272 DIGESTION. 



exclusively in the small intestines, as requiring a very long 

 time for their digestion. 



Understanding, as we do, that comparatively few articles, 

 and these belonging exclusively to the class of organic nitro- 

 genized principles, are completely dissolved in the stomach, 

 it is evident that the length of time during which food re- 

 mains in this organ, or the time occupied in the solution of 

 food by gastric juice, out of the body, does not represent the 

 absolute digestibility of different articles. It is, nevertheless, 

 an interesting and important question to ascertain, as nearly 

 as possible, the duration of stomach-digestion. 



There has certainly never been presented so favorable an 

 opportunity for determining the duration of stomach-diges- 

 tion as in the case of St. Martin. From a very great num- 

 ber of observations made on digestion in the stomach itself, 

 Beaumont came to the conclusion that " the time ordinarily 

 required for the disposal of a moderate meal of the fibrous 

 parts of meat, with bread, etc., is three to three and a half 

 hours." 1 The observations of Prof. F. G. Smith, made upon 

 St. Martin, many years later, give two hours as the longest 

 time that aliments remained in the stomach. 2 In a remark- 

 able case of intestinal fistula, reported by Prof. Busch, of 

 Bonn, it was noted that food began to pass out of the stom- 

 ach into the intestines fifteen minutes after its ingestion, 

 and continued to pass for three or four hours, until the 

 stomach was emptied. 3 



Undoubtedly the duration of stomach-digestion varies in 

 different individuals, and is greatly dependent upon the 

 kind and quantity of food taken, conditions of the nervous 

 system, exercise, etc. As a mere approximation, the average 



1 Op. eit. t p. 275. 



2 F. G. SMITH, Experiences sur la Digestion. Journal de la Physiologic, 

 Paris, 1858, tome i., p. 146, and Philadelphia Medical JHzaminer, July and Sep- 

 tember, 1856. 



3 BUSCH, Bietrag zur Pliysiologic der Verdauungsorganc. VIRCHOW'S Archiv, 

 Berlin, Bd. xiv., S. 140 et scq., and American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 

 July, I860, p. 219. 



