ON THE ACTION OF MERCURY ON TilE BILIARY SECRETION. 
Taste IL1.*—Second Series of Observations on Dog 1. 
Bile secreted without Mercury. 
205 
Daily amount of 
1 2 3 4 5 ‘ 
- - : - For each 100 
Weight “ F Quantity of bile For each kilo- : 
of Amount of food, in secreted in 24 gramme of dog there area ther of dry 
dog. Brammmes: hours. were secreted See AHS Wie 
Date. ee) secreted 
“a oe A Fluid| Bile | Bile || Fluid} Bile | Bile || Fluid] Bile | Bile 
Kilogs.|| Water.) Milk. | Bread.| Meat.|| 13). solids,| salts. || bile. |solids.| salts. |] bile. |solids.| salts. 
1867. grms. | grms. | grms. || grms.|grm. | grm. || grms.| grms.| grms. 
June 29.|| 16:8 None.| 567 1701 | 253°5 |) 106°2 | 3865 | 1-15 
» 80.) ” ” ” ” 148°0 T T 
July 1. i . si 3 (Wll75 |431 | 1-116 
ree oh 2 ” ” 1851 | 6°60 2°010 |} 11°01 | 0°392] 0°119 |} 80°6 | 2°87 | 0°87 
Wee ad x os Fi 816 | 2°978 | 0°824|| 4°85 | 0-177] 0°049 || 85°5 | 1:29 | 0°35 
» 4 ” ” ” ” 149°5 | 5°80 1615 
LEER e iene st cos wees vais ncwsser'scxcesssveiseaneaace 131°31| 4:71 1°343 || 7°82 | 0:28 | 0:079 || 57-21] 2°05 | 0°58 
The amount of dry food consumed daily during the above period amounted to 229°5 grammes. 
” ” ” for each kilogramme of dog amounted to 13°6 grammes. 
* In columns 5 and 6 the maximum, minimum, and mean quantities are calculated; the last, however, 
are estimated from the mean quantities of column 4. 
+ Not determined. 
This second series of observations was again directed to ascertain the 
normal secretion of bile, in the hope that the secretion would become more 
constant ; the Table, however, shows that this expectation was not realized, 
the variation in the daily quantity of bile was indeed even greater. Owing 
to the experience gained in this experiment, all subsequent observations 
directed to ascertain the normal secretion of bile previous to the administra- 
tion of a drug were seldom prolonged beyond four or five days. 
Table ITI. shows that the average amount of fluid bile secreted daily 
during this series of observations was slightly above the average amount 
secreted during those in Table II.; but it shows that there was a great 
diminution in the bile solids. The average quantity during the first series 
was 7622 grammes, during the second series only 4-71 grammes. This 
was entirely due to a falling off in the amount of the organic constituents of 
the bile; for the Tables show that during the second series the inorganic 
solids (bile salts) were somewhat greater in amount than they were during 
the first series of observations. The animal had lost weight to the extent 
of 1:7 kilogramme, but was nevertheless in excellent health generally, 
although the irritable state of the fistula rendered necessary an interrup- 
tion of the observations until the 8th of July. 
As it seemed impossible to obtain a better standard of comparison than 
was afforded by Table III., it was resolved to commence the administration 
of mercury. Tuble IV. shows the results. 
Five grains of Pil. Hydrargyri were given as one dose daily during eight 
days ; the pill was always given twenty-four hours previous to the collection 
of the bile. 
On July 11th, the apparatus having shifted, the bile escaped. On the 
other seven days, however, the collections were perfect, and the results show 
that the administration of the drug was accompanied by slight diminution 
(3-71 grammes) in the average quantity of fluid bile secreted daily, and a 
slight augmentation (0-45 gramme) in the average quantity of bile solids. 
This slight increase in the bile solids cannot be regarded as a proof of 
the power of blue pill to increase the biliary secretion, when the extreme 
variations of the secretion in this case are taken into account. In favour 
