272 HANDBOOK OF PHYSIOLOGY. 



Chemical Composition of the Pancreatic Secretion. 



From a permanent fistula. (Bernstein.) 



Water, 975 



Solids Ferments (including trypsin, amylop- 



sin, rennet, and ? steapsin): 

 Proteids, including Serum- Albumin ) 



and Casein, v 17 



Leucin and Tyrosin; Fats and Soaps. ) 

 Inorganic resfdue, especially Sodium [ 8 



Carbonate, j 25 



1000 



r ~^? 

 Functions. (1.) By the aid of its proteolytic ferment trypsin, it 



converts proteids into peptones, the intermediate product being not akin 

 to syntonin or acid-albumin as in gastric digestion, but to alkali-albu- 

 min. Kuhne calls the intermediate products, both in the peptic and 

 pancreatic digestion of proteids, anti-albumose and herni-albumose, and 

 states that the peptones formed correspond to these products, which he 

 therefore terms anti-peptone and hemi-peptone. The hemipeptone is 

 capable of being converted by the action of the pancreatic ferment 

 trypsin into leucin or amido-caproic acid (C 6 H 12 N0 2 ) and tyrosin 

 (C 9 H U N0 3 ), but is not so changed by pepsin: the antipeptone cannot 

 be further split up. The products of pancreatic digestion are sometimes 

 further complicated by the appearance of certain faecal substances of 

 which indot (C 3 H 2 N), skatol (C 9 H 9 N), phenol (C 6 H 6 0), and napthila- 

 mine are the most important. (Kiihue.) 



When the digestion goes on for a long time the indol is formed in 

 considerable quantities, and emits a most disagreeable faecal odor. These 

 further products are produced by the presence of numerous micro-organ- 

 isms in the pancreatic digestion fluid. 



All the albuminous or proteid substances which have not been con- 

 verted into peptone and absorbed in the stomach, and the partially 

 changed substances, i. e., the para-peptones, are converted into peptone 

 by the pancreatic juice, and then in part into leucin and tyrosin. 



(2.) The action of the pancreatic juice upon the gelatins, or nitrog- 

 enous bodies other than proteids, is not so distinct. Mucin can, however, 

 be dissolved, but not keratin in horny tissues. Gelatin itself is formed 

 into peptone (gelatin-peptone). 



(3.) Starch is converted into maltose and then into glucose in an ex- 

 actly similar manner to that which happens with the saliva; erythro- and 

 achroo-dextrine being intermediate products. If the sugar which is at 

 first formed is maltose, the ferment of the pancreatic juice after a time 

 completes the whole change of starch into glucose. This distinct amy- 



