256 DIGESTION. 



was done by Beaumont in the human subject, and by Blond- 

 lot and others in experiments upon the inferior animals; 

 another is to make use of properly prepared acidulated infu- 

 sions of the mucous membrane of the stomach, which have 

 been shown by Schwann, Miiller, Mialhe, and others, to have 

 sensibly the same properties as the gastric juice, differing only 

 in activity ; and another is to examine from time to time the 

 contents of the stomach after food has been taken. By all 

 of these methods of study, it has been shown that the diges- 

 tion of meat in the stomach is far from being complete. 

 The parts of the muscular tissue most easily attacked are 

 the fibrous tissue which holds the muscular fibres together, 

 with the sarcolemma, or sheath of the fibres themselves. If 

 the gastric juice of the dog be placed in a vessel with finely 

 chopped lean meat, and kept in contact with it for a number 

 of hours at from 80 to 100 Fahr., agitating the vessel occa- 

 sionally, so as to subject, as far as possible, every particle of 

 the meat to its action, the filtered fluid will be found increased 

 in density, its acidity diminished in intensity, and presenting 

 all the evidences of having dissolved a considerable portion 

 of the tissue. There always, however, will remain a certain 

 portion which has not been dissolved. Its constitution is nev- 

 ertheless materially changed ; for it no longer possesses the 

 ordinary character of muscular tissue, but easily breaks down 

 between the fingers into a pultaceous mass. On subjecting 

 this residue to microscopic examination, it is found not to 

 contain any of the white inelastic fibres ; and the fibres of 

 muscular tissue, though presenting the well-marked and 

 characteristic striae, are broken into short pieces and possess 

 very little tenacity. It is evidently only the muscular sub- 

 stance which remains; the connective tissue and the sar- 

 colemma having been dissolved. These facts we have 

 repeatedly noted, and even on adding fresh juice to the 

 undigested matter, have been unable to dissolve it to any 

 considerable extent; the residue not being sensibly di- 

 minished in quantity, and the muscular substance always 



