vii DIGESTION 91 



pierce the intestine about two inches below the pylorus. 

 Bile is made all the time, and when there is no food in 

 the intestines, it is stored up in a little bag called the 

 gall-bladder. This is located on the under surface of the 

 liver, with the larger pear-shaped end toward the front. 



Bile is of a golden yellow color in man and has a very 

 bitter taste. About two or three pints are manufactured 

 daily. It is not able to digest food alone, but it is very 

 important because .it makes the pancreatic juice work 

 much better. One of the chief functions of the bile is 

 to aid the pancreatic juice in breaking up the fat into 

 very small droplets that can enter the blood. It stimu- 

 lates the muscles of the intestines to more vigorous 

 action. Part of the bile is a waste product of the liver, 

 which is excreted through the intestines. 



Thus we see that the small intestine is a very impor- 

 tant place for the digestion of foods. Here we find the 

 intestinal juice, the pancreatic juice, and the bile, all 

 active in changing the foods not yet dissolved so that 

 they may pass through the walls of the intestines into 

 the bloodvessels. The act of digestion is now complete. 

 The contents of the small intestine has a milklike 

 appearance, and the entire mass is known as chyle. It 

 is now ready for absorption. 



Get a few grains of pancreatin, dissolve it in a pint of water, and 

 add a little baking soda. 



1. Test its action upon soft-boiled egg, shreds of raw beefsteak, 

 or crumbs of cheese. Keep the solution warm for fifteen or twenty 

 minutes. 



2. Test its action upon boiled starch. 



3. Put pancreatic juice into a test tube or small bottle and add a 



