138 [June, 



Mr. Ord, on behalf of the Committee appointed to procure subscrip- 

 tions to the Wilson Monument Fund, reported that he had received 

 and transmitted in the name of the President and Members of the 

 Academy, the sum of $280. From persons not members, he had 

 received and transmitted the sum of $35. The report was adopted and 

 the Committee discharged. 



Mr. Cassin, on behalf of the Committee appointed to prepare a cor- 

 rect list of the Correspondents of the Academy, reported progress and 

 requested a continuance; which request was granted. 



The Corresponding Secretary presented his report for the last month. 



ELECTION. 



Dr. Charles' S. Boker, Mr. John McAllister, Jr., and Dr. Samuel S. 

 Garrigues, all of Philadelphia, were elected Members. 



Dr. Morris* stated Ibat Alexis St. Martin, on whom Dr. Beaumont perforoiecl 

 his celebrated series of experiments, is now in town, and has been submitted 

 to some experiments at the Pennsylyania College by Dr. F. G. Smith, in the 

 presence of a few physicians. On Monday last, after breakfasting on bread and 

 butter and coffee, he partook at lOj, A. M., of beefsteak ; at the expiration of 

 two hours the fluid contents of the stomach were withdrawn by means of a 

 catheter. They had a decidedly acid reaction, but whether from chlorohydric 

 or lactic acid, I was unable to ascertain from the small cfuantity forwarded to 

 me for examination. The meat was rapidly being converted into chyme ; small 

 flocculi floated in the fluid and collected at the bottom, much paler than natural. 

 On being subjected to the microscope, the cellular tissue had nearly all disap- 

 peared, while the muscular fibres exhibited all stages of disintegration ; some 

 were found nearly of the usual color, some paler and with the transverse striae 

 beautifully marked. As the latter became less evident, longitudinal striation 

 exhibited itself, Avhile a minute punctation took the place of the transverse striae. 

 As the digestive process advanced, the whole fibril became granular, but the 

 longitudinal striation remained as long as there was any evidence of the struc- 

 ture. This goes to confirm the view of the minute anatomy of the muscles 

 maintained by Kolliker, in opposition to Todd and Bowman's disc theory. The 

 nuclei of the ruptured gastric cells, epithelium from the mouth, esopha- 

 gus and stomach, with numerous fat granules, completed the microscopic 

 appearances. This morning, at \()\ A. M., he partook of bread, and the fluid 

 being withdrawn as before at the end of two hours, presented the following ap- 

 pearances : The supernatant fluid resembled a starch solution, but on close 

 examination gave the faintest possible evidence of starch by the iodine test, 

 which I am disposed to regard as due mainly to the dextrine present. Trom- 

 mer's test gave abundant proof of the presence of the latter, or of grape sugar, 

 or both, and also indicated by the purplish hue of the liquid on the addition of 

 sulphate of copper and potassa to the fluid, the presence of a protein body. The 

 remnants of the bread, fully disintegrated, subsided to the bottom, and showed 

 abundant evidence of starch. So far as this experiment goes, it confirms the 

 views generally held as to the action of the saliva upon amylaceous bodies, in 

 contravention to those advanced by Lehmann, as to the active part played by 

 the intestinal fiuid (the secretion of the intestinal mucous membrane) in diges- 

 tion. The greater part of the bread had disappeared, giving place to grape 

 sugar, in consequence of the almost momentary action of the saliva, and leaving 

 mainly the function of absorption to be performed by the intestinal mucous 

 membrane. 



This communication being mislaid, could not be introduced into its proper 

 place, under date of May 6th. 



