rm r n 



STOMACHAL DIGESTION. 237 



on so many other surfaces (the bladder, for instance), an 

 obstacle to absorption ; indeed, it has been demonstrated 

 that, in spite of its lymphatic and blood vessels, the stomach 

 does not absorb. Experiments have been made, proving 

 that a horse, in which the pylorus has been tied, is not poi- 

 soned by the ingestion of a considerable dose of strychnine 

 (experiments by Bouley), 1 and this fact has been found to be 

 similar in regard to man. Thus a case has been known in 

 which a man, suffering from obstruction of the pylorus, 

 experienced constant thirst, in spite of having swallowed 

 large quantities of water; it was shown by an autopsy that 

 the mucous membrane of the stomach was in a perfectly 

 healthy condition ; here thirst was relieved by the injection 

 of water into the rectum. In the case of another patient, we 

 have seen the ingestion of opium fail entirely of its usual 

 calming effect, because some unknown cause prevented the 

 drug passing out by the pyloric orifice ; in this case a large 

 quantity of opium was administered, and the obstruction at 

 the pylorus being in some way suddenly removed, symptoms 

 of poisoning followed, owing to the large quantity of opium 

 accumulated in the stomach, which was afterwards absorbed 

 in the intestinal canal. 2 



1 Bouley, " Bulletin de 1' Academic de Medecine." 1842, Vol. 

 XVIL 



2 The question of absorption by the stomach has been, however, 

 revived by recent investigations. Several Italian physiologists, on 

 repeating Bouley's experiments, have observed, like him, that in 

 the horse large doses of strychnine introduced into the stomach, 

 the pylorus having been previously tied, do not produce poisoning. 

 But a new and important observation has been made, namely, that 

 neither does poisoning take place, if, after a considerable interval, 

 the ligature be untied, and free course allowed to the contents of 

 the stomach. According to Schiff, this latter circumstance indi- 

 cates that the absorption of the strychnine has been sufficiently 

 gradual to allow of its being proportionally eliminated by the urine, 

 without accumulating in the blood to such an extent as to pro- 

 duce poisoning. The same has been observed with woorara, which 

 is also absorbed by the intestine, but so slowly that it is eliminated 

 by the kidneys before a quantity which could prove fatal has had 

 time to accumulate in the organism (Cl. Bernard). For further 

 details on this subject, see the recent publication by F. Lussana: 

 '* Sulla Piccola Circolazione Entero-epatica," etc. Lo Sperimen- 

 tale, Octobre, 1872. Analyzed in " llevue des Sciences Medi- 

 cales," de G. Ilayem, Vol. I., p. 32. 



Schiff , relying on various experiments made by himself and by 

 Colin, admits absorption by the stomach as a general fact. We 



