370 ACTIONS OF THE INTESTINAL JUICE. 



[The intestinal juice obtained by Meade Smith's method contained only 0'39 per 

 cent, of organic matter, and in this respect agreed closely with the juice which A. 

 Moreau procured by dividing the mesenteric nerves of a ligatured loop of intestine.] 



[The secretion of the large intestine is much more viscid than that of the small 

 intestine.] 



Actions of succus entericus. The digestive functions of the fluid of 

 the small intestine are : 



(1.) It has less diastatic action than either the saliva or the 

 pancreatic juice (Schiff, Busch, Quincke, Garland), but it does not form 

 maltose; while the juice of the large intestine is said to possess this 

 property (Eichhorst). V. Wittich extracted the ferment with a 

 mixture of glycerine and water/ 



[The diastatic action of the small intestine is incomparably weaker than that of 

 the saliva, or pancreatic juice, and barely exceeds that of the tissues and fluids of 

 the bodies generally. A similarly weak diastatic action is possessed by the 

 secretion of the colon.] 



(2.) It converts maltose into grape-sugar. It seems, therefore, to 

 continue the diastatic action of saliva ( 148) and pancreatic juice 

 ( 170) which usually form only maltose. Thus maltose seems to be 

 transformed into grape-sugar by the intestinal juice. 



(3.) Fibrin is slowly (by the trypsin and pepsin Kiihne) peptonised 

 (Thiry, Leube); less easily albumin (Masloff), fresh casein, flesh raw or 

 cooked, vegetable albumin (Kolliker, Schiff); probably gelatin also is 

 changed by a special ferment into a solution which does not gelatinise 

 (Eichhorst). 



[The ferment for this purpose is mainly contained in Brunner's glands, and in 

 Peyer's patches (Brown and Heron).] 



(4.) Fats are only partly emulsionised (Schiff), and afterwards 

 decomposed (Vella). 



[M. Hay has never observed any emulsifying action. The apparent emulsificatioii 

 in certain instances is due to shaking the alkaline juice with a rancid oil, containing 

 free fatty acids, when a certain quantity of a soap is at once formed.] 



(5.) According to Cl. Bernard, invertin occurs in intestinal juice (this 

 ferment can also be extracted from yeast), whereby cane-sugar 

 (C 12 H 22 O n ) takes up water ( + H 2 0) and becomes converted into invert 

 sugar, which is a mixture of left rotating sugar (laevulose, C 6 H 12 O 6 ) 

 and of grape-sugar (dextrose, C 6 H 12 6 ). Heat seems to be absorbed 

 during the process (Leube). (See Carbohydrates for the various kinds 

 of sugar). 



[Hoppe-Seyler has suggested that this ferment is not a natural product of the 

 body, but is introduced from without with the food. Matthew Hay has recently 

 disproved this theory by, amongst other reasons, finding it to be invariably present 

 in the intestine of the foetus. It is found in every portion of the small intestine, 

 but not in the large intestine, nor in any other part of the body, and is much less 

 diffusible than diastase.] 



