200 CHARACTERS OF PANCREATIC JUICE. [BOOK II. 



smaller kind, which exhibit sluggish, yet perceptible, amoeboid move- 

 ments : corpuscles which are larger than the above-mentioned colour- 

 less corpuscles, but smaller than the so-called salivary corpuscles of 

 mixed saliva with which, however, they agree in all other particulars. 

 These corpuscles have in their interior granules which exhibit lively 

 Brownian movements and possess one to four nuclei. At favourable 

 temperatures the morphological elements are digested and dissolved. 



Coagulation Claude Bernard described the pancreatic juice as 



becoming more viscid as it cooled. Kiihne has how- 

 ever found that when cooled (as to C.) it undergoes a true coagu- 

 lation, separating into a gelatinous and a diffluent part. In con- 

 sequence of this property, the pancreatic juice often forms compact 

 opaque clots in silver cannulae. 



Alkalinity. The pancreatic juice is invariably alkaline. 



Taste. The pancreatic juice possesses a saltish taste. 



Specific The fluid of the temporary fistulse has a higher 



gravity. specific gravity than that of even successful permanent 



fistula. The former has a specific gravity of 1030, the latter between 



1010 and 101 1 1 . 



General Chemical Characters. 



When heated on the water bath to 75 C., pancreatic juice, obtained 

 from a temporary fistula, is coagulated so completely as to become 

 converted into a white opaque mass, from which there separates a 

 slightly opalescent fluid more alkaline than the uncoagulated juice, 

 which is precipitated by acetic acid and contains alkaline albu- 

 minate. 



When pancreatic juice is dropped into water, the drops coagulate 

 as they fall, the precipitate being soluble in NaCl and dilute acids. 

 When dropped into very dilute acids a similar coagulation takes 

 place, but the coagula are dissolved when shaken up with the acid. 



Alcohol added to pancreatic juice produces an abundant white 

 flocculent precipitate, which, even when washed with or digested in 

 absolute alcohol, is for the most part soluble in water at C. Acetic 

 acid does not precipitate this watery solution; after being acted upon 

 for some time by acetic acid, on neutralization a proteid precipitate 

 is obtained. The portion of the alcohol precipitate which is insoluble 

 in water behaves as a coagulated albumin. 



The alcoholic precipitate referred to carries down with it the various 

 ferments whose action will be described in the sequel. The pancreatic 

 juice is precipitated by the concentrated mineral acids, by metallic 



1 Maly, see 'Pankreassaft,' in Hermann's Handbuch, Vol. v. part 1, p. 187. The 

 author does not know the original sources whence these data have been obtained and 

 does not hold himself responsible for their accuracy. 



