16 THE SECRETIONS: 



The Pancreatic Fluid. 



The most accurate analysis of the pancreatic juice is that of 

 Tiedemann and Gmelin. 1 Earlier observers, as, for instance, 

 De la Boe, De Graf, and others, had shown that it is an acid, 

 clear, rather viscid fluid, possessed of a saline or acid-saline taste. 

 Wepfer, Pechlin, and Brunner, on the other hand, had described 

 it as turbid, of a whitish colour, not acid, but having a saltish 

 taste, somewhat like the lymph. Mayer 2 described the pan- 

 creatic juice of a cat as transparent, viscid, decidedly alkaline, 

 and containing albumen, chloride of sodium, and a peculiar 

 animal matter. Magendie found it alkaline and albuminous 

 in a dog, and in birds it contained so large an amount of albu- 

 men as to coagulate on the application of heat. 



Tiedemann and Gmelin cut down upon the pancreatic duct 

 of a strong well-fed dog, and, in the course of four hours, col- 

 lected about 155 grains of the fluid secretion. The portion 

 that was first collected was turbid, and somewhat red, probably 

 in consequence of the presence of a little blood. This was 

 placed aside. The subsequent portion had a blueish- white tint , 

 could be drawn out in threads like dilute albumen, had a faintly 

 saline taste, and an alkaline reaction. 1000 parts left 87 of 

 solid residue. The red portion first collected has a faintly acid 

 reaction. The principal constituents were extractive matters, 

 chloride of sodium, albumen, and a sort of modified casein. 



The pancreatic juice of a sheep was found by Gmelin and 

 Tiedemann to be clear, slightly acid, and of a faintly saline 

 taste. 1000 parts left 36 of solid residue, consisting of the 

 same ingredients as in the dog. In this instance, also, the 

 portion that escaped during the latter part of the experiment 

 was alkaline, and was richer in solid constituents than the 

 fluid that escaped earlier; it contained 51-9 of solid constitu- 

 ents in 1000 parts. 



The following is the result of their analyses : 



1 Op. cit. vol. i. p. 25. 2 Deutsch. Arch, fur die Physiologic, vol. iii, p. 170. 



