CHYMIFICATION. 597 



not duly performed; milk was no longer coagulated; raw meat remained 

 unchanged; and the food, consisting of meat, milk, bread, and sugar, 

 which the dog had before thoroughly digested, remained for a long 

 time neutral, and at length acquired acidity only from its transforma- 

 tion into lactic acid. In the stomachs of other dogs, after the division 

 of the nerves, he traced the transformation of cane sugar into grape 

 sugar in three or four hours ; and in ten or twelve hours, the trans- 

 formation into lactic acid was complete. In others, when the food was 

 not capable of an acid transformation, it remained neutral to the last. 

 In no case did any part of the food pass through the peculiar changes 

 of chymification. More recently, MM. Bouchardat and Sandras, 1 from 

 the results of a series of experiments instituted by them, believe they 

 have established, that stomachal digestion and the movements of the 

 organ are interrupted by the simultaneous section of both pneumogas- 

 trics on a level with the larynx; and farther, that intestinal digestion, 

 and the production and absorption of a very laudable chyle persist not- 

 withstanding such section; and M. Longet 2 concludes, that the section of 

 the pneumogastrics seriously affects chymification, chiefly by paralysing 

 the proper movements of the stomach, but partly by diminishing the 

 secretion of the gastric solvent; and lastly, Professor Berard, 3 after 

 examining the different experiments and inferences of preceding in- 

 quirers, infers: that "the mixed cords of the pneumogastrics and the 

 branches furnished by the great sympathetic to the stomach beneath 

 the diaphragm, contribute to the maintenance of the contractility of 

 the stomach and the secretion of the gastric juice. A greater share, 

 however, ought to be assigned to the cords of the pneumogastric than to 

 the sub-diaphragmatic branches of the great sympathetic. Moreover, 

 the motor influence of the pneumogastric appears to predominate over 

 the secretory; in other words, the resection of the nerve paralyses the 

 movements more than it diminishes the secretion." 



Of all these theories of chymification, that of chemical action, aided 

 by the collateral circumstances to be mentioned presently, can alone 

 be embraced; yet, how difficult is it to comprehend, that any one 

 secretion can act upon the immense variety of animal and vegetable 

 substances employed as food ! The discovery of the chlorohydric and 

 acetic acids and of pepsin in the secretion, aids us in solving the mys- 

 tery expressed by the well-known pithy and laconic observation of Dr. 

 William Hunter in his lectures: "Some physiologists will have it, that 

 the stomach is a mill ; others, that it is a fermenting vat, others, again, 

 that it is a stewpan ; but, in my view of the matter, it is neither a 

 mill, a fermenting vat, nor a stewpan ; but a stomach, gentlemen, a 

 stomach." 



Allusion has been already made to pepsin an organic compound 

 thrown off from the stomach which is an active agent in digestion. 

 It had been observed in the experiments of Eberle and Schwann, that 



1 Bouchardat, Annuaire de Therapeutique, de Matiere Medicate, &c., pour 1848, p. 306, 

 Paris, 1848. 



2 Op. cit., p. 340. 



3 Cours de Physiologie, 12e livraison, p. 235, Paris, 1849. 



i 



