192 PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. 



with which the peptonization takes place, the more or less rapid 

 increase in the amount of hydrochloric acid, and so on. 



It is a well-known fact that the contents of the stomach may 

 be kept without decomposing for some time by means of hydro- 

 chloric acid, while, on the contrary, when the acid is neutralized a 

 fermentation commences by which lactic acid and other organic 

 acids are formed. The hydrochloric acid of the gastric juice has 

 unquestionably an anti-fermentive action, and also, like dilute 

 mineral acids, an antiseptic action. This action is of importance, 

 as many disease micro-organisms may be destroyed by the gastric 

 juice. The bacillus of cholera is killed by the normal acid gastric 

 juice, while if it is introduced into the stomach after an injection 

 of a soda solution it may remain active (KocH, NICATI and 

 KIETSCH). Also varieties of streptococcus infecting wounds and 

 the staphylococcus pyog. aureus are killed by the acid gastric juice 

 (ALAPY). Still the gastric juice does not act on all micro-organisms, 

 and especially in the state of spores they can withstand its action. 

 As an example, the tubercle-virus is not destroyed by the gastric 

 juice (FALK), and the spores of the anthrax bacteria do not seem 

 to be always destroyed by the hydrochloric acid of the gastric juice. 



After death, if the stomach still contains food, digestion goes 

 on of itself not only in the stomach but also in the neighboring 

 organs during the slow cooling of the body. This leads to the 

 question, why does the stomach not digest itself during life? 

 Ever since PAVY has shown that after tying the smaller blood- 

 vessels of the stomach of dogs the corresponding part of the 

 mucous membrane was digested, efforts have been made to find the 

 cause in the neutralization of the acid of the gastric juice by the 

 alkali of the blood. That the reason for the non-digestion during 

 life is to be sought for in the normal circulation of the blood cannot 

 be contradicted; it is more probably found in the fact that the 

 living mucous coat nourished by the alkaline blood shows quite 

 different absorption, diffusion, and filtration properties than the 

 dead mucous coat. This last was shown long ago by RANKE and 

 HALENKE. 



Under pathological conditions irregularities in the secretion as 

 well as in the absorption and in the mechanical work of the 

 stomach may occur. Pepsin is almost always present, but the 



