CHYMIFICATION. 585 



could procure, in a short time after swallowing a little water or solid 

 food, as much as half a pint. M. Pinel " possessed the faculty of vomit- 

 ing at pleasure." In this way, he obtained from his stomach, in the 

 morning, about three ounces of fluid, which was analyzed by M. Thenard, 

 who found it composed of a considerable quantity of water, a little 

 mucus, and salts with a base of soda and lime; but it was not sensibly 

 acid, either to the tongue or to reagents. On another occasion, M. 

 Pinel obtained two ounces of fluid in the same manner. This was ana- 

 lyzed by M. Chevreul, and found to contain much water, a considerable 

 quantity of mucus, lactic acid united to an animal matter, soluble in 

 water, and insoluble in alcohol, a little muriate of ammonia, chloride 

 of potassium, and some chloride of sodium. 



Messrs. Tiedemann and Gmelin 1 procured the gastric fluid by making 

 animals, that had fasted, swallow indigestible substances, as flints. It 

 always appeared to them to be produced in greater quantity, and to 

 have a more acid character, in proportion as the alimentary matter was 

 less digestible and less soluble; and they assign it, as constituents, 

 chlorohydric acid; acetic acid; mucus; no, or very little, albumen; 

 salivary matter; osmazome; chloride of sodium, and sulphate of soda. 

 In the ashes, remaining after incineration, were, carbonate, phosphate, 

 and sulphate of lime, and chloride of calcium. MM. Leuret and Las- 

 saigne 2 assign its composition, in one hundred parts, to be, water, 

 ninety-eight; lactic acid; muriate of ammonia; chloride of sodium; ani- 

 mal matter soluble in water; mucus; and phosphate of lime, two parts. 

 M. Braconnot 3 examined the gastric juice of a dog, and found it % to 

 contain free chlorohydric acid in great abundance ; muriate of ammo- 

 nia; chloride of sodium in very great quantity; chloride of calcium; a 

 trace of chloride of potassium; chloride of iron; chloride of magnesium; 

 colourless oil of an acid taste; animal matter soluble in water and alco- 

 hol, in very considerable quantity; animal matter soluble in weak acids; 

 animal matter soluble in water, and insoluble in alcohol (salivary matter 

 of Gmelin) ; mucus ; and phosphate of lime. In the winter of 1832-3, 

 the author was favoured by Dr. Beaumont, 4 with a quantity of the gas- 

 tric secretion obtained from the individual with the fistulous opening 

 into the stomach, which was examined by himself, and his friend, the 

 late Professor Emmet, of the University of Virginia, and found to con- 

 tain free chlorohydric and acetic acids, phosphates, and chlorides, with 

 bases of potassa, soda, magnesia, and lime, and an animal matter 

 probably pepsin soluble in cold water, but insoluble in hot. The 

 quantity of free chlorohydric acid was surprising: on distilling the 

 fluid, the acids passed over, the salts and animal matter remaining in 

 the retort : the amount of chloride of silver thrown down on the addi- 

 tion of the nitrate of silver to the distilled fluid, was astonishing. The 

 author had many opportunities for examining the gastric secretion 

 obtained from the case in question. At all times, when pure or un- 



1 Op. cit. 2 Recherches, &c., Paris, 1825. 



3 Journal de Chimie Medicale, torn, ii., ser. 2, 1836, and Records of General Science, 

 Jan., 1836. 



4 See a letter from the author to Dr. Beaumont, in Beaumont's Experiments, &c., on the 

 Gastric Juice, p. 77; and the author's Elements of Hygiene, p. 216, Philad., 1S35. 



