THE ABSORPTION OF PROTEINS 47 



meal is absorbed. London and his co-workers, on 

 the other hand, deny that any absorption takes place. 

 Abderhalden with Prym and London have apparently 

 decided the question in the negative for they have 

 demonstrated that amino acids fed to a dog with 

 several fistulae almost completely pass the pylorus, the 

 first absorption occurring in the duodenum. Under 

 normal conditions, therefore, gastric absorption so 

 far as protein is concerned may be regarded perhaps 

 as a negligible factor. 



Looked at from another viewpoint, that of the 

 present with its modified ideas of the purpose of diges- 

 tion, one would naturally expect little or no absorption 

 from the stomach. If the view is correct that the pur- 

 pose of alimentary treatment of protein is to hydrolyze 

 this substance to either a polypeptide or amino acid 

 stage then it is reasonable to assume that these are the 

 products absorbed, rather than the proteoses or pep- 

 tones. Inasmuch as gastric digestion fails to decom- 

 pose protein to the stage of products naturally absorbed 

 it is reasonable to assume that the stomach is not an 

 organ adapted for extensive absorption under ordinary 

 circumstances. On the other hand, Folin and Lyman 

 have shown conclusively that amino acids, Witte pep- 

 tone and urea, may be absorbed from the stomach when 

 a ligature is tied around the pyloric opening. In view 

 of these conflicting facts one is hardly justified in 

 making a positive statement as to the importance of 

 the stomach in the absorption of nitrogenous decom- 

 position products. 



