312 DIGESTION.) 



muscular fibres and the peritoneum, the valve can be made 

 to disappear, just as the constrictions between the sacculi 

 of the large intestine can be made to disappear by perform- 

 ing a similar operation. 



The Pancreas, and its Secretion. 



The pancreas is situated within the curve formed by the 

 duodenum ; and its main duct opens into that part of the 

 intestine, either through a small opening or through a duct 

 common to itself and to the liver. The pancreas, in its 

 minute anatomy, closely resembles the salivary glands ; 

 and the fluid elaborated by it appears almost identical with 

 saliva. When obtained pure, in all the different animals 

 in which it has 'been hitherto examined, it has been found 

 colourless, transparent, and slightly viscid. It is alkaline 

 when fresh, and contains a peculiar animal matter named 

 }mncreatin, and certain salts, both of which are very similar 

 to those found in saliva. In pancreatic secretion, however, 

 there is no sulpho-cyanogen. Pancreatin is a substance 

 coagulable by heat, and in many other respects very 

 like albumen : to it the peculiar digestive power of the 

 pancreatic secretion is probably due. Like saliva, the 

 pancreatic fluid, shortly after its escape, becomes neutral 

 and then acid. 



The following is the mean of three analyses by 

 Schmidt : 



Composition of Pancreatic Secretion. 



Water 980*45 



Solids . I 9'55 



Pancreatin 1271 



Inorganic bases and salts . . . . 6 '84 



I9-55 



The functions of the pancreas are probably as follows : 

 I. Numerous experiments have shown, that starch is 



