SALIVARY GLANDS, STOMACH AND INTESTINES 751 



marked defecation, but otherwise none of the "other effects of vasodilatin." 

 Weiland considers the substance to be of physiological importance in the 

 automatic movements of the intestines, through stimulation of Auerbach's 

 plexus. As previously stated, Le Heux considers the cholin content of 

 intestinal extract to be sufficiently high to account to a great degree for 

 the action of such extracts on the intestinal musculature. Zuelzer (a) (&), 

 Marxer and Dohrn (1908) first prepared a peristaltic stimulant from the 

 stomach mucosa, but later used spleen instead. This spleen preparation 

 has been placed on the market as "hormonal" and has been used clinically 

 to some extent. Weiland considers the active ingredient in "hormonal" to 

 be identical with the substance he detected in intestinal extracts. Berlin 

 (1908) also studied spleen extract prepared by himself and concluded 

 that the active ingredient is neither cholin nor histamin, but a third new 

 substance. This substance may or may not be identical with gastrin or 

 secretin. At present we can safely say that it is very similar chemically 

 to histamin, gastrin and secretin, and physiologically there appears to be 

 some relation also. Zuelzer (1910) has introduced this extract into 

 therapy in the treatment of obstipation. Several have reported favorably 

 thereon, while others consider it worthless and even dangerous, in that its 

 intravenous use has caused death in several cases. Forkel, Kretzchmann 

 (1912) and Zuelzer (1910) report favorably as to its clinical use. Saba- 

 towski (1912) considers it worthless. Uhlmann (1918) and Popielski 

 (1912) consider the peristaltic response to be simply one of the many due 

 to one and the same substance. This substance appears to be the anti- 

 neuritic vitamin according to Uhlmann, and vasodilatin according to 

 Popielski. 



