Merycism Regarded in the Light of Atavie Tendency. 531 
present the clinician cannot be too cautious in drawing conclu- 
sions from the results obtained by an analysis of stomach con- 
tents. The trend of experimental evidence seems to point to 
but a slight absorptive power exercised by the stomach. If I 
accept this view, I am able to give but one interpretation to the 
data presented in the above table: the disappearance of a large 
amount of the ingesta (on the average about 30 grams out of 
35) together with the presence of the proteolytic products in 
small quantities, points to a rather active removal of the 
stomach contents into the small intestine. This would go to 
show that the muscular insufficiency demonstrated by the 
physical examination is not of a pronounced character. 
The intensity with which coagulated egg albumin is liquefied 
by my patient’s gastric secretion, was tested according to the 
method described in detail by Ewald. The addition of 
hydrochloric acid, two drops to 5 cc. of stomach contents, 
exercised a favorable influence upon the process of liquefac- 
tion. 
The chemical analysis proves clearly that the digestive 
chemism, in any and all of its phases, is not the causal 
factor of the ruminating habit in the case under consideration. 
Shall I shelve the difficulty by labeling this most remarka- 
ble phenomenon with the enigmatical superscription ‘‘neu- 
rosis?’’ To my understanding this euphonius term appears 
very nearly akin to the mathematician’s zero: it 7s not 
‘‘nothing,’’ but it is the symbol for nothing. I admit 
that we cannot entirely dispense with the term, as the dis- 
like for nameless things is an inherent quality of our 
nature. What I object to, is the assumption of an 
oracular mien while giving utterance to it, just as if some- 
thing intelligible and tangible were implied by its use. 
The neuroses are the offspring of our limitations. As 
a temporary makeshift, the term may serve its purpose, 
but let us hope that with further development of our means 
of investigation, the neuroses will gradually decrease in num- 
ber, and at last disappear entirely from the field of our m- 
tellectual vision. To me merycism is not a neurosis, but 
what is it? 
The great majority of merycoles were reported as enjoying 
