts the water with difficulty, by inten- 

 tionally diluting the blood with an excess of water, which the organism 

 instead of holding back will, on the contrary, endeavour to expel. Our 

 experiments have confirmed this hypothesis, but they are not as yet 

 concluded. 



Let us now turn to MEDICINE. It cannot be denied that biological 

 processes are exceedingly complex when contrasted with other pheno- 

 mena of nature, and that the difficulty of establishing a causal relation- 

 ship which would give us control over them is very great. Nevertheless, 

 it was ordained by the inevitable dispensations of life that medicine 

 should hold sway over biological phenomena, and, indeed, long before 

 they had become matters of scientific investigation. 



And medicine has, at least to a, considerable degree, accomplished that 

 which was expected of her. Her task seemed endlessly large and hope- 

 lessly complex, but yet it is, at least in part, accomplished. She has 

 fortunately arrived at many correct solutions of the problems which 

 confronted her, notwithstanding the countless numbers of other possible 

 ones. This unexpected result has only been made possible by the 

 co-operation of two conditions. These are, that mankind from the 

 earliest times constantly and passionately strove after the maintenance 

 of life and health ; and, secondly, that in this search after health nume- 

 rous individuals indeed, I might say all mankind took part. But if 

 the present achievements of medicine seem remarkable, it cannot be 



