176 



PHYSIOLOGY 



CHAP. 



first days after the operation, but even two to three months after 

 the removal of the spleen. On the other hand, if splenic extract 

 from an insufficiently congested spleen (excised 2-3 hours after 

 food, or from fasting animals) be administered to the splenectomised 

 animal by the gastric sound, there is no perceptible increase of 

 digestive power in the gastric juice: whereas this is constantly 



FIG. 58. Diagram to show digestive power of gastric juice before and after splenectomy, and 

 before and after administration of extract of congested spleen. (Tarulli and Pascucci.) The 

 ordinates express the amount of boiled egg-white digested in cgrms. ; the abscissa lines indicate 

 the days on which the experiments were made ; 1 indicates the fall of digestive power con- 

 sequent on ablation of spleen ; ^ shows the rise due to dosage with extract of congested 

 spleen. 



the case when a well-congested spleen (excised 5-6 hours after a 

 meal) is used for the extract. 



These results seem on the whole to agree with the old 

 hypothesis of Baccelli as regards the influence of the spleen upon 

 gastric digestion. It is, however, desirable to obtain more 

 definite knowledge of this influence. From what was said above 

 (p. 121), it seems that we may logically assume that the spleen 

 during gastric activity elaborates a pepsinogenic substance which, 

 when carried into the circulation and absorbed by the gastric glands, 

 increases the amount of pepsin secreted. 



