88 



CHAP. IV. 



OF THE PANCREATIC JUICE. 



!< THE chyme, after passing the pylorus, undergoes new and con- 

 siderable changes in the duodenum a , a short but very remark- 

 able portion of the intestine, before the nutrient chyle is separated. 

 To this end, there are poured upon it various secreted fluids, the 

 most important of which are the bile and pancreatic juice. 



" Of these we shall treat separately, beginning with the pan- 

 creatic fluid, because it is closely allied both in nature and func- 

 tion to the saliva and gastric juice already mentioned. 



" Although it is with difficulty procured pure from living and 

 healthy animals, all observations made in regard to it establish its 

 close resemblance to the saliva. At the present day, it would 

 scarcely be worth while to mention the erroneous hypotheses of 

 Franc. Sylvius b and his followers Regn. De Graaf c , Flor. 

 Schuyl d , and others, respecting its supposed acrimony, long since 

 ably refuted by the celebrated Pechlin e , Swammerdam f , and 

 Brunners, unless they afforded a salutary admonition, how fatal 

 the practice of medicine may become, if not founded on sound 

 physiology. 



" The source of this fluid is similar to that of the saliva. It is 

 the pancreas 11 , by much the largest conglomerate gland in the 

 system, excepting the breasts," being about three times heavier than 

 all the salivary glands together *, " and extremely analogous to the 



a " Laur. Claussen, De Intestini Duodeni situ et nexu. Lips. 1757. 4to. Re- 

 printed in Sandifort's Thes. vol. iii. 



And his Tabula Intestini Duodeni. LB. 1780. 4to." 



b " De Chyli afeecibus alvinis secretions. LB. 1659. 4to." 



c " De sued Pancreatici Natura et Usu. ib. 1664. 12rao." 



d p ro Veteri Medicina. ib. 1670. 12rao." 



e " De Purgantium Medicamentorum Facultatibus. ib. 1672. 8vo." 



f " Observationum Anatomic. Collegii privati Amstelodamens. P. ii. in quibus 

 preecipue de piscium pa.ncreo.te ejusque succo agitur. Amst. 1673. 12mo." 



6 Experimenta nova circa pancreas. Amst. 1683. 8vo." 



h " Santorini, Tab. Post. xiii. fig. 1." 



' Marherr, Preelectiones in Her. Boerhaave, Instil. Med. t. i. ci. 



