SECRETION OF THE GASTRIC JUICE. 229 



tion of gastric juice ceases ; the movements of the stomach 

 having gradually forced that portion of the food which is but 

 partially acted upon in this organ, or digested only in the 

 small intestines, out at the pylorus. The stomach is thus 

 entirely emptied, the mucous membrane becomes pale, its 

 reaction loses its marked acid character, and becomes neu- 

 tral or faintly alkaline. 



Secretion in different parts of the Stomach. The differ- 

 ences already noted in the anatomy of the mucous membrane 

 of the stomach in different parts of the organ, point to the 

 important question of a possible difference in the physiolo- 

 gical action of the secretions of different parts, particularly 

 the pyloric portion and the rest of the general surface. We 

 can learn definitely but little with regard to this point from 

 observations on the inferior animals, unless they be confirmed 

 in the human subject. The observations, however, of Kol- 

 liker, G-oll, and Bonders on the pig, are very satisfactory, 

 and subsequently were fully confirmed as regards the human 

 subject. It is well known that an acidulated infusion of the 

 mucous membrane of the stomach possesses, if properly pre- 

 pared, all the digestive properties of the true gastric juice ; 

 and that this is not the case with similar infusions of the 

 mucous membrane from any other parts. Kolliker, in ex- 

 periments on artificial digestion made in conjunction with 

 Dr. Goll, "on the gastric mucous membrane of the pig, 

 clearly showed that the two kinds of glands entirely differ in 

 respect of their solvent power ; inasmuch as those with the 

 round cells dissolved acidulated coagulated protein-compounds 

 in a very short time y those with cylindrical epithelium, on 

 the contrary, either did not operate at all, or produced a 

 slight effect only after a longer period" ' The same author 

 further states that these observations were confirmed by 

 Donders and himself in the human stomach. In 1842, Mr. 

 T. "W. King noted the peculiar solvent action of the fluid 



1 KOLLIKER, Manual of Human Microscopic Anatomy, London, 1860, p. 321, 

 and in the American edition, 1854, p. 508. 



