BEAUMONT'S EXPERIMENTS. 205 



gastric juice, and giving this fluid access to the undigested 

 portions." * 



The following extracts show the effect of the gastric juice on 

 some vegetable substances as well as on animal substances : 



"March 13, 1830. At ten o'clock A.M. stomach empty 

 introduced tube, but was unable to obtain any gastric juice. 

 On the application of a few crumbs of bread to the inner surface 

 of the stomach the juice began slowly to accumulate and flow 

 through the tube. The crumbs of bread adhered to the mucous 

 coat, soon became soft, and began to dissolve and digest. On 

 viewing the villous membrane before applying the bread crumbs 

 the mucous coat and subjacent follicles only could be observed ; 

 but immediately afterwards small sharp papillae and minute 

 lucid points, situated in the interstices of, and less than, the 

 mucous follicles, became visible, from which exuded a clear 

 transparent liquor. It then began to run through the tube. ( 



"January 27, 1831. At eight o'clock A.M. stomach empty 

 introduced elastic tube, and obtained one and a half drachms 

 of gastric juice by very slow distillation. Applied crumbs of 

 bread to the villous coat, and the juice began immediately to 

 flow freely through the tube.J 



"December 6, 1832. At 8.30 A.M. he breakfasted on bread 

 and butter and one pint of coffee; 9.45, examined stomach 

 full of fluids ; 10.30, examined, and took out a portion resem- 

 bling thin gruel in colour and consistence, with the oil of the 

 butter floating on the top, a few small particles of the bread 

 and some mucus falling to the bottom, about two-thirds di- 

 gested. It had a sharp taste. Temperature of the stomach, 

 100; atmosphere, 38. 11.30, stomach empty. 



" December 7. At eight o'clock A.M. examined stomach, and 



* Beaumont Experiments 2 and 3 of First Series, 

 f Ibid. Experiment 12 of Second Series. 

 J Ibid. Experiment 15, Second Series. 

 Ibid. Experiment 4, Third Series. 



