588 DIGESTION. 



the results were the same in both cases. When gastric juice, not acid, 

 was put into a tube, and placed in the axilla, as in Spallanzani's 

 experiments, in twelve hours it was in a complete state of putrefac- 

 tion. The same occurred to saliva placed in the axilla. Gastric juice, 

 in an acid state, placed there, did not become putrid, but this seemed 

 to be owing to its acidity; for the same thing happened to saliva, when 

 rendered acid by the addition of a little vinegar; and even to the gastric 

 juice, used in the experiment just referred to, when mixed with a 

 little vinegar. Again: he attempted artificial digestions with the gas- 

 tric juice, acid and not acid; fresh and old; but they were unsuccessful. 

 The food always became putrid ; but sooner when the juice employed 

 was not acid; and, if it sometimes liquefied before becoming putrid, 

 this was attributed to the acidity of the juice, as the same effect took 

 place, when saliva, mixed with a little vinegar, was employed. M. Mon- 

 tegre, moreover, observed, that the food rejected from the stomach 

 was longer in becoming putrid, in proportion to the time it had been 

 subjected to the chymifying action of the stomach ; and he concluded, 

 that the fluid, which is sometimes contained in the empty stomach, 

 instead of being a menstruum kept in reserve for chymification, is 

 nothing more than the saliva continually sent down into that viscus, 

 and that its purity or acidity depends upon the chymifying action of 

 the stomach. 1 



As regards the fluid met with in the stomach of fasting animals, M. 

 Montegre's remarks may be true in the main; but we have too many 

 evidences in favour of the chemical action of some secretion from the 

 stomach during digestion to permit us to doubt the fact for a moment. 

 Besides, some of Montegre's experiments have been repeated with 

 opposite results. MM. Leuret and Lassaigne, 2 and Dr. Beaumont 3 per- 

 formed those relating to digestion after the manner of Spallanzani, and 

 succeeded perfectly ; whilst they failed altogether in producing chymifi- 

 cation with saliva, either in its pure state, or when acidulated with vine- 

 gar. By steeping the mucous membrane of an animal's stomach in an acid 

 liquor, a solution is obtained, tp which Eberle 4 gave the name pepsin. 

 This solution has the property of dissolving organic matter in a much 

 higher degree than diluted acids. It dissolves coagulated albumen, 

 muscular fibre, and animal matters in general. In an experiment, one 

 grain of the digestive matter dissolved one hundred grains of coagulated 

 white of egg. Eberle thought that all mucus has the property, when 

 acidulated, of inducing decomposition and subsequent solution of the 

 food; but it would appear, that no other mucus than that of the gastric 

 mucous membrane, when acidulated, possesses it, 5 and, consequently, 

 that there must be a peculiar substance, pepsin, which may be regarded 

 as the true digestive principle. 6 This principle was not obtained by 

 Schwann in a pure state ; but M. Wasmann 7 would appear to have suc- 



1 Chaussier and Adelon, in Diet, des Sciences Medicales, xx. 422. 



2 Recherches sur la Digestion, Paris, 1825. 3 Op. citat, p. 139. 



4 Physiologic der Verdauung nach Versuchen, u. s. w., Wurzburg, 1834; Miiller, Archiv. 

 Heft 1, 1836, or London Lancet, p. 19, March 31, 1838. 



5 Miiller, Elements of Physiology, by Baly, pp. 518 and 542, London, 1838. 



6 Miiller and Schwann, in Miiller's Archiv. Heft 1, 1836; and Muller, op. citat. 



7 Journ. de Pharmacie; and American Journal of Pharmacy, for Oct. 1840, p. 192. 



