588 THE PANCREAS. 



settled, by the recent experiments of M. Bernard.* The 

 following is given by Prof. March as the substance of those 

 experiments, at which he was present : " Pancreatic juice, 

 when collected from a living animal (a dog for example) 

 by means of a fistula artificially established, has clearly 

 identically the same physical character as the saliva, being 

 limpid, colorless, slightly ropy, and rather heavier than 

 water. It is constantly alkaline, and is coagulable by heat 

 and strong acids, owing to the presence of albumen. The 

 saliva is slightly alkaline when collected pure, but never 

 coagulable by heat or acids. When the pancreatic juice is 

 put in contact with azotised aliments, as fibrin, albumen, 

 and gelatine, there is no effect produced. Putrefaction oc- 

 curs in time, but no digestion. When applied to farina- 

 ceous substances, they are changed into sugar, which is ab- 

 sorbable." Thus far, he states, is known. But it was not 

 known before the discovery of M. Bernard, " that when this 

 fluid, the pancreatic, is put in contact with fatty substances 

 of every nature, as oils, animal fats, butter, &c., they are 

 quickly digested or decomposed, and reduced to a state in 

 which they may be absorbed into the circulation. This 

 property is peculiar to the pancreatic juice, not being pos- 

 sessed by the saliva, gastric juice, bile, serum, nor any other 

 fluid of the animal economy. The first effect produced 

 when you put the pancreatic fluid in contact with the oil, 

 or any fatty substance, is to form an intimate emulsion, 

 which will not separate on standing. If you agitate oil 

 with saliva, gastric juice, serum or pure bile, or any other 

 animal fluid, the mixture separates when in repose."f 



The great office of the pancreatic fluid then, in changing 

 the chyme into chyle, seems to be to dissolve and hold in 

 solution its fatty matters, that they may be capable of 

 absorption. M. Bernard also states, as an established fact, 



*The facts stated above are taken from the first number, Vol. 1st, of the 

 " Ohio Medical and Surgical Journal," for September, 1848. 



f Frerichs contradicts Bernard's statements on this point, but he has manifestly 

 misunderstood them. The result of the experiments made by him, Bidder, 

 Schmidt and Lenz, has been rather a modification than a refutation of his 

 views. For a brief account of these results, see " Dental Chemistry," p. 144. 



