70 PHYSIOLOGY FOR DENTAL STUDENTS. 



Water alone begins to leave the stomach almost immediately 

 after it is taken, because the sphincter opens before an acid 

 reaction has been acquired, and remains open on account of 

 there being no acid in the duodenum to effect its closure. Water 

 stays for too short a time in the stomach to excite any gastric 

 secretion, and consequently it readily carries infection into the 

 intestine. The discharge of raw egg albumin is peculiar. Like 

 water it begins to pass the pylorus immediately after ingestiou, 

 its reaction for some time being alkaline ; it becomes acid later, 

 so that the discharge becomes intermittent because of the duo- 

 denal reflex. The consistency of food itself does not affect the 

 rate of discharge unless hard particles are present in it, when a 

 marked retardation occurs. 



It is well known that the gastric contents are but slowly dis- 

 charged into the duodenum when there is excessive gas accu- 

 mulation. This is due to the atony of the stomach which accom- 

 panies pathological gas accumulation. 



