THE BILE. 157 



and with one of albumin and carbohydrates after from nine to 

 fourteen hours. These figures have reference to observations which 

 were made after the administration of only one meal in the twenty- 

 four hours. With two meals analogous results are obtained. The 

 individual periods, however, are shorter ; and as the number of 

 feedings is increased the secretion becomes more uniform, so that 

 with a meal every two hours no variations of moment can be 

 discerned. 



Amount. The amount of bile which is eliminated in the twenty- 

 four hours is variable even under normal conditions. In dogs from 

 2.9 to 36.4 grammes can be obtained pro kilogramme of weight of 

 the animal. In man the secretion apparently varies between 400 

 and 800 grammes ; but it is possible that these figures do not repre- 

 sent normal values. Ranke has estimated that a man weighing 75 

 kilogrammes secretes about 1050 grammes even in health. To a 

 certain extent the amount is influenced by the character of the food, 

 and it appears to be quite generally accepted that a diet rich in 

 albumins will call forth a greater secretion of bile, but it is note- 

 worthy that this increased secretion does not occur at once, but 

 only on the second or even the third day. The carbohydrates are 

 thought to diminish its amount, or are at least incapable of increas- 

 ing this, like the albumins. The fats are probably without effect 

 in either direction. 



It was formerly thought that a number of drugs could increase 

 the flow of the bile, and physicians were wont to administer 

 cholagogues when they supposed that the secretion of bile was 

 deficient. This view has now been abandoned, as it has been defi- 

 nitely established that drugs are without effect in this direction. 

 The only cholagogue, indeed, if it may so be termed, is the bile 

 itself. This is readily understood, if we bear in mind that the 

 bile is essentially an excretory product. 



General Properties. The color of the bile differs in different 

 animals, and may vary from a bright yellow to an intense grass- 

 green, with various shades of brown and blue. In man it is usually 

 of a golden-yellow color, but it may at times appear bright green 

 even when perfectly fresh. 



While pure bile, un contaminated with mucus, is a thin transparent 

 fluid, that which is eliminated into the intestinal tract and is found 

 in the gall-bladder is markedly viscid and more or less turbid. Its 

 taste is intensely bitter, with a sweetish and nauseating after-taste. 

 The odor is in many animals peculiar, and at times suggestive of 

 musk. The reaction is normally alkaline. After exposure to the 

 air, however, it soon becomes acid, but becomes alkaline again owing 

 to the development of trimethylamiri and ammonia. The specific 

 gravity varies between 1.010 and 1.033. In the gall-bladder, 

 where a constant resorption of water is going on, and where con- 

 siderable amounts of mucus are added to the bile, it is higher 

 (1.0261.033) than in the bile proper, which is secreted by the 



