304 THE DIGESTIVE ACTIVITY OP THE PANCREATIC JUICE. 



juice, the more deficient is the secretion in organic constituents, the 

 inorganic components remaining almost the same. Nevertheless, the 

 total amount of solid constituents secreted is greater under such circum- 

 stances than when the secretion is scanty. The freshly discharged juice 

 ^contains traces of leucin and soaps. 



In pancreatic juice that is no longer fresh, chlorin induces a red color, as 

 does crude nitric acid in the putrefying juice, by the production of indol. Rarely 

 the juice forms concretions in the pancreas, principally of calcium carbonate. In 

 cases of diabetes dextrose has been found in the pancreatic juice; in cases of jaun- 

 dice, urea. 



THE DIGESTIVE ACTIVITY OF THE PANCREATIC JUICE. 



The presence of four hydrolytic ferments, or enzymes (an amyloly- 

 tic, a proteolytic, a lipolytic, and a milk-curdling ferment), makes the 

 pancreatic juice a most important digestive fluid. 



The amylolyiic activity is due to the ferment amylopsin, which ap- 

 pears to be identical with the ptyalin of the saliva, though it acts more 

 energetically, both upon raw and upon boiled starch and glycogen. At 

 the temperature of the body almost immediately, but more slowly at a 

 lower temperature, it converts the substances named into maltose, 

 isomaltose and dextrin, as does the saliva. Even cellulose itself is said 

 to be digested and gum to be transformed into sugar, but inulin remains 

 unchanged. 



The amylopsin is precipitated by alcohol and it remains dissolved in glycerin 

 without material enfeeblement. All agencies that disturb the diastatic activity 

 of the saliva also abolish that of the amylopsin, although admixture of acid gastric 

 juice, as its hydrochloric acid is in combination, or of bile, is without injurious 

 effect. 



The ferment is isolated by the same method as that by which salivary ptyalin 

 is obtained, but in this process the peptic ferment is at the same time precipitated 

 with it. 



In addition to this diastase, the pancreatic juice contains a second diastatic 

 ferment, by which maltose and isomaltose are transformed into dextrose. Saliva 

 contains hardly a trace, and blood-serum more of this ferment than of diastase. 



The addition of bile, as well as of various neutral salts (in about 4 per cent. 

 solution), increases the diastatic activity, and in the following order: potassium 

 nitrate, sodium chlorid, ammonium chlorid, sodium nitrate, sodium sulphate, 

 potassium chlorate, ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulphate. 



The proteolytic activity is due to the ferment trypsin, which at the 

 temperature of the body transforms the albuminates, in the presence 

 of an alkaline medium, without previous swelling, first into albu- 

 moses (hemi-albumose and anti-albumose) , also designated propeptones, 

 and finally into true peptones, also designated tryptones. Previous 

 swelling of the proteids by means of hydrochloric acid, as well as an acid 

 reaction in general, have a tendency to prevent this transformation. 



The albumoses of tryptic digestion have the character of the deutero- 

 albumoses. Two kinds of peptones are formed, namely hemi-peptone, 

 which later breaks up into the amido-acids, and antipeptone, which does 

 not undergo further decomposition. 



Trypsin peptonizes all proteids, casein, vitellin, elastin, mucin, and 

 nuclein, while neurokeratin, keratin and amyloid remain insoluble. 

 Glutin and the gelatin-yielding substance, swollen by acids are changed 

 into gelatin-peptone, and the latter is not further changed. Oxyhemo- 

 globin decomposes into albumin and hemochromogen. Pancreatic ex- 



