THE SPLENO-PANCRBATIC INTERNAL SECRETION. 407 



they hold in solution. If such is the case, arterial blood, richer 

 in oxygen, should render a pancreatic infusion containing the 

 preferment more active than venous blood. A. Herzen has 

 already studied this question and antagonized it by means of 

 appropriate experiments. On our side, we have tried to ascer- 

 tain the value of this opinion in the following manner: 



''Experiment II. The pancreas of a fasting dog was al- 

 lowed to macerate two hours in ten times its volume of a 

 saturated solution of boric acid. By decantation, 200 cubic 

 centimeters of the maceration liquid were taken and distrib- 

 uted among four flasks: A, B, C, and D. 



"To A were added 20 cubic centimeters of defibrinated 

 arterial blood (obtained from the fasting dog). 



"To B were added 20 cubic centimeters of defibrinated 

 venous blood (obtained from the fasting dog). 



"To C were added 20 cubic centimeters of congested spleen 

 (aqueous maceration). 



"To D were added 20 cubic centimeters of distilled water. 



"These flasks, in each of which was introduced 1 cubic 

 centimeter of albumin, were then placed in the oven at 39 C. 



*'At the end of 4 hours beginning digestion was observed 

 in flask C; villosities appeared on the surface of the cube of 

 albumin, which continued to be attacked in an energetic 

 manner. 



"A and B, after remaining in the oven 24 hours, did not 

 show very clear traces of digestion. Their cubes of albumin 

 presented slightly less sharp projections, and their angles were 

 more rounded. The cube in flask D was slightly attacked. 



"Experiment III. The pancreas of a fasting dog was 

 divided into three parts and triturated: the first alone; the 

 second with 20 cubic centimeters of femoral arterial blood; 

 the third with 20 cubic centimeters of venous blood, taken, 

 as was the former, from a fasting dog. These were placed in 

 flasks A, B, and C, containing each 150 cubic centimeters of 

 boric-acid solution. After remaining 2 hours in the oven the 

 peptonizing power of the decantation liquids was tried. Their 

 proteolytic action was very slow; the first signs of digestion 

 had appeared: in A after 16 hours of oven; in B and C after 

 20 hours. Digestion was not further advanced in the flask 



