FOOD AND DIGESTION 



Recently observations on a case of stricture of the human esophagus which 

 prevented food from reaching the stomach have shown that an abundant flow 

 of gastric juice takes place when food is taken in the mouth. 



It seems conclusively established at the present time that the secretion of 

 gastric juice is a reflex act controlled by a definite nervous mechanism. This 



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FIG. 260. Table to Show the Secretion of Gastric Juice by the Dog. (Khigine.) 



reflex can be aroused by the sensory stimuli of taste, smell, and even sight. 

 It can also be initiated by stimuli arising in the stomach itself by the effects 

 of ingredients of the food or by the products of digestion. Indeed it has been 

 shown that peptone is a very efficient stimulus for this stomach reflex. 



