THE PANCKEATIC JUICE. 249 



To the extremity of this is fastened a little gutta-percha 

 bag with a stop-cock, so as to draw off the pancreatic juice 

 when a sufficient quantity has collected.* It is quite im- 

 possible, however, to establish a permanent pancreatic fistula 

 like a permanent gastric or hepatic fistula, for the tube falls 

 out in the course of two or three days, and the wound healing 

 up, the animal generally recovers. The pancreatic juice 

 collected on the second and third day is generally abnormally 

 liquid, and has a disagreeable odour. 



Pancreatic juice contains water, salts, and a peculiar animal 

 principle, to which the name of pancreatinine has been given. 

 According to Bernard, it contains from 8 to 10 parts of 

 solids, and from 90 to 92 parts of water in 100 parts. 



The animal principle which it contains resembles albumen 

 in being coagulated by heat ; it is coagulated by nitric acid, 

 and the coagulum is soluble in an excess of the acid; it is 

 entirely precipitated by sulphate of magnesia. It is precipi- 

 tated from pancreatic juice by alcohol, and the precipitate 

 is soluble in water. The solution thus obtained possesses the 

 properties of pancreatic juice. After having been exposed 

 to the air for a short time, pancreatic juice is coloured red 

 by chlorine, and the same takes place in pancreatic juice 

 obtained by means of a fistula two or three days after the 

 operation. This colour has been shown by Bernard to depend 

 on the action of chlorine or pancreatinine. 



The mineral constituents of pancreatic juice are chloride 

 of sodium, alkaline and earthy phosphates, alkaline sulphates, 

 and carbonate of lime. When the pancreatic juice begins 

 to decompose, beautiful crystals of sulphate of lime are 

 deposited. 



The functions of the pancreatic secretion have of late years 

 been satisfactorily studied by Bernard, and other able experi- 

 * See BERNARD, Lemons de Physiologic, p. 190. 



