PANCREATIC JUICE AND ITS ACTION UPON FOOD. 173 



the sheep, the goat, the pig, and the goose. The secretion has also been 

 obtained from the horse, by opening the duodenum and inserting the 

 canula into the natural orifice of the pancreatic duct. 



Under these circumstances, the fistula produced is only a temporary 

 one; since the ligature soon cuts its way through the duct by ulcera- 

 tion, when the canula falls out and the wound closes spontaneously, 

 the natural communication of the duct with the intestine being at the 

 same time re-established. Even in the ox, Colin found that the canula 

 became displaced within six or eight days after the operation ; and in 

 the dog, according to Bernard, the same thing happens at the end of 

 two or three days. Furthermore, the pancreas being very sensitive to 

 external irritation, its secretion is liable to become altered in character 

 during the inflammatory process, and it is therefore to be collected for 

 examination only within the first twenty-four hours after the insertion 

 of the canula. 



A permanent pancreatic fistula has been successfully established by 

 Ludwig and Bernstein, by making an incision in the side of the pan- 

 creatic duct near the intestine, introducing into the orifice thus made a 

 leaden wire extending a short distance each way, toward the gland and 

 toward the duodenum, and provided with an arm projecting at right 

 angles from its middle, which is allowed to protrude from the external 

 wound. After the healing of the parts, the fistula is thus kept perma- 

 nently open by the wire, which lies somewhat loosely in the cavity of the 

 duct and allows the secretion to escape by its side. The objection to 

 the plan is that, as the secretion passes by a narrow fistulous passage, 

 it may be mingled with unnatural secretions. 



Physical Character and Composition of the Pancreatic Juice. The 



pancreatic juice obtained from the dog within the first day after the 

 introduction of the canula, and while digestion is going on, is a clear 

 colorless fluid, with a distinctly alkaline reaction. It has a well marked 

 viscidity, somewhat like that of the serum of blood, or uncoagulated 

 white of egg, and differs strongly in this respect from the watery con- 

 sistency of the gastric juice. It coagulates completely by the applica- 

 tion of a boiling temperature, often solidifying into a uniform jelly-like 

 mass. It also gelatinizes partially on being cooled down to the zero 

 point (320 F.). According to the analyses of Schmidt, 1 it has the fol- 

 lowing composition : 



COMPOSITION OF PANCREATIC JUICE. 



Water 900.76 



Pancreatine 90.44 



Sodium chloride . . . 7.35 



Potassium chloride 0.02 



Lime phosphate 0.41 



Magnesium phosphate 0.12 



Soda, lime, and magnesia, in combination with the pancreatine . 0.90 



100000 

 1 Annaleu der Chemie und Pharmacie, 1854, xcii. p. 33. 



