94 A STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE 



SUMMARY OF RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS. 



From these data it seems clear that a stimulation of the gas- 

 tric glands may take place, independently of any direct gastric 

 irritation, in consequence of the influence of alcohol absorbed 

 from the intestine. The volume of the fluid in the stomach 

 increased relatively far more than when five per cent alcohol 

 was introduced directly into the stomach (cf. Experiments 

 IX, X, p. 90). The composition of the fluid (high acidity, 

 free HC1, total solids) likewise gives evidence of active secre- 

 tion, while the fluid was found to be strongly proteolytic. 

 The absorption of the alcohol was complete in these experi- 

 ments ; and when it is remembered how quickly alcohol is 

 distributed and disappears in the body, the actual amount 

 reaching the gastric glands must have been relatively small, or 

 at least must have acted during a brief period only. It seems 

 probable, therefore, that there occurs here an indirect stimu- 

 lation quite comparable to that resulting after absorption of 

 peptone from the alimentary tract, and it is interesting to note 

 by way of comparison that Khigine,* in his experiments upon 

 the isolated fundus of the dog, found that the acidity of the 

 secretion after absorption of digestion products runs parallel to 

 a certain degree with the increase in volume. Whether the 

 absorbed alcohol acts directly upon elements of the gastric 

 mucosa (Heidenhain's " secondary secretion " ), or becomes a 

 stimulus to specific secretory nerve fibres (Khigine), we are 

 unable at present to decide, f 



* Khigine : Archives des sciences biologiques, St. Petersbourg, 1895, iii, 

 p. 461. 



t Cf. Howell : American Text-book of Physiology, 1896, p. 182. 



