RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPLEEN AND PANCREAS. 369 



conversions and changes" (Charles), the importance of the 

 spleen's internal secretion will appear. 



Albuminoids, especially those ingested with food, are not 

 the inoffensive bodies that they appear to be; indeed, they 

 constitute the foundation of some of the most dangerous sub- 

 stances that enter the organism when their molecular structure 

 undergoes certain changes. Apart from any function of the 

 spleen in the direction mentioned, the pancreatic trypsin sup- 

 plied to the intestine if we can judge by the manner in which 

 a small remnant of pancreas will prevent glycosuria must 

 persist even when the pancreas is, in a state of advanced dis- 

 ease. We saw that one-twentieth of the functional area of 

 the adrenals sufficed to sustain the general oxidation processes. 

 That the pancreas possesses at least four times more functional 

 area than it absolutely needs has been experimentally demon- 

 strated. With proper fresh, uncontaminated food, a nor- 

 mal organism is practically invulnerable, so splendidly is it 

 armed against any chemico-physical decomposition that the 

 ingesta may undergo. But these physiological defenses may 

 be weakened through general or local adynamia, i.e., lowered 

 oxidation processes, and peptones, capable of yielding toxal- 

 lumins, leucomaines, ptomaines., all albuminoids, fail to un- 

 dergo further splitting in the intestinal canal. Again, and 

 under the same circumstances, notwithstanding the destructive 

 action of the gastric and intestinal secretions, bacteria and 

 their toxins may penetrate the debilitated villi and the portal 

 circulation. The blood-stream, furthermore, may be invaded 

 through peripheral organs not only by bacteria and their 

 toxins, but also by vegetable poisons and venoms: all albuminoid 

 substances, as previously emphasized. Even these do not rep- 

 resent all the sources of danger that a protective function, such 

 as that represented by the pancreatic and splenic secretions, 

 would have to meet, were they, as we believe, mainly intended 

 to fulfill such a mission. 



If toxic albuminoids reach the portal vein by way of the 

 intestinal villi and the mesenteric veins, all conditions therein 

 are most advantageous for the action which trypsin is known 

 to exercise upon them: It acts with great energy in alkaline 

 media, and the presence of oxygen does not inhibit its action; 



