32 STUDIES IN DIGESTION 



the absorption of peptones. Not only is this untrue, 

 but as we shall see, peptones are not absorbed at 

 all in the stomach, nor indeed anywhere else. 



It is not always safe to argue from dogs to man, 

 and Bickel declares that alcohol has some power to 

 produce a flow of gastric juice when placed into the 

 stomach through a gastrostomy wound in the human 

 subject. The experiment, however, is beset with 

 fallacies, and it is not clear that he was successful 

 in eliminating them all ; for instance, the substance 

 must be introduced without the knowledge of the 

 patient ; he must not smell or see it ; and it must 

 be proved that the flow is greater than that set up 

 by water. He also states that condiments such 

 as mustard and pepper increase the flow of gastric 

 juice by direct action. But none of these bodies 

 have anything like the proved efficacy and power of 

 meat extracts. 



Fats and oils exert a powerful inhibitory effect 

 on gastric secretion (Pawlow). Strong irritants, such 

 as absolute alcohol, cause a very profuse protective 

 outpouring of mucus. 



MOVEMENTS OF THE STOMACH. 



It is possible to study the shapes assumed by the 

 stomach after a meal, and its peristaltic movements, 

 by watching or photographing with the #-rays animals 

 or men fed with milk or mashed potato containing 

 bismuth salts. For this purpose the subnitrate 

 should be avoided, as large doses have caused nitrite 

 poisoning. It has been shown by Cannon and by 

 Gray that the pyloric portion is frequently shut off 



